Gospels Part 073
The Bible often emphasizes its stories and characters through contrasts. In Zechariah and Elizabeth, we see a striking example one that held a shocking contrast then and still holds lessons for us today.
We continue our story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5:
“And he [Zechariah] had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron” (New English Translation [NET]).
Elizabeth’s name in Hebrew was Elisheva. Here we have Zechariah, a priest, married to Elisheva, who was also a descendant from Aaron, from a priestly family. Elisheva, or Elizabeth, means “oath of God.” The name Zechariah in Hebrew means “Remembered by God.”
Luke 1:6 continues:
“They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly” (NET).
So, Luke tells us they were both righteous, blameless, and walked in all the commandments of God. This tells us that they loved God and loved His way of life, and they obeyed Him from the heart, rather than just going through the motions.
Let’s also note at this point how the Bible defines righteousness in Psalm 119:172:
“All Your commandments are righteousness.”
This is a major key to understanding God’s Word. Human beings come up with various definitions to suit their purposes, but God Himself defines those that are most important. If we are to be righteous, we must obey God’s commandments, which define righteousness!
Later, we will see a marked contrast between this righteous priest Zechariah with the religious leaders whom Jesus called snakes and hypocrites (Matthew 23) because they were thoroughly corrupt in their attitudes and actions. Zechariah and Elizabeth stand in stark contrast to them.
In the next verse, Luke introduces something mentioned in passing that would have been shocking in the culture of that day:
Luke 1:7:
“But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old” (NET).
In the Jewish culture of the day, this did not make sense. If you are righteous, obviously you would be blessed with lots of children. What was the first command given to mankind in the Bible? It’s found in Genesis 1:28 where God says, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.” If you weren’t having a lot of children, the people of that day viewed it as you weren’t fulfilling God’s command, and you were probably engaged in some kind of secret sin.
In the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, they had married years before and no doubt expected to bear lots of sons and daughters who would grow up to carry on the priesthood as they were. Now decades have passed, and Elizabeth is still barren. That was considered bad enough for anyone, but it was devastating for a priest and priest’s wife. People thought surely one or both of them were sinning and they were being punished for some reason.
But all this time, as the years pass, Zechariah and Elizabeth continue praying for a son or daughter. They don’t give up hope. They wait. And they wait longer. How do they wait? As we saw earlier, they wait “following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly” (NET).
For a priest and his wife, it was an especially severe trial to go through all those years, but they didn’t let it affect their relationship with God. Finally, it reached the point where it was obvious that their childbearing years were over and “they were both very old” (NET).
That’s the background for this key part of the story. There’s a lot of information packed into those few verses. Does this remind you of any other figures in the Bible who were childless for a long time before they conceived?
- What about Sarah and Abraham? (Genesis 17:15-21)
- What about Rebekah and Isaac? (Genesis 25:21-26)
- What about Rachel and Jacob? (Genesis 30:22-24)
- What about Samson’s parents? (Judges 14:2-25)
- What about Hannah, mother of Samuel? (1 Samuel 1:1-20)
We see that the story of righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth echoes these faithful servants of God. And like them, Zechariah and Elizabeth would see their faith rewarded in an astounding way!
© 2026 Scott Ashley. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
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Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
