Hello All,
The
part of the poem that we will be emphasising on today is highlighted in blue. The black colour text in the poem is a recap of
what we have already done last week.
Let us now continue with the
third and final episode of this poem…
Zechariah's Prophecy: Episode 3 (Luke 1:67-79)
By
Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (27th Nov 2014)
There once was a Jewish
priest named Zechariah
Who was from the
priestly order of Abijah
His dear wife was from
the priestly line of Aaron
Her name was Elizabeth
and she was barren
They were righteous and
upright before the Lord's eyes
His commandments and
decrees they did not defy
They lost hope of having
a child for they were old
Until the birth of John
the Baptist was foretold
By Angel Gabriel and
fulfilled quite soon after
His miraculous birth
brought much joy and laughter
Zechariah, filled with
the Spirit, joyfully
Broke into songs of
praise and gave this prophecy:
'Praise the Lord, the
magnificent God of Israel,
His eternal love and
faithfulness never fail
For he has visited and
redeemed His people
He has sent us a Saviour
who's strong and able
He is the prophesied and
promised Descendant
From the royal line of
King David, His servant
Now we will be saved
from our ruthless enemies
To our ancestors, He has
shown grace and mercy
By remembering His
sacred covenant
Made with our ancestor,
Abraham, His servant
We have been rescued
from our cruel enemies
So that we can serve God
without timidity
With no trace of fear, for
He has made us holy
And righteous through
our Saviour in His great mercy
We can serve the God of
Israel for all our days
For as long as we live
on earth, in every way
You, my son, will be
called the prophet of the Most High
Because you will prepare
the way for the Lord by
Telling people how to
find salvation in Him
Through the pardoning and
forgiveness of their sins
Because of God's tender
mercy, the morning Light
From heaven will dawn
upon us and bestow sight
To those in darkness,
from death they will find release
This Light will guide and
keep us in the path of peace'
THE END.
Points for Reflection:
[76] And you, child, will be called the prophet
of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
[77] to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins.
(Luke 1:76-77 ESV)
·
I am not sure if
you would have felt that it was strange for Zechariah to begin his prophecy
with the Messiah instead of his own son right after the birth of the long
awaited child.
·
8 verses from the
Bible were allocated for Jesus Christ whereas only 4 verses for Zechariah’s
son, John the Baptist.
·
It is a very
natural thing for all attention to be focused on a newborn baby.
·
But through
Zechariah’s prophecy, we learn that no matter how much we may love and care for
a newborn baby, God should always be our first priority.
·
Zechariah’s words
to his son were not for self-glorification but they clarified the way that John
the Baptist was meant to point people to Christ.
·
God’s plan for John
the Baptist was to devote his life in telling others to repent of their sin and
find salvation in Jesus Christ.
·
Later in his life,
John the Baptist said the following words:
“He [Christ] must increase, but I must
decrease.”
(John 3:30 ESV)
·
Have you been telling
others about the gospel? In your pride, have you been tempted to take the glory
for yourself instead of pointing others to Christ? How can you, like John, say,
‘He must increase, but I must decrease’?
·
As this year is
drawing swiftly to an end, make it your resolution for the New Year to devote
your life in service to Christ for His glory.
