ELIZABETH: EXPECTANT ELDER

When we first meet Elizabeth, she is at home waiting for her husband, Zechariah, to return from his special time of service at the Temple in Jerusalem. Both she and her husband are descended from priests, but they themselves have no descendants.

Elizabeth and Zechariah have struggled with infertility for decades, and she has never been able to conceive. In this, Elizabeth is facing the same “disgrace among the people” that Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah faced hundreds of years earlier.

Sidenote: The Temple where Zechariah is serving is not Solomon’s Temple. That temple was destroyed in 586 BC when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, stole the Temple treasure, and forcibly relocated Jewish families to Babylon (which was later conquered by Persia where Vashti and Esther lived). Zechariah worships at the “Second Temple” (a.k.a. “Herod’s Temple”).

Built by the Jews after returning from exile, the Second Temple was significantly smaller and less impressive than the first one. So, when Herod the Great came to power in 37 BC, he decided to restore the Temple to its former glory and completely renovated it and expanded its footprint—the renovations took decades, continuing even after his death in 4 BC. It is this Temple that is visited by Jews and God-fearing Gentiles living in the first century.

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The priest, Zechariah, is chosen by lot to offer incense inside the Temple. While the other priests and people remain in the Temple courtyard praying for him, Zechariah enters the sanctuary and offers incense. 

With incense burning and everyone praying, Zechariah is visited by an angel of the Lord who tells him his prayer has been heard. The angel proclaims that he and Elizabeth will have a baby, and it will be a boy! (So much for a gender reveal party!) The angel also instructs him what to name the boy, how to raise him, what his personality will be, and how he will bring a lot of people back to the Lord. 

Rather than rejoice, Zechariah reacts with confusion, doubt, and one question: HOW?

His reaction is understandable, but a bit surprising—especially when you consider where he is and what he’s doing at that very moment.

The angel is perturbed and makes another promise to Zechariah: His wife, Elizabeth, will be blessed with at least nine months of silence while she carries their little bundle of joy. This literally leaves him speechless.

NINE WHOLE MONTHS OF SILENCE

Zechariah returns home with the biggest news of his life, but alas, he has no voice. 🤐

He has to find another way to communicate with Elizabeth about the angel’s prophecy, her upcoming pregnancy, and—most important of all—what’s going on with his voice. (Well, it’s important to him!) Eventually, he figures it out and tells Elizabeth that her dream of becoming a mother is about to come true.

If he is expecting her to protest, she doesn’t. She doesn’t laugh either. Her inability to have children is not funny. They have tried and tried, but she's never conceived. She is actually pitied by her neighbors because children are seen as a sign of God's favor, and the lack of children? No bueno.

Yet, there is something about Zechariah's countenance that makes her take him seriously. Besides, he's so quiet—and that’s NEVER happened before! He must be telling the truth.

He is.

And everything happens just as the angel predicted: Elizabeth conceives, and Zechariah remains speechless.

EXPECTANT SECLUSION

Although she is grateful for the new life growing inside her, Elizabeth doesn’t go out to celebrate with her friends. In fact, she doesn’t go out at all—for the first two trimesters of her pregnancy.

There are a lot of speculations about why Elizabeth would stay in seclusion for so many months. Maybe she is hiding out until the baby bump is undeniable. Or maybe she’s spending every day in prayer preparing for the arrival of her baby. Or maybe staying hidden is an act of faith. Or maybe she's just an introvert and prefers solitude. Nobody really knows her reason(s).

SIDENOTE: I think if the author, Luke, wanted us to know why she stayed inside her home, he would have told us. So, instead of asking why she secluded herself, the better question for us to ask is this: Why did LUKE include this detail in his narrative in the first place? What does he want us to notice?

Calling attention to Elizabeth’s extended seclusion, in a home where her husband is “on mute,” helps us appreciate the dramatic shift that takes place when someone pays a visit at month six.

ANYBODY HOME?

The presence of a beloved visitor and the sound of her voice breaks months of silence, and when Mary’s voice reaches Elizabeth’s ears, two things happen at the same time:

"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.'”

Luke 1:41-45 (NRSV)

Mary responds to Elizabeth's greeting with a beautiful monologue commonly known as “The Magnificat.” (Put a pin in this 📌 because we’ll circle back to it at the end of today’s email.) Mary stays with them for three months—probably until Elizabeth gives birth—then, she returns home to Nazareth.

👶🏽 IT'S A BOY! WHAT'S HIS NAME?

Elizabeth delivers a healthy baby boy, and she and Zechariah are sooooo happy!!! She is no longer living in seclusion, and their neighbors and relatives rejoice at the news that she has been “shown great mercy” by the Lord with the delivery of a healthy baby boy.

⏩ Fast forward to day 8: It’s time to name the baby and circumcise him.

The people have gathered and the priests have arrived. Although everyone assumes he will be named Zechariah Jr., Elizabeth insists his name is John. But the people protest: Nobody in their family has that name, and they are unwilling to proceed without Zechariah’s approval—but he's still speechless.

They gave him something to write with, and he writes big enough for all to see: “His name is John.”

“Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.”

Luke 1:64 (NRSV)

🎉 AND THERE IS MUCH REJOICING!

Elizabeth is relieved her son will be able to know his father's voice, and it’s at this moment Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks a prophetic monologue commonly known as “The Benedictus.”

Remember when I asked you to put a pin 📌 in Mary’s monologue? Here’s why:

The Magnificat and The Benedictus are two important canticles (hymns of praise) which are still used in Christian liturgy today. Each of them has been set to music by various composers throughout history including:

• The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) – Bach, Vivaldi, and Rudder
• The Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79) – Schubert, Mozart, and Jenkins

We would not have either of these canticles without today’s woman of valor: Elizabeth. For it is in her presence, Mary speaks The Magnificat, and it is due to the birth of her son that Zechariah speaks The Benedictus.

Elizabeth and her husband raise their son John in the faith making sure to educate him in the Law and the Prophets, the Writings, and the Nazirite lifestyle. John is the forerunner of the Messiah.

You can read Elizabeth's story in Luke 1. 

Additional Resources:

• "Why Elizabeth Is Such an Important Woman of the Bible?" by Lori Stanley Roeleveld on Crosswalk.com (Online, 2021).

• All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1955), p. 168.

• “Elizabeth” Women’s Bible Commentary, 3rd Edition. Edited by Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012), p. 502.

Photo Credits:

Photo by Marlon Soares on Unsplash

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