Author: Bill Hall

Luke 1:10 “And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”

   It seems the morning and evening hours of incense had become the expected hours of prayer. Indeed this was the practice to such an extent that the early church observed the same. Prayers are often compared to incense in the Scriptures, though not necessarily solely because of this practice.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of prayer. It is liberating to be able to give to You our burdens. We praise You for Your patience and Your power. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:9 “according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”

   This duty was considered a great privilege. To be able to go into the temple itself was special. This offering of incense was likely the one offered after the morning or evening sacrifice. It was linked with the prayers of God’s people.

Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing our prayers. It is precious to us to know that You care about us and or needs. Thank You! We praise You for Your goodness. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:8 “So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,”

   In 1 Chronicles 24 we read of the dividing of the courses of the priests by David, Zadok, and Ahimelech. There were sixteen courses of the sons of Eleazar and eight courses of the sons of Ithamar. Abijah was the eighth course in line, and was of the sons of Eleazar.
   The priests would perform the various services of the temple in their order, according to thier course. Thus, due to the fact that there were 24 of these orders, Zacharias was surely glad his turn had come round. It would likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Heavenly Father, so often we tend to shy away from opportunities for service. Yet, maybe we have the wrong idea. We think that since there is so much work to be done, opportunity is endless. But, maybe You use us differently than we think. May we covet Your service rather than seeing it as a burden. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:7 “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”

   Miraculously supplying children to the barren and old seems to be one of God’s favorite things to do. And rightly so. These miracles remind us of the fact that all life comes from Him. He is in complete control of every circumstance. Not only does life itself come from him, but the way life goes comes from him too. He determines every step. He knows the end from the beginning.
   At this point Zacharias and Elizabeth would not have expected to have a child. And yet, God gave them one. How inconvenient that must have been! To have a child, when you never expected it to happen. But, I’m sure they never complained. We tend only to complain when God’s plans lead to an inconvenience that we didn’t want.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the inconveniences that You put in our lives. We see things as inconvenient, but You know exactly what we need and when we need it. May we run our lives by what is glorifying to You, rather than what is convenient. You are what it’s all about! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

   What a contrast this is! Much of the gospel accounts seem to put the law keepers against Christ and John the Baptist. Yet here the parents of the latter are said to be law keepers.
    What is the significance of this? The law was not the problem. Both Jesus and John His cousin were dealing with hypocrisy rather than law. The law was no problem for them. It was the Jewish additions and inconsistency of observation that was at issue.
   However, this verse seems to link righteousness and the keeping of the law. How can we reconcile that with the gospel of grace? As James would point out, works are an evidence of faith. So, the righteousness of these two folks was due to their faith. But their faith was evidenced by their works. Even in this age of grace, works are essential. But we understand that the works are only evidence of faith, and they do not save us. Grace alone may give us the righteous of Christ.

Heavenly Father, we will be careful to observe Your commandments. Though we understand that this obedience cannot save us, it shows our love for You, and the genuineness of our faith. Thank You for the mercy and grace that provide for us righteousness in Christ. We will do good because we are good by Your grace. It is impossible for us to live against our Savior. We will keep His laws, for we are His servants. May Christ be praised forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:5 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”

   The death of Herod the Great, as he is called, and the birth of Christ occurred fairly close together. Jesus was quite young when Herod’s son Archelaus began to reign in Judea.
   Not only do we get information about Zacharias, but we are told quite a bit about Elizabeth. A wealth of biographical information makes these people more real to us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the human nature of Your Word. It is easy for us to read. We identify with it and can follow its narrative. We will declare the truth of it to this lost world. May we never stop allowing You to speak through us! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:4 “that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”

   Since we do not know the age of Theophilus, is possible that he was instructed while young. In any case, it seems that, like Luke, he did not have any first-hand experience of the events of the Gospel.
   It is important for us to pick up on something here. Luke acts as if the truth is something to be considered, and then accepted. It needs to be studied. A sort of mental assent is required. A person is not just simply expected to accept it whole cloth, but to consider it and accept after thinking it over. So, as we have already seen, faith is needed. But that faith is not based on an unfounded belief, but on a reasonable conclusion.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the facts of the gospel. And thank You for the faith that You have given us in Your word. You lead us to a place of trust. You help us to see that Your Word is dependable. Give us a reliance on it that is unshakeable. As your Word, is worthy of honor. We will obey it for all of our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Sunday and Monday’s devotions were accidentally from Acts 1:3-4 rather than Luke 1:3-4. And, of course, I had already done Luke 1:3 on Saturday. Tomorrow I will get back on track in Luke. I appreciate the fact that this was brought to my attention. It’s nice to know someone is reading this blog.

Luke 1:4 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;”

   Who is this Promise? As we see it is the Holy Spirit. Though having Jesus right there with them was a great privilege, we must not miss the wonderful blessing of having the Holy Spirit. He is in complete agreement and Union with Christ. The power, wisdom, and grace of the Lord Jesus are all accessible to us through Him.
   We dare not miss the significance of the fact that Jesus told them to wait. The Spirit is vital to our mission to spread the gospel, and He is the main component of the church. It was not until after the sacrifice of Christ that God the Father made the Spirit available in this way.

Heavenly Father, it is just amazing to me to think of how you have worked in our lives. Your Spirit gives us the tools we need. He is our infinite supply. That’s really what it is all about, being hooked up to the Power Source. You have all that we need, may we serve You with all our hearts! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 1:3 “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

   The way Luke words this is very compelling. He writes this very complete and detailed narrative because he is absolutely convinced of the truth of what has been told him by these witnesses. He calls the evidence offered to them infallible. This is a statement of faith, yes. But it is no less meant to be a statement of fact. Luke sees the resurrection as an undisputable fact, not only a point of faith.

Heavenly Father, we will go right on believing, regardless of what the world says. But I am so glad I don’t have to take my mind out and set it aside to maintain my faith. Reason did not bring me to You, faith did. But reason has only served to strengthen my faith. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.