In light of Moses’ call to choose obedience, we’re looking this week at the obedience of the characters of Christmas. Today: Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Often those of us raised in a “salvation by grace” environment view obedience as optional or impossible. I heard a teacher in an adult Sunday School class challenge us to do something that scripture called for, and one of the class members said something like, “Oh, Jim, you know we can’t do any of this stuff. Leave us alone!”

By contrast, here’s what Luke said about Zechariah and Elizabeth:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. (Luke 1.5, 6, ESV)

Really? “Righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments…” A couple given to obedience.

And it played out. We deride Zechariah for his initial unbelief in the temple (Luke 1.8 – 23), but don’t forget his subsequent obedience:

• And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived… (Luke 1.23, 24, ESV) For Elizabeth to conceive, some acts of faith (in obedience to the prophecy) had to occur!
• And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” (Luke 1.62, 63, ESV) Another act of obedience.

And Zechariah declared in his prophecy that one purpose of Messiah’s deliverance was freedom to live obediently:

…that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Luke 1.74, 75, ESV)