HE HAS RAISED A HORN OF SALVATION

Luke 1:57-80 / Keywords 1:69

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

 

The Birth of John the Baptist

1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

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[c] 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[d]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Footnotes

c. Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.

d. Luke 1:80 Or in the Spirit

1. Elizabeth gave birth to a son. On the eighth day when she had to name her

child, she said she will name her son John. The neighbors wondered aloud

because there was no such name among her relatives. They asked Zechariah, and

he wrote on a tablet, “His name is John.” Immediately, his mouth was opened.

Everyone wondered, “What then is this child going to be?”

 

2. Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesized. He praised God for

raising a Horn of salvation in the house of David. He also prophesied that his son

John will prepare the way for the Savior.

 

3. God has raised a horn of salvation for us. Through Jesus, God rescues us from

the hand of our enemies and enable us to serve him without fear.

 

4. Jesus saves us through the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus shines on those living

in darkness and guides our feet into the path of peace. Thank God and praise

God for sending us Savior Jesus! Thank God for rescuing us from the hand of our

enemy Satan. May God continue to help us to serve him without fear.

 

Prayer Thank God for sending us Jesus, who is our horn of salvation!

One Word Horn of Salvation, Jesus!