Published by If we wanted to find a good role model for a father, a good place we could turn to would be the Holy Bible.
Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth, was one of those men. Though he was not perfect, (and only God is perfect), we can still find things about him in Luke 1 that we should emulate.
Ordained
Ordained in Holy Scripture sometimes means set apart for service. In verse five we read, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly course of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”
While one might think they are not a priest, a father, whether he realizes it or not, is ordained of God to be the spiritual head of his family. It is not enough to provide for what we would call the necessities of life, but we must also nurture our children in the things of God. Even a dad who is not a true Christian should sense he has the responsibility to do the right thing.
Observant
Verse 6 states, “And they were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.”
The Word of God indicates that in order to be righteous we must commit to Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). And if that is the case, we will be following what the Word of God says. All of His commands are good and wholesome, and make for a great family life.
Obedient
Zechariah was told by Gabriel that the name of his son should be John. In verses 59 to 63 we see that he was obedient, despite the social pressure he faced to the contrary.
“And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. But his mother answered and said, “Not so, but he shall be called John.” And they said unto her, “There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they marveled all.”
Like Zechariah, we should be determined to do the will of God. Doing so will bless us, our families and those around us.
Overflowing
Verse 64 states, “And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke and praised God,” and 67 reads, “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.”
We essentially are spirit creatures, made in the image of God. It is good for us to become a child of God and be in tune with Him.
Imagine if every dad, every parent, would aim for these goals. Society would be stronger today.
And look at the child Zechariah and Elizabeth were entrusted to raise — John the Baptist, who heralded the fact that Jesus was the lamb of God, that is, the One who would destroy sin on the cross.
May we be like Zechariah, obeying God in all our ways.
very interesting.