In bible study today Jan taught on
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
Jan pointed out something that caught my attention. She mentioned that the picture that we get
about Elizabeth in scripture is in the frame of her relationships. First we see Elizabeth as a wife to Zechariah
and then as a cousin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Jan taught that both of
these human relationships give insight into her character. There is a third
relationship in scripture…..one that I think defines who she was…. and that was
her relationship with God.
Elizabeth and Zechariah
One of the central roles Elizabeth played
in her life was as a wife. She married Zechariah, also of the priestly line of
Aaron. God’s word says, “Both of them were
upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and
regulations blamelessly” (Luke 1:6). It goes on to say “But they had no children, because Elizabeth
was barren; and they were both well along in years” (Luke 1:7).
Although they had been married a long time
their relationship did not produce children.
This is a condition which would have caused Elizabeth to be
disgraced. It was the custom of the
times in the Jewish community for a man to divorce his wife if she did not give
him children yet Zechariah did not do this.
In the beginning of Luke 1, Zechariah has
an encounter with an angel as he is burning incense to the Lord inside the
temple. The angel gives him some amazing news – he and Elizabeth were going to
have a child!! Among other instructions the angel tells Zechariah that they are
to name the son ‘John’. Jumping ahead to
the end of Luke 1, Elizabeth has a baby boy. Eight days after his birth their
family and friends are gathered to celebrate the baby’s circumcision. It was
expected that the baby would be named after his father. “But his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John"
(Luke 1:60). This is further evidence of
the strength of their relationship. Even though Zechariah would not have been
able to verbally communicate what had transpired in his encounter with the
angel, Elizabeth stood by his side in full support.
Elizabeth and Mary
In the last month at Ladies Bible Study
Arlene has been speaking of the importance of mentoring relationships. “Likewise,
teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers
or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the
younger women to love their husbands and children” (Titus 2:3-4). It is likely that this is the type of
relationship Mary and Elizabeth shared.
When the angel announced to Mary that she
would bear the Messiah he also told her that her cousin Elizabeth was now in
her sixth month of pregnancy. (Although Elizabeth’s pregnancy came about my
natural means it was a miracle nonetheless because of her age.) “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a
town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and
greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1:39-40).
After a long journey Mary arrived at
Elizabeth’s home. It was clear that their relationship had been transformed
forever. “When Elizabeth heard Mary's
greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41-43). Wow!!! There is so much said in these verses! Mary
is no longer just Elizabeth’s younger cousin – Elizabeth has recognized her as
the ‘mother of my Lord’. This changes
everything!
Many years later we see a similar
transformation in the relationship of the sons of these two women. Jesus and
John were cousins. John’s calling in life had been ordained before birth, “to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17b). As a grown man, John proclaims: “He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not
worthy to untie “ (John 1:27). “You yourselves
can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The
friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy
when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:28-30). Both Elizabeth and
her son John walked in the humility of their calling.
Elizabeth and God
The defining role in Elizabeth’s life was
as a follower of God. I believe that
this was the very foundation on which the human relationships in her life were
built. As I already said, our introduction to Elizabeth in Luke 1:6 tells us that
she was upright in the site of God.
Elizabeth did not love God just because of
what He could do for her. We know that Elizabeth struggled with bareness most
of her married life and suffered disgrace because of this. Despite this painful
circumstance Elizabeth remained faithful. There is no indication that her heart
was bitter or angry towards God.
We also know that Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit. She was sensitive to
His voice as He revealed to her that Mary would birth the Messiah. Elizabeth and Zechariah raised John according
to the instructions of the Lord “And the
child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he
appeared publicly to Israel” (Luke
1:80).
Like Elizabeth, we play many roles in our
lives based on our relationships. We may
be a wife, a mother, a mentor, a friend…to name a few. These relationships need
to be built on the foundation of our relationship with God. That’s why we do what we do in Women’s Bible
Study! As we learn about God by studying the bible and hide His Word in our
hearts we are being transformed from the inside out. It is a supernatural transformation!
As we learn about God we can’t help but
love Him more. As we love Him more we
are able to love those around us with His love.
“I
have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the
glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and
insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I
pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the
confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich
and glorious inheritance” (Eph. 1:16-18, NLT).
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