Bible Study Devotional — Day 98 – Commentary Luke 1:18-22 – Can a bump in the road lead to blessings?

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. (Luke 1:18-22)

I thought my writing was great. After all God was writing a novel through me. How could it not be? Then I discovered my writing was close to horrible. Yes, God is giving me a great story, but He put a bump in my road. While I’ve been learning how to write, He has taken me on a journey to renew my mind, to let the Holy Spirit change my spirit. God has blessed me through this journey.

Because I’m a writer, it jumped out that Zechariah is out of character in this story. Zechariah was a priest his whole adult life and observed all God’s commands and decrees blamelessly, and now he doesn’t believe God’s overpowering angel? It’s clear to me that God put a bump in Zechariah’s road, a bump necessary to complete God’s purpose. Zechariah’s inability to speak, the consequence of his unbelief, caught the attention of all the worshipers outside the temple, creating a gossip chain. God doesn’t need social media for marketing. Many have been drawn to the miracle and life of John the Baptist. Repentance leads to blessings.

Bible Study Devotional — Day 98 – Commentary Luke 1:18-22 – Can a bump in the road lead to blessings?

2 thoughts on “Bible Study Devotional — Day 98 – Commentary Luke 1:18-22 – Can a bump in the road lead to blessings?

  1. It makes me wonder why. Zechariah was so devoted to God and His word. Why didn’t he believe Gabriel? If an angel appeared in front of me, I surely would believe what he was saying was the truth. Do we ever get more of an explanation in the Bible?

    1. No, we don’t get more of an explanation. We learned in Romans that God has hardened the hearts of most Jews to keep them from believing in Jesus until the full number of Gentiles are brought into the flock. Doesn’t it seem strange that since Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament and His birth was exactly as predicted that there aren’t more Jews for Jesus? I believe that God momentarily hardened Zechariah’s heart, so for a moment He wouldn’t believe Gabriel. All the hype of Zechariah’s not being able to speak added to the gossip and eventually the attention that would be given to John the Baptist and Jesus.

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