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Zecharias’ life was about to change abruptly. While he was about to do his once in a lifetime priestly duty before God, the Lord had a special meeting planned for him!
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. Luke 1:5-12
Zacharias came from the Levitical priesthood from the line of Abijah. The priesthood was separated into 24 divisions (See 1Chronicles 24:7-17). “A priest served once or twice a year at the temple, and Zacharias may have been one of 18,000 priests who served in a year. However burning incense was something a priest could only do once in his career.” (See Thomas Nelson Study Bible)
How would you like to be used by God or by your church only once or twice a year!? I wonder if that would make ministry more appealing or less appealing!
Burning incense was a once in a lifetime moment for Zacharias. People stood outside while he was in the presence of the Lord (verse 10). Family and friends must have gathered for this special occasion. Besides one’s wedding, what other occasion can be so momentous in one’s life!? There must have been a great sense of wonder and awe in the heart of those who were watching this. Most Israelites and all women would not have experienced this privilege in their entire lives.
The good news is that Jesus’ shed blood did away with all the ceremonial Levitical practices. Now, all of us are called kings and priests to our God. We can come into His presence at any moment of the day and bring our offering of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer to him at any time.
Sometimes because of ease of access, we forget the value of what has been given to us. Do we appreciate coming to the house of God? Do we value serving God? Do we, as an altar worker, recognize the privilege of praying with someone and leading them to Christ? Are we thankful for being used by God to set the captives free?
The Kingdom of God happens in those small and powerful moments that are always available to us! Praise God!
