Luke 1:66-70

Luke 1:66 (KJB)
And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

The people were very amazed at the events which surrounded the birth of John. There was the visitation by Gabriel, Zacharias’s dumbness, Elisabeth conceiving late in life, the name of John being given to the baby, and Zacharias’s healing at the moment of the naming of the baby. All these events had caused the people to ask what manner of child is this or is there something special about this child that so many supernatural events has surrounded him? Some may have even thought that John was the Messiah. The hand of the Lord was there to guide John’s birth, his naming, and all the events which surrounded him since he was the prophesied forerunner of Christ. The Lord would be with him when he starts his ministry in about 30 years.

Luke 1:67 (KJB)
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit which was only done to those who have become saved and now he begins to prophesy to those in attendance. He would now speak about the things concerning the coming Messiah. He would now speak as the prophets of old did.

Luke 1:68 (KJB)
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

The spirit of prophecy caused a person to speak as though things were already accomplished. In God’s mind, they already were. (Rom 4:17 KJV) (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Zacharias blesses the Lord God of Israel which means he was giving an expression of thanksgiving to God. He hath visited His people. The word “visited” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of “looked for or looked after.” There was one other time when God looked upon His people and that was when the Israelites were in bondage. (Exo 2:25 KJV) And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. God had sent Moses to lead them out of physical bondage. Here God sent Jesus to lead His people, the elect, out of spiritual bondage and to bring them into the promised land of Heaven. That freeing would come through the Lord Jesus Christ as He redeemed His people through His sacrifice upon Calvary.

Luke 1:69 (KJB)
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

The horn of salvation is the strength of salvation. (2 Sam 22:3 KJV) The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. That strength of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who overcame the entire kingdom of Satan and he can no longer prevent anyone from becoming saved. Here Zacharias is speaking of the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. (2 Sam 7:12-13 KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. {13} He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. God promised David that He would raise someone to sit upon his throne forever and His kingdom would be established forever. That is the Kingdom of Christ and Jesus was the one to occupy that throne.

Luke 1:70 (KJB)
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

Zacharias also refers to the fact that all the holy prophets that prophesied in the past were looking forward to the coming of Messiah. He is what the Old Testament was looking forward to and written about. It was not just written about the history of a nation but the history of the Messianic line which came through that nation. All those wars fought by Israel in the Old Testament was Satan’s attempt to destroy the messianic line.

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