The word "Holy Spirit" appears four times in Chapter 1 of Luke’s Gospel (15, 35, 41 and 67), which includes the preparatory period of Christ’s birth. The physician Luke realized clearly that the first role in Christ’s coming was that of God and not of men, for his Spirit revealed the divine designs, drove away the doubts, guided the obedient, and filled the weak with his power. Did you realize how the love of God creates knowledge, faith, and fruits in those who willingly align with the redemptive plan of God? Open yourself to the Spirit of Christ and you will experience miracles in the brokenness of your pride for the sake of glorifying your Lord in your surroundings.
Zacharias kept silent for nine months penetrating deeply into the words of the angel. Then Mary entered into the house of Zacharias. His wife cried in the joy of the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin testified to the old priest how the angel Gabriel appeared before her.
Then Zacharias realized that neither he, nor his wife, nor his child nor Mary were the center of the history of God and of all those heavenly movements, but Mary’s fetus alone was the eternal promised one. At that moment, the priest who was well experienced in the scriptures knew that Christ was coming. This knowledge was like an electric shock in his mind. He forgot himself and his house, and glorified God for the coming of his Spirit for incarnation.
Great was the song of the old priest who recovered the use of his speech, and had, throughout his life, reconciled his wicked people with the Holy One through his sacrifices. He realized that the faraway Glorified One was coming to them in Christ to visit those who were suffering, and that he truly came to them.
This divine coming to men does not signify judgment, destruction, and annihilation in his shining light, but kind grace, merciful salvation, and everlasting redemption. The doubtful old priest experienced this principle in himself, for God had forgiven him his unbelief and deep doubts, and filled him with his Holy Spirit. Therefore, he magnified the grace and drew his hearers to the power of God’s love. Dear brother, are you tongue-tied, or released and praising the grace of God?
The expression "horn of salvation" refers to the eminence or small projection called "horn" on each of the four corners of the Jewish alter. To this persons might flee for safety when in danger of avengers, and be safe. As the sacrifice was burnt the refugees stood under it considering it as a substitute for them in order that they might receive life. As such the experienced priest realized that Jesus was the horn of salvation to all sinners, and whoever took hold of him should not be destroyed in the wrath of God who takes revenge on all sins, but should be justified looking at him who was slain as a substitute for us in Golgotha. Do you hold fast the horn of salvation?
All those spiritual gifts were not immediately poured on us. They have a long story and deep reason, which the prophets had already foretold. In the Holy Spirit, they saw the coming Christ as a unique person and Savior of the world. Their testimony is true. It is gradually coming true, crystallized in us, and made perfect in the glorious coming of Christ.
The fathers of faith trusted the living God. They are now seeing the fruits of their faith, for our God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. They rejoiced in paradise on the day of Christ’s birth, magnified God with thanksgiving for the resurrection of the Crucified One, received him who ascended to heaven, and acclaimed for he sat down in the throne.
They saw that Christ was he who guaranteed the covenant with God, for no man or nation could make a covenant with the Holy God, but the blood of the Son of God cleanses us and qualifies us to come near to God and live with him in a new covenant, which includes us forever with grace and innocence.
God’s oath before Abraham, the faithful Bedouin, who in his obedience to God was prepared to sacrifice his firstborn child Isaac, found its accomplishment in Christ. In this preparedness he was too near to the love of God who gave his only begotten Son on the cross for us. God had sworn to the broken and obedient Abraham that Christ should come of his seed and that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed (Genesis 22:16-17).
Zacharias understood this spiritual plan in the Old Testament, for he was a conversant priest. However, he was wrong in his Jewish opinion that the coming Christ would establish the kingdom of God by force and make Jerusalem the capital center of the world. The priest Zacharias yearned for two things: First, cleansing of the sinful people. Second, the nation’s triumph over the foreign enemy.
In spite of this latter earthly yearning, he did not yearn for riches, welfare, and dignity, but for free public worship and guidance of his nation. He realized the design of the unique coming of Christ as worship for the entire nation, so that all should come near to God in repentance, cleansing, sanctification, and supplication, in the holiness of his truth and divine righteousness. Christ came to us with those two characteristics, which are beyond our human understanding. He who sets his love upon the Son of God is divinely justified, and he who abides in him is filled with the Holy Spirit with complete and everlasting holiness.