Luke 1:6 Commentary and Bible Study

Both Zacharias and Elisabeth were pious Jews. As such they were waiting for the promised Messiah, and conforming their lives to his standards in preparation for his coming. It was suitable that parents with such a right response to God’s promises should be the ones to be the parents of the forerunner of the Lord. He too would long for the Lamb of God to be revealed to him and to the nation, and Elisabeth would shortly have revealed to her by the Holy Spirit that the Son of God was about to be born into the world through her relative, Mary. These were two people who took seriously the prophets and studied them, who knew God’s promises could not fail, and who tried to understand the times in which they lived. They saw that God had promised more wonderful days to come, and their hope was embodied in the Messiah, who would teach them all things. Even the Samaritan woman had heard this: ‘He will tell us all things’ (John 4:25).They are described as righteous before God, and walking in all the commandments of God. Is this an exaggeration? Who can really keep God’s commandments. How can any be blameless? The Scripture tells us too clearly and in too many places that there is no one among the descendants of Adam who is righteous with a perfect righteousness which is accepted by God. The only righteousness that God can approve is the righteousness of Christ imputed to his people. This is the only basis on which we can be justified before God and made fit to come into his presence. And yet the Scripture uses this kind of language to describe the people of God when they are walking as they should, and living worthy of the calling they have received. Psalm 15 says: ‘LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? ² He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart’ (Psalm 15:1-2). God looks upon his people and he sees them as perfect in Christ. But he also looks at what they are in themselves, and he sees them as different from those who belong to an unbelieving world, and as different from what they were before they believed. At the same time that they are justified by faith, they receive a new nature and that nature is not inactive or ineffectual. It begins to transform the life from the very start. It does not affect just the external behaviour and leave the heart unchanged, but it begins in the innermost being. It begins with the heart and works outwards through the whole life. No doubt the child of God is careful to observe the externals, but it is only heartfelt obedience that is approved by God, for nothing short of that can please him who has told us to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. So the Scripture speaks of those who have genuine well-motivated righteousness within them, even though that righteousness comes out of a process of transformation within that is not yet complete. The word is an expression of God’s appreciation of what is real within his children, albeit mixed with what needs further sanctification.They walked in God’s commandments. It was their constant steady habit of life. Day after day they were careful to observe God’s commandments and to meet all of the changing circumstances of life with obedience. They walked in God’s commandments and in his ordinances. The word translated ‘ordinances’ can be translated righteousness or righteous acts or judgment or justification, but as distinguished from commandments it is understood to refer to acts associated with divine service and worship (Hebrews 9:1, 10).Zachariah and Elisabeth are being introduced to us as worthy parents, fit to bring this special child into the world, parents chosen by God because of their piety.