Zechariah and Elizabeth

[Guap]

In 1:6-7 we read two things about Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were ‘righteous before God’, that is they followed the law ‘blamelessly’, Zechariah was a priest who faithful served in the temple and yet they were childless despite being older. However despite their faithful service to God they lacked the one thing that would show his blessing on them to others. They were childless. Part of the God’s blessing on someone was seen in having children. This was in the eyes of others a ‘reproach’ (v25). Here we have two good people who have suffered disappointments.

There is no particular spiritual reason why they suffered this frustration. This was just a part of living in a fallen world. This particular disillusionment takes place over years. It is not something that we can go, at this point; this particular thing happened that was sad. It was just a slowly growing disappointment month after month after month.

Later we learn that God choose to use this particular disappointment for his purposes. He used Zechariah’s one and only time to offer incense as the time to announce he was starting a new visitation in Israel.

However during the many years of frustration they would not have known what was going to happen. It makes me wonder how I relate to people going through disappointments. Certainly God can come and intervene to sort out the frustration but if and when that happens we can never know.

It makes me wonder if I ever judge people who are going through disappointments as if they have brought this on themselves. It makes me wonder if I treat people less because they haven’t received some blessing that I have.

 

[Deborah13]

In 1:6-7 we read two things about Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were ‘righteous before God’, that is they followed the law ‘blamelessly’, Zechariah was a priest who faithful served in the temple and yet they were childless despite being older. However despite their faithful service to God they lacked the one thing that would show his blessing on them to others. They were childless. Part of the God’s blessing on someone was seen in having children. This was in the eyes of others a ‘reproach’ (v25). Here we have two good people who have suffered disappointments.

There is no particular spiritual reason why they suffered this frustration. This was just a part of living in a fallen world. This particular disillusionment takes place over years. It is not something that we can go, at this point; this particular thing happened that was sad. It was just a slowly growing disappointment month after month after month.

Later we learn that God choose to use this particular disappointment for his purposes. He used Zechariah’s one and only time to offer incense as the time to announce he was starting a new visitation in Israel.

However during the many years of frustration they would not have known what was going to happen. It makes me wonder how I relate to people going through disappointments. Certainly God can come and intervene to sort out the frustration but if and when that happens we can never know.

It makes me wonder if I ever judge people who are going through disappointments as if they have brought this on themselves. It makes me wonder if I treat people less because they haven’t received some blessing that I have.

Not sure what you are asking here but I'll try to respond.
Sometimes people do bring disappointments on themselves. I have done that.
No, I don't think God loves someone else less than He loves me because we are blessed differently. That's just silly, are we in some kind of sibling revelry?

 

[iLOVE]

Our vertical relationship with God hinges also on our horizontal relationship with others.

Matthew 25:31-46
New King James Version (NKJV)

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him,[b] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”