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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Luke 1:18 - 1:20
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The doubts of Zacharias:
v. 18. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
v. 19. And the angel, answering, said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.
v. 20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
The announcement of the angel and the enthusiasm with which he delivered his message overwhelmed the aged priest. Hoping against hope, he had continued his importunate appeals for progeny even beyond the usual term of life. But now that his prayers were to be answered beyond his fondest expectations, the greatness of the miracle created doubt in his mind. It suddenly seemed too good to be true, the course of nature could not be set aside; and therefore he labored under a lack of faith. He asks: By what means shall I know this? He wanted some concrete evidence, some definite sign which would give him the immediate assurance of the realization of his hopes. For now that his faith had been shaken, he argues from the standpoint of human reason, that he himself was an old man and that his wife was far advanced in her days, that the predicted event could therefore not well take place. Zacharias received the sign he asked for more quickly than he had anticipated. With solemn impressiveness the angel explains to him the reason why his message should have been believed implicitly. For Gabriel was his name, which means the might of the strong God. Zacharias, being familiar with the books of the prophets, would understand the name and all it stood for, Dan_8:16; Dan_9:21. Gabriel belonged to the blessed angels that stand in the presence of God, that are confirmed in eternal bliss before the throne of God. He was present, not on his own initiative or in his own interest, but as the messenger of the strong God, who could accomplish every purpose and subdue all things to Himself. He had come to bring to Zacharias truly good, joyful tidings. Since, therefore, Zacharias, without considering this fact, had chosen to doubt the message, the sign that he required would be in the nature of a severe, though temporal and 'temporary punishment: total dumbness, until the time that all this would come to pass, for, as the angel once more emphasizes, the matter foretold would surely be fulfilled in its season, at the time appointed by God.