Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah, Husband to Elizabeth

by David Chadwick

After the encounter with the angel Gabriel and being rendered mute by the Lord, what did Zechariah do next?

Luke 1:23 says this of Zechariah: “And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.” To Elizabeth and to his safe place of love and care. I can only imagine how he felt as he pondered all he had just seen and heard, probably praying in his spirit to the Lord about John.

And have you ever thought about how he told Elizabeth about his experience with the angel Gabriel? Hand gestures? A game of charade? Writing it out? Surely he found a way to tell her. What a special moment that must have been!

A few days later, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth conceived. The Bible says that “for five months she kept herself hidden’ (Luke 1:23).”

Can you imagine what she felt? The joy. The anticipation. The excitement. But given the fact that she went silent for five months, she probably also felt the extreme holiness of this moment.

Can you believe Elizabeth kept this pregnancy a secret for five months! When someone becomes pregnant after a long wait, they often rush to tell everyone and anyone who will listen! The excitement overwhelms them, making it hard to keep a secret.

But Elizabeth, a good and Godly woman, went silent. Why? Most likely to pray and to ponder God’s goodness. To reflect on the other childless women in the Old Testament like Sarah and Hannah who waited many long years for a child and finally saw God answer their cries as well. I can only imagine the tenderness she felt as she watched her belly swell day by day, week by week, probably rubbing her belly with great joy!

Then, after five months, when Elizabeth began to show her child, she began to say all around her, “Thus the Lord has done this for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among the people” (Luke 1:25).

During that time, barrenness was considered a curse. Upon seeing a barren woman, people would ask, “What is her sin that has brought this curse upon her?” Now, in a single moment, with an angel’s word of promise, all of the shame and chatter was taken away. Done. Forever removed. Elizabeth’s mountain was moved and her breakthrough occurred.

If God can do it for Elizabeth, he can do it for you! Keep praying. Keep believing.

And make your request known to God. And know that it’s in his hands to do it 1) his way and 2) in his time.