Gospels Part 074
The announcement to Zechariah that he and his barren wife would have a son was astounding. To better understand, let’s look deeper into the setting of this incredible event.
Today, we continue our story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:8-10:
“Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the Holy Place of the Lord and burn incense. Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering” (New English Translation [NET]).
Let’s discuss the Jerusalem temple to get a better idea of what is going on here, as this is how God chose to make this remarkable announcement.
The Jerusalem temple, constructed by the noted architect and builder Herod the Great, was the religious heart of the nation of Israel in the first century. The temple complex was so huge that it dominated the city. The enormous platform on which it stood was about 35 acres in size!
The temple itself was constructed of gleaming white limestone and accented in solid gold, standing as high as a modern 15-story building! It was truly a wonder of the ancient world.
The interior of the temple was divided into two chambers separated by a thick curtain. The larger outer chamber was called “the Holy Place” and contained a large golden menorah to the left side. To the right side was the table of the showbread on which bread loaves were placed. And in the middle, and in front of the curtain partitioned off the interior chamber known as “the Holy of Holies,” stood the altar of incense. This is where Zechariah would carry out the offering of incense.
In carrying out his duties, Zechariah would have been facing the altar of incense and the Holy of Holies. Here he would offer the incense that represented the prayers of God’s people. When he finished praying, he would take a container of incense and pour the incense on the hot coals that were on the incense altar. There was a small hole in the roof, and the people standing outside could see the smoke ascending through it. This gave them a visual picture of their prayers going up to God. The sweet smell of the incense filled the air, reminding them that their prayers were pleasing and sweet to God.
By the time Jesus came on the scene, the number of priests numbered somewhere around 20,000 to 25,000. Doing the math, with approximately 1,000 priests in each of the priestly courses, the odds of one priest getting drawn by lot to offer the morning or afternoon incense offering are about once every 300 years! Because this was so rare, they instituted a rule that after a priest was chosen by lot once to offer incense, he couldn’t do it a second time until every other priest in that course had that opportunity. So, this meant that most priests never offered the incense at all, and of those that did, realistically they did it at most once in their lifetime. This is a rare occasion and a great honor for any priest to serve God in this way.
This year, the priests of the course of Abijah are serving, and it comes time to choose by lot the priest for the most honored of those responsibilities, which is offering the incense on the incense altar. The choice by lot falls on an elderly priest named Zechariah who likely had never done it before.
Consider how this elderly gentleman felt. He’d spent his entire life in the service of God as a priest. Decades passed, and he was never chosen. By this point, considering his age, he was no doubt wondering if he would ever be selected for this honor and responsibility.
But he continues to serve God faithfully. Meanwhile, he hears of the whispered rumors about himself and his wife and how God must be punishing them for something they have done by not allowing them to have children. This goes on for years, for decades. And now, in his old age, by God’s grace, he has finally been chosen for probably the greatest honor of his lifetime.
Little does he know how greatly his life is about to change!
© 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.
