The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 14

picturesqueneRa of imRgory; tlw style is u1tlly "a daily service." It "&9 suhoequently simple, oasy, vivid; but at onoe the rcadtJr used for e. group of priests who exercised is seusible tliat he ho.s po.ssc<I out of tl,e their priestly functions in the temple for a weclc, 11nd then gave plBce to another group. regiou of Greek e.nd Western thouglit. The From Elee.zar aud lthamar, the two sur- lo.nguage is evi,lently a olose translation viving sons of the first high priest Aaron, from some Hebrew original ; the irnngery is hR<l deS<"Pn,lerl twenty-four fan,ilios. Arun"g exclusively Jewish, o.nd tho thoughts bi,loug these King David distributed by lot the to the story of the ohosen pooplo. It is various tabernacle (subsequently temple) services, each family gl'ollp, or course, otfi- cloo.r tho.t this sE1ctio11 of 81. Luko's writing, oiating for eight days-from t1abb11th to which onds, however, with eh. ii., is not snbhath. From the llal,ylonish ,•xi!P. ,.f derived from npostolic tm<lition, hut is the these tweuty-four families unly fo11r ,,-  TIIE GOSPEL .ACCORDING TO ST, LUKE. tOH, I, 1-80, tnrne,1. With the idc>a of reproducing 11.e angel of the Lord. Critics have especially nearly ns possible the old state of thi'hgs, found grave fonlt with this "Hebrow" por- these four were subdividerl into twenty-four, tion of our Gospel, complaining that it need- the t "·cnty-four bearing the original family lessly intrn,luces tho marvellous, and brings n,unes, and this succession of courses con- useJ.,sslJ into everyday life beings from tinued in force until the fall of Jeru•lcm another sphr.ro. Godet well answors those and the burning of the temple, A.D, 70. criticisms by observing" that as Christianity According to Josephus, Zacharias wns was an entirely new beginning in history, espec-ially distinguished by belonging to the secon<l 1md final creation of man, it was the first of the twenty-four courses, or naturnl that nn interposition on so grand families. Of the daughters of Aaron, and a scnlo should be accompanied by a series her name was Elisa.bath; identical with of particular interpositions. It was even Eli,1,eba," One whose oath is to God." Both necessary; for how were the representatives the husband and wife traCled their lineage of the ancient order of things, who had to bnck to the first high priest-a coveted dis- co-operate in the new work, to be initiated tinction in Israel into it, nnd their attachment won to it, Ver. 6.-And they were both righteous except by this means? Aooording to Scrip- before God. "One of the oldest terms of ture, we are surroun<led by angels (2 Kings high praise among the Jews (Gen. vi. 9; vi. 17; Pa. xuiv. 7), whom God employs to ,ii. I ; xviii. 23-28; Ezek. xviii. 5-9, watch over us; but in our ordinary condition etc.). n ie used also of Joseph (Matt. i. we want the sense necessary to perceive 19), and is defined in the following words their presence-for that conclition a peculiar in the most technical sense of strict legal receptivity is required. This condition wu obser,ance, which it had acquired since the given to Zacharias. Origen (' Contra Cel- days of Maccabees. The true Jasha.r (up- sum ') writes how, "in a church there are right man) was the ideal Jew. Thus Rashi two assemblies-one of angels, the other of calls the Book of Genesis 'The book of men, . . . angels are present at our prayers, the upright, Abraham, Ise.ac, and Jo.cob'" e.nd they pray with us and for us." Stand- (Farrar). ing on the right side of t.he altar of inoense, Ver. 7.-And they had no child. This, as The angel stood between the altar and the is well known, was e. heavy calamity in e. shew-bread table. On entering the holy Hebrew home. In the childless house there place, the officiating priest would have on was no hope of the long looked-for l\Iessinh his right the table with the shew-bree.d, on being born in it. It we.s not unfrequently his left the great candlestick, e.nd before looked on as e. mark of the Divine dis- him would be the golden altar, which stood pleasure, possibly &11 the punishment of at the end of the holy place, in front of the some grnve sin. veil which sepnrated this chamber and the Ver. 9.-HiB lot was to bum incense; more dim, silent holy of holies. accurately, he obtained by wt the duty of Ver. 12.--He we.a troubled. This was entering and offering incense. The office of ever the first effect produced by the sight burning incense gave the priest to whom of a spirit-visitant. this important lot fell the right of entering Ver. 13.-Thy prayer is heard. What the holy place. It was the most coveted of was the nature of this prayer? The Greek all the priestly duties. The Talmud says the wor<l (o,n,m) used here implies that eome priest who obtained the right to perform special supplication 'had been offered, and this high duty was not permitted to draw which the angel tells he.d been listened to the lot a second time in the same week, at the throne of grace. The righteous old and as the whole number of priests at this man had not, as some h11ve tliought., been time was very le.rge--eome say even as many prayillg for '.a son,-he had long resigned as twenty thousand -Farrar conjectures himself in this private sorrow to the will of that it would never he.ppen to the same his God; but we me.y well suppose that on priest twice in hill lifetime to enter that that solemn occasion he prayed the un- ae.cred spot. selfish patriotic prayer that the long looked- Ver. 10.-And the whole multitude of the for l\Iessiah would hasten his coming. His people were praying without at the time of name John; the shortened form for Jelio- inoenae. This would indicate that the day chanan, "tlie grace of Jehovah." Under in question was a ea.bbath or some high day. various diminutives, such as Jon&h, it we.a Dean Plumptre suggests that, lost among a favourite Hebrew no.me. the.t praying crowd, were, " we may well Ver. H.-Jrlany shall rejoioe at his birth. believe, the aged Simeon (eh. ii. 25) and The gladness which his boy's birth was to Auna the prophetess (eh. ii. 36), and many bring with it we.s to be no more priv11.te others who waited for redemption in family rejoicing. The child of hie old oge, Jerusalem." who was to bo born, would be the occasion Ver.11.-.And there appeared unto him rn of ,1 truo ne.tioue.l joy. on. 1. 1-80.] TIIE GOSPEL ACCOilDINO TO ST. LUKE. 6