Declaring the Wonder: Zechariah

Zechariah's Song

Series for Advent, 2009. The Songs of the Christmas Story

As presented by Rev. Jonathan Mills, Pastor at Kanata Baptist Church.

2009-12-13

Subject: A look at Zechariah's Song as an example of chiastic poetry. The Old Testament themes of Covenant and Redemption, and the Christmas hope that Zechariah welcomed.

Scriptures¹:

Luke 1:67-80

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

71 salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us

72 to show mercy to our ancestors

and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79 to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace."

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

IntroductionA Word About Poetry

Poetry.

I confess I know very little about poetry. It did not form a significant part of my upbringing, and I remain fairly ignorant about the whole topic. Frankly, I don't really get it.

Here's a poem:

The only problem

with Haiku is that you just

get started and then

Roger McGough

Perhaps there are others here who, like me, caught a fleeting glimpse into the possibility of the beauty of poetry when

Robin Williams starred in Dead Poet Society. I was expecting a comedy.

In the film, Keating says to the boys: We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

Prose is useful (which means plain, dull and tedious). But it is poetry that communicates deeply as it stirs the human heart.

The Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard once said; A poet is an unhappy being whose heart is torn by secret sufferings, but whose lips are so strangely formed that when the sighs and the cries escape them, they sound like beautiful music ... and then people crowd about the poet and say to him: Sing for us soon again; that is as much as to say, May new sufferings torment your soul.

//

That must certainly stir some here today to want to become a poet doesn't it?

[My favorite comment on poetry comes from G. K. Chesterton who wrote: Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. Which, again, confirms my lack of appreciation for the subject!]

1) Literary Analysis of the Benedictus

So why mention poetry?

The reason is because the Songs of Christmas is our theme for Advent and Christmas this year. Last Sunday, Bob lifted our spirits with an inspiring message from the MagnificatMary's song of joy as the one who bore the child, Jesus. Next week, Doug will be sharing with us the song of Simeon.

Today, we turn to Zechariah's song which is begins in Luke 1:67ff. It is not as well known as the Magnificat, but it is an important poem in its own right known as the Benedictus.²

Mary & Zechariah's Song

Here is a place where the skill of the translator is challengedtranslating poetry from one language to another in this case, from Greek to English. Since it is impossible to do this in such a way that we will catch the deeper meanings of the original poem, the translators have done a few things to help us understand that we are looking at poetry.

First, if we look at the text and I am using Today's New International Version you will note that there are headings inserted into the text. At (vs. 67) has the title Zechariah's Song even though the text says; Zechariah prophesied

You should know that these little titles [John the Baptist is Born Zechariah's Song] are not in the original text of the Bible they have been added by the translators to help the reader find passages of scripture more easilyand also to help give a quick overview of the flow of the Biblical text.

And, in this case, these headings help us to understand the message of the text since they tell us that we are looking at poetrya song.

The second clue that the translators of the Bible give us so that we know it is poetry is way the verses are structured. In this case, we see that they are not in simple paragraphs, but instead are presented with indents and shorter lines.

Hebrew Poetry, 101

In the case of Zechariah's song, there is a beauty and an elegance which are built into the poem which must be understood to properly understand the message of this text.

So, bear with me while we cover Hebrew Poetry 101.

The first, and basic understanding of Hebrew poetry, is that it is not based on rhyme or meter in the same way English poetry is, but rather in parallelism. Essentially, the poet expresses the same thought in two different, parallel expressions.

Example; Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

You can see a lamp to my feet is almost the same as saying a light for my path. They mean essentially the same thing, but they are expressed in two different, parallel phrases.³

Chiasmus

But the Benedictus uses another literary device which is much less common, called chiasmus. It is a rhetorical device which also uses parallels, but in a different way.

I can best describe it by showing you how it works in this passage.

Now, unfortunately, I can't get the text any bigger than this on the screenbut our concern is with the overall structure, so let's see if this will work.

Notice that there are words and expressions which are parallel to each other throughout the poem.

For example: Vs. 68 His People / Vs. 77 His people

Vs. 69 Salvation / vs. 77 Salvation

Vs. 70 Prophets / vs. 76 Prophet

vs. 71 Our enemies / vs. 74 Our enemies

vs. 72 Fathers / 73 Our father Abraham

vs. 72 Covenant / 73 Oath.

//

If you look at these words, you can see that they are working in opposite directions from the outside of the poem to the middle. That's pretty amazing! There is a lot more to this poem than at first it appears.

2) The Message of Zechariah's Song

Hidden in Plain Sight: College Student asks for Money

And, this is what is remarkable about poetryit can communicate much more than what at first appears.

You don't have to be a poet to try to communicate more than what your words are saying. Maybe you've seen the letter from the University Studentpart way through his first yearwriting to his Dad:

Dear Father,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tudie$ to keep me bu$y, I $imply an't think of anything I need. $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love,

Your $on.

After receiving his son's letter, the father immediately replies...

Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love,

Dad

I think they both got the message in that exchange.

The Meaning of Zechariah's Poem: God's Covenant

So, what is it that this chiastic poem of Zechariah's is trying to get across? The inescapable focal point is found in verses 72 & 73. Right in the middle at the fulcrum or apex are the words

Covenant and Oath.

This poem is all about God's covenant and its fulfillment.

It was this covenant which brought Abraham out of obscurity and led him to become the father of the Jewish people. It is found in Genesis 22:15ff;

Gen. 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (cf. Gen. 26:3; Ps. 106:45)

Zechariah who was a priest would have been intimately familiar with the scriptures, and he would know by heart these verses. He knew that God had promised, and he was well familiar with the telling of the stories of how He had delivered the people from the Pharaoh's hand and brought them into the promised land.

It is striking, too, how this passage is fulfilled in the life of Jesusthe Son of God, who was not withheld, but offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. (in God's call to Abraham, he made the covenant with him because he was willing to offer his son as a sacrifice).

Now, the people of Israel were awaiting a new miraculous deliverance.

Pessimism from Oppression

Notice verses 78-79;

the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace."

It is clear from these verses that Zechariah believed that he was living in difficult days days of darkness and the shadow of death.

In fact, we know from the Bible, and from other contemporary sources, that the Jews were struggling under the oppressive rule of Rome. They had some freedoms, but they longed to step out from under the control of Roman dictatorship. They prayed to God for someonethe Messiahwho could deliver them from Rome, in the same way Moses had delivered the people from Egypt all those many years earlier.

//

So, here he was ...

Zechariah was standing on the very threshold of a new era. He knew ithe could not contain himself but blurted out these words of praise to God because this long anticipated and hoped for Messiah was at hand.

68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

He had lived to see his own Son, John, born to be the forerunnerthe one who was to prepare the way for Messiahand Zechariah knew that he stood at the dawning of a new day The covenant would soon be fulfilled as the people were once again liberated from their sin and soon they would walk in the path of peace.

3) Zechariah's Hopes Today

The Story of Redemption

It is an amazing song that Zechariah sings. It is his expression of God's faithfulness in redeeming his people. Really, this is what the whole Bible is all about; theologians refer to it as Salvation History⁴the story of God's redeeming acts through time.

Zechariah recounts God's redeeming acts and anticipates what is soon to come.

So, if Zechariah lived in our world today, I wonder if he would think our world was better or worse than his?

On the one hand, I think we all have to admit that so much is better for us today. We live in a time of prosperity and peacein a land of political stability and freedomat a time when science and technology have brought many important advances to enhance and enrich our lives.

But, on the other hand, we have to admit that our world is also worse in many ways. The Christian values upon which our nation was founded are no longer respected, and in some cases they are flatly rejected. The church is increasingly marginalized and muted. We are seeing seismic shifts in questions of morality and ethics, and the social consequences are starting to become painfully clear.

Just one quick example.

A few decades ago, gambling was illegal.

Today, not only is it legal it's our Government that profits from the casinos. So not only do they permit gambling, they are actually promoting it. Regardless of your views on the subject, you have to admit it is a stunning turnaround in just a few decades.

I could list many other examples. I think we can all see that our culture is changing all around usand sometimes it feels like we're heading into very dark and dangerous times

It is precisely in these times of hardship and struggle that we can turn to Zechariah's song and remind ourselves again of the faithfulness of our Godand find hope in his acts of redemption.

It is when the world around us is most dark that God's light shines most brightly.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

One man who lived in a very bleak time was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was the famous American poet who wrote, among other things, the lyrics to the Christmas hymn I heard the bells on Christmas day.

He wrote this song during the American Civil War in the late 1860'sand the pessimism of the times is reflected in his lyrics. In fact, two of Longfellow's original verses are commonly omitted from hymnals since they make reference to the sound of cannon fire drowning out the sound of the bells, and the continent being divided as if by an earthquake.

Yet, it is the juxtaposition of hardship, suffering and human despair over against the joyful hope of the Christmas Bells that makes the lyrics, not only memorable, but poignantly relevant for those times when the world needs hope.

And in despair, I bow'd my head:

There is no peace on earth, I said,

For hate is strong and mocks the song,

Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

/ /

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With Peace on earth, good will to men.

Conclusion

And so, Zechariah stood with his son, John.

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail... The little baby he held in his arms was the forerunner for the messiah. God's marvelous and mighty act of redemption was about to unfold. The great culmination of the hopes and aspirations of a nation were soon to be fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christand the ultimate act of redemption would make it possible for the whole world to enter into a personal relationship with the living God.

Because he lived to see the dayand especially because his son would play such a pivotal role in God's great act of redemptionZechariah burst forth in a song of praise to God.

And we echo his song today. No matter how dark things get, we will continue to trace the redemptive acts of God through history, and turn to Him in faith, looking for his coming. Knowing that ...The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with Peace on earth, good will to men.

Additional Material

Was John Part of the Qumran Community?

As more and more information emerges around the Qumran community (the people who recorded the Dead Sea Scrolls), there is tantalizing evidence that could possibly link John to this radical group. It is all speculative, but it is intriguing!

So far, there is no physical evidence or direct link.

However, the Qumran people practiced ritual baptisms. They had full immersion tanks in a very dry areawhich would have required significant commitment to keep them operational. They performed this ritual cleansing as a way of representing the forgiveness of a repentant heartwhich was obviously the major theme of John's preaching.

They were a community which practiced isolation they did not want to contaminate themselves with the sinful masses, so they practiced isolation and separation from society.

They also were very strict in their observation of the law.

It is also noteworthy that John might have been orphaned because Zechariah and Elizabeth were so old when he was born.

Interesting to speculate. We just don't know.

Additional Quotations On Poetry

God is the perfect poet. ~Robert Browning

Science is for those who learn; poetry, for those who know. ~Joseph Roux, Meditations of a Parish Priest

Children and lunatics cut the Gordian knot which the poet spends his life patiently trying to untie. ~Jean Cocteau

Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. ~G.K. Chesterton

Salvation History. In the language of the theologian is Heilsgeschichte [German]