We are taught that we must become upright people who, in God’s sight, are blameless and fully keep His commandments.

We are taught that we must become upright people who, in God’s sight, are blameless and fully keep His commandments.

  

 

“In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” [(Modern Translation: “When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the division of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth also came from the family of Aaron. They were righteous before God and faithfully kept all the Lord’s commandments and regulations without fault”)] (Luke 1:5–6).  While meditating on this passage, I would like to draw out the lessons given to us:

 

(1)   The author of Luke’s Gospel, Luke, first wrote to Theophilus about John the Baptist’s parents. The father’s name was “Zechariah” (meaning, “The LORD remembers”), and the mother’s name was “Elizabeth” (meaning, “My God is a God of oath”).  Both Zechariah and Elizabeth came from priestly families, and in those days, a marriage between priestly households was regarded as a double honor.  That Zechariah married Elizabeth, a virgin descended from the high priestly line of Aaron, was considered a very great privilege (Hokhma).

 

(a)   As I meditate on this fact, I am reminded of my older brother and sister-in-law.  The reason is that not only my brother, but also my sister-in-law, are children of pastors.  My sister-in-law’s father was the late Rev. Sang Woo Jung (Emeritus Pastor of Choonghyun Mission Church), and my brother’s father was Rev. Chang Seh Kim (Emeritus Pastor of Victory Presbyterian Church).  Both of these pastors were used as the Lord’s instruments: Rev. Jung planted Choonghyun Mission Church, where he ministered for 21 years before retiring and then passing away; and my father ministered at Victory Presbyterian Church for 24 years before retiring, and even now continues missionary work.

 

(i)                 My father-in-law was the late Elder Richard Oh, and his father was also an elder.  According to my late mother-in-law, Grace Sungsook Park, both her husband and her father-in-law were specially used by the Lord to serve His church, particularly in the building of church facilities.

 

·         My mother-in-law’s father served as the Chief of Chaplains during President Syngman Rhee’s time and also as the senior pastor of Haebang Church.  Thus, my wife’s maternal grandfather was the late Rev. Chi-Soon Park [installed at Haebang Church on May 30, 1965, serving until Dec. 26, 1982, and later named Pastor Emeritus (Haebang Church website)], while my own maternal grandfather was the late Rev. Sung Do Jang, who pastored Daegu Seongbak Church (now Daegu Seochurch) [called as the second pastor on Oct. 18, 1963 (Daegu Seochurch website)].

 

-          In this way, by God’s great love and grace, both my brother and I married daughters of pastor or elder.  Perhaps for that reason, when I think about my children’s marriages, I find myself also considering the families of their future spouses.  This reflects my personal conviction that one cannot ignore the spiritual background of a spouse’s family.

 

(2)   Luke records of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist: “They were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” (Luke 1:6).  As I meditate on this, I am reminded of Noah in Genesis: “This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” [(Korean Modern Translation: “This is the story of Noah. Among the people of his time, Noah alone was righteous and blameless, and he lived according to God’s will”)] (Gen. 6:9).  What is striking is that both Noah and Zechariah with Elizabeth lived righteously and blamelessly in an age of deep darkness.

(a)   The Scripture describes Noah’s time like this: “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.  So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds, and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’” (Gen. 6:5–7).  Yet the Bible adds, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (v. 8).

 

(i)                 Regarding the time of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Scripture says, “In the time of Herod king of Judea” (Lk. 1:5).  According to Hokhma, this Herod maintained power by eliminating rivals, even killing his own sons, wife, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and uncle.  Despite his cruelty, his political skill was such that, under Rome’s patronage, he even influenced the appointment and removal of high priests, a sign of religious corruption at its height.  “Indeed, this was a time of religious corruption, political and social tragedy, and utter hopelessness” (Hokhma).

 

·         “Against this background of tragedy and darkness, Luke seeks to announce a new dawn of hope.  In particular, he proclaims that the great dawn is breaking, ending the 400-year silence since the prophet Malachi (c. 435–425 B.C.), when divine revelation had ceased” (Hokhma).

 

(b)   Thus, Noah, or the couple Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were found righteous and blameless before God in their times of spiritual darkness, give us a precious lesson.

 

(i)                 I believe this applies to us today, because the age in which we now live is no different from the spiritual darkness of Noah’s time or of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s time.

 

·         Jonah 1:2 comes to mind: “…for their wickedness has come up before me” [(Modern Translation: “…the sins of its people have reached up to heaven”].

 

(ii)              Therefore, we too must receive the lesson that we should be upright people, who, in God’s sight, are blameless and fully keep His commandments (cf. Hokhma).

 

·         Interestingly, the Bible calls them “righteous.”  This term “righteous” was regarded in Israel as one of the highest commendations (Gen. 6:9; 7:1; 18:23–28; Ezek. 18:5–9). It was applied only to the truly devout who gave themselves wholly to God, and was considered the Jewish ideal (Hokhma).

 

-          Personally, when I think about what the Christian ideal should be, I am reminded of Hymn “I Want to Be a Christian”:

 

(1)   Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart …

(2)   Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart …

(3)   Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart …

(4)   Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart …

(Refrain) In my heart, in my heart, Lord, I want to be a Christian /

                to be more loving / to be more holy / to be like Jesus,

                in my heart, in my heart.