In the story of Elizabeth, we see the faithfulness of God to Elizabeth and her husband as He blesses them with the bountiful fulfillment of His promises.In fact, Elizabeth’s name even declares hope in God’s promises. In Hebrew, the name is “Elisheva” which means God’s oath or God’s promise. In the Greek, “Elizabeth” means God’s abundance.
Do you feel like you are waiting for God to intervene in your life? If so, you are not alone. From this story we learn that just because we are waiting it doesn’t mean that God is not there or that God doesn’t care. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had been waiting. They were waiting for God to bless them with a child. In that day, lineage was important and to be barren was often considered a curse. In fact, if a wife was barren, it gave right to the man to seek divorce.
But this couple didn’t concern themselves with what society thought their life should look like. They were both from priestly lineage and they remained faithfully married and serving the Lord. “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” (v6). God’s silence in their lives didn’t deter them from trusting Him and serving Him. God had not just been silent to this couple but He had been silent to the people of Israel for 400 years and yet the priests continued to carry out their duties. It was in this duty that Zechariah, who faithfully prayed for a family of his own, would have the honor of a special visit and promise from an angel of God.
“But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.” (13-15)
Zecharia may have struggled to accept this promise initially but Elizabeth rejoiced in it. Imagine thinking that your biological clock quit ticking and God tells you that His clock, His timetable is all that matters. He rewarded her patience and faithfulness. Her response: ““The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.””(v25)
As amazing as this miracle was in Elizabeth’s life, she would be granted the blessing of witnessing an even greater promise fulfilled. Her son would point others to the promised Messiah and the infant John began doing this even from the womb.
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”” (41-45)
Elizabeth wasn’t just grateful for how she had been blessed in her personal circumstances but she was genuinely happy for the greater blessing placed upon Mary. Imagine as a seasoned older woman what a comfort she must have been to the young teenage virgin who was also a mother to be. She admired that Mary believed and trusted in what God had promised and I’m sure she encouraged her faith.
In Elizabeth’s story, we can be encouraged to believe in God’s promises too. We can be encouraged to remain faithful even when we feel that God is being silent. We can be encouraged to wait for God’s perfect plan and purposes to be revealed in our lives. We can learn from her selfless example and rejoice in the promises and blessings we see God extend to others.