Bible Study Luke 1:5-7

[clark thompson]

Luke 1:5-7
King James Version (KJV)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.


Luke 1:5-7
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife ]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

5 Herod would also become a title; this is the same Herod from Matthew 2. Being a priest he would be a descendent of Aaron. It is common even in those times still to marry someone from their own tribe. Both were Levites and descendents of Aaron.
6 They lived not by fear of the Pharisees but out of a love and devotion to the Lord many
people of this time lived right so the Pharisees would not condemn them. Being a priest there were more requirements than for someone who was not a priest for them to live by. There was much corruption with the priests at this time due to Roman influence as well as influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

7 Many people of God were barren, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah and others. These instances showed God’s power and He meant great things for all those children born to these women. Elizabeth is in great company being barren.

 

[Chopper]

Luke 1:5-7
King James Version (KJV)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.


Luke 1:5-7
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife ]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

5 Herod would also become a title; this is the same Herod from Matthew 2. Being a priest he would be a descendent of Aaron. It is common even in those times still to marry someone from their own tribe. Both were Levites and descendents of Aaron.
6 They lived not by fear of the Pharisees but out of a love and devotion to the Lord many
people of this time lived right so the Pharisees would not condemn them. Being a priest there were more requirements than for someone who was not a priest for them to live by. There was much corruption with the priests at this time due to Roman influence as well as influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

7 Many people of God were barren, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah and others. These instances showed God’s power and He meant great things for all those children born to these women. Elizabeth is in great company being barren.

You are right Clark my friend. It is interesting how God used these barren women. When the Scripture says, "is anything to hard for the Lord?" that sure says a lot. There are times when I was in a tight spot, that I remembered that statement about our Lord, and He came through with the answer. Praise the Lord for His mighty works.

 

[for_his_glory]

It's amazing when you dig deeper into the birth of John the Baptist that you also find the birth of Jesus.


View attachment 4008

According to Luke Chapter One Jesus was conceived six months after the conception of John the Baptist and was born nine months later in the months of September/October according to the Lunar Jewish Calendar.

King David on God's instructions (1 Chr 28:11-13) had divided the sons of Aaron into 24 groups (1 Chr 24:1-4), to setup a schedule by which the Temple of the Lord could be staffed with priests all year round in an orderly manner. After the 24 groups of priests were established, lots were drawn to determine the sequence in which each group would serve in the Temple. (1 Chr 24: 7-19). That sequence is as follows:

1 Chr 24:7

1. Jehoiarib

2. Jedaiah

1 Chr 24:8

3. Harim

4. Seorim

1 Chr 24:9

5. Malchijah

6. Mijamin

1 Chr 24:10

7. Hakkoz

8. Abijah

1 Chr 24:11

9. Jeshuah

10. Shecaniah

1 Chr 24:12

11. Eliashib

12. Jakim

1 Chr 24:13

13. Huppah

14. Jeshebeab

1 Chr 24:14

15. Bilgah

16. Immer

1 Chr 24:15

17. Hezir

18. Aphses

1 Chr 24:16

19. Pethahiah

20. Jehezekel

1 Chr 24:17

21. Jachim

22. Gamul

1 Chr 24:18

23. Delaiah

24. Maaziah

1 Chr 24:19 These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

Now each one of the 24 "courses" of priests would begin and end their service in the Temple on the Sabbath, a tour of duty being for one week (2 Chr 23:8, 1 Chr 9:25). On three occasions during the year, all the men of Israel were required to travel to Jerusalem for festivals of the Lord, so on those occasions all the priests would be needed in the Temple to accommodate the crowds. Those three festivals were Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deut 16:16).

The Yearly Cycle of Service in the Temple.

The Jewish calendar begins in the spring, during the month of Nisan, so the first "course" of priests, would be that of the family of Jehoiarib, who would serve for one week, Sabbath to Sabbath. The second week would then be the responsibility of the family of Jedaiah. The third week would be the feast of Unleavened Bread, and all priests would be present for service. Then the schedule would resume with the third course of priests, the family of Harim. By this plan, when the 24th course was completed, the general cycle of courses would repeat. This schedule would cover 51 weeks or 357 days, enough for the lunar Jewish calendar (about 354 days). So, in a period of a year, each group of priests would serve in the Temple twice on their scheduled course, in addition to the 3 major festivals, for a total of about five weeks of duty.

The Conception of John the Baptist.

Back to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, which is important to understand that Jesus was born September/October according to the Lunar Jewish Calendar being conceived six months after John the Baptist.

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived

Beginning with the first month, Nisan, in the spring (March-April), the schedule of the priest's courses would result with Zacharias serving during the 10th week of the year. This is because he was a member of the course of Abia (Abijah), the 8th course, and both the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15-21 Nisan) and Pentecost (6 Sivan) would have occurred before his scheduled duty. This places Zacharias' administration in the Temple as beginning on the second Sabbath of the third month, Sivan (May-June).

Having completed his Temple service on the third Sabbath of Sivan, Zacharias returned home and soon conceived his son John. So John the Baptist was probably conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan.