BURKITT : | Lu 1:1-4 | Lu 1:5 | Lu 1:6 | Lu 1:7 | Lu 1:8-9 | Lu 1:10 | Lu 1:11 | Lu 1:12 | Lu 1:13 | Lu 1:14-17 | Lu 1:18-22 | Lu 1:23-25 | Lu 1:26-33 | Lu 1:34-38 | Lu 1:39-45 | Lu 1:46-55 | Lu 1:56-58 | Lu 1:59-66 | Lu 1:67-79 | Lu 1:80 | KJV
Reference
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. (Luke 1:18-22 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Observe here, Zacharias being slow to believe so strange a message; asks the angel, by what sign he should know that this thing, so far above the usual course of nature, should come to pass?
The angel answers, that he was dispatched by God as a messenger extraordinary, to declare this good news to him. And seeing he was so hard to believe it and required a sign, he should have it, but such a one as should be a punishment of his unbelief, as well as a sign to confirm his faith; namely, he should from thenceforward, to the birth of the child, be dumb and deaf, as the original word signifies; because he had not hearkened to the angel’s speech, he was struck deaf; and because he had gain-said it, he was made dumb.
Learn hence, that the word of God in the mouth of his messengers is God’s own word, and as such to be received and believed.
2. That not believing their word is a sin which God will severely punish; it is all one not to believe God, and not to believe the messengers of God speaking from him. Some expositors will have this dumbness of Zacharias to be prefigurative. The priest, at the dismission of the people, when the service of the temple was finished, was to pronounce the blessing recorded, Nu 6:24-25 which when Zacharias was about to do, he was struck dumb and could not perform it; signifying thereby, that the silencing of the Levitical priesthood was now at hand: that they must expect another kind of worship, and that he who was able to bless indeed, namely, the Messias, was near at hand.
Observe lastly, that though Zacharias ceased to speak, yet he did not cease to minister; he takes not his dumbness for a dismission, but stays out the eight days of his course, knowing that the service of his heart and hand would be accepted of that God which had bereaved him of his tongue. The powers which we have we must make use of in the public service of God, who will accept us according to what we have; pardoning our infirmity, and rewarding our sincerity.