Matthew Henry Commentary Luke 1:5-25

"There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were [now] well stricken in years. Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest`s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest`s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw [him], and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother`s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall be turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient [to walk] in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared [for him]. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb. And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house. And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon [me], to take away my reproach among men." — Luke 1:5-25 (ASV)

The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners, as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were distinguished by their piety and integrity. They had no children, and it could not be expected that Elisabeth would have any in her old age. While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were praying outside.

All the prayers we offer to God are acceptable and successful only through Christ's intercession in the temple of God above. We cannot expect a share in it if we do not pray, pray with our spirits, and are not earnest in prayer. Nor can we expect that even the best of our prayers will be accepted and bring an answer of peace, except through the mediation of Christ, who lives forever, making intercession. The prayers Zacharias often made received an answer of peace.

Prayers of faith are recorded in heaven and are not forgotten. Prayers made when we were young and entering the world may be answered when we are old and leaving the world. Mercies given in answer to prayer are doubly sweet. Zacharias will have a son in his old age, who will be instrumental in converting many souls to God and in preparing them to receive Christ's gospel. He will go before Him with courage, zeal, holiness, and a mind indifferent to earthly interests and pleasures.

The disobedient and rebellious would be brought back to the wisdom of their righteous ancestors, or rather, brought to pay attention to the wisdom of that Just One who was coming among them. Zacharias heard all that the angel said, but his unbelief spoke. In striking him mute, God dealt justly with him, because he had objected to God's word. We can admire God's patience toward us.

God dealt kindly with him, for in this way He prevented him from speaking any more distrustful, unbelieving words. In this way, God also confirmed his faith. If, through the rebukes we are under for our sin, we are brought to give more credit to God's word, we have no reason to complain. Even real believers are prone to dishonor God by unbelief; and their mouths are silenced in confusion when they otherwise would have been praising God with joy and gratitude.

In God's gracious dealings with us, we should observe His gracious regard for us. He has looked on us with compassion and favour, and therefore has dealt with us in this way.