Luke 1:15

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. FOR HE SHALL BE GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD - i:e., great officially beyond all the prophets that went before him (as is evident from ). In personal character John was indeed among the greatest of men; but it is the supereminent dignity of his office, as Messiah's Forerunner, that is here meant. AND SHALL DRINK NEITHER WINE NOR STRONG DRINK - that is he, shall be a Nazarite, or ' separated one.' See , etc. As the leper was the living symbol of sin, so was the Nazarite of holiness: nothing inflaming was to cross his lips; no razor was to come on his head; no ceremonial defilement was to be co...

15._For he shall be great _He confirms what he said _about joy, _for John had been selected for a great and extraordinary purpose. These words are not so much intended to extol his eminent virtues as to proclaim his great and glorious office; as Christ, when he declares that _among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, _(Matthew 11:11,) refers less to the holiness of his life than to his ministry. What follows immediately afterwards, _he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, _must not be understood to mean that John’s abstemiousness was a singular virtue, but that God was pleased to distinguish his servant by this visible token, by which the world would acknowledge him to be a continual Nazarite. The priests too abstained from wine and strong drink, while they were performing their duties in the temple, ...

5-25 The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were eminent for piety and integrity. They had no children, and it could not be expected that Elisabeth should have any in her old age. While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were praying without. All the prayers we offer up to God, are acceptable and successful only by Christ's intercession in the temple of God above. We cannot expect an interest therein if we do not pray, and pray with our spirits, and are not earnest in prayer. Nor can we expect that the best of our prayers should gain acceptance, and bring an answer of peace, but through the mediation of Christ, who ever lives, making intercession. The prayers Zacharias often made, received an answer of peace. Prayers of faith are filed in heaven, and a...

Verse Luke 1:15. _HE SHALL BE GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD_] That is, before Jesus Christ, whose forerunner he shall be; or he shall be a _truly great person_, for so this form of speech may imply. _NEITHER WINE NOR STRONG DRINK_] σικερα, i.e. all fermented liquors which have the property of intoxicating, or producing drunkenness. The original word σικερα, _sikera_, comes from the Hebrew, שכר _shakar, to inebriate_. "Any inebriating liquor," says St. Jerome, (Epis. ad Nepot.)" is called _sicera_, whether made of _corn, apples, honey, dates_, or any other fruits." One of the four prohibited liquors among the East Indian _Moslimans_ is called _sikkir_. "_Sikkir_ is made by steeping fresh dates in water till they take effect in sweetening it: this liquor is abominable and unlawful." HEDAYA, vol. iv. p. 158. Probably this is t

SHALL BE GREAT - Shall be eminent, or distinguished as a preacher. IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD - Greek, “before the Lord.” That is, shall be “really” or “truly” great. God shall regard him as such. SHALL DRINK NEITHER WINE - The kind of wine commonly used in Judea was a light wine, often not stronger than cider in this country. It was the common drink of all classes of the people. See the notes at John 2:11. The use of wine was forbidden only to the Nazarite, Numbers 6:3. It was because John sustained this character that he abstained from the use of wine. STRONG DRINK - It is not easy to ascertain precisely what is meant by this word, but we are certain that it d

EXPOSITION THE origin of the Gospels—the four histories which relate in detail the circumstances of the foundation of Christianity—will ever be an interesting study. Here we shall never know the exact truth of the compilation of these writings, the foundation-stones of all our hopes and fears; a reverent, scholarly speculation is all that can be offered to the student of the Divine memoirs. The speculation, however, probably in this case comes very near the truth. After the Ascension and the events of the first Pentecost, which quickly followed their Master's return to heaven, the twelve and a few others who had walked in the company which followed Jesus during the years of his public ministry no doubt often met together and talked over the teaching and the acts of their risen and now glorified Master. As time passed on, a certain number of these acts, a certain number of the public and...

FOR HE SHALL BE GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... Of Jehovah, the Father; with whom, what is highly esteemed among men, is oftentimes an abomination; and of the Lord Jesus Christ, before whom he was to go, and who pronounced him a prophet, and more than a prophet, and even greater than any born of women, Matthew 11:9 and of the Lord, the Spirit, with whom he was filled from his mother's womb: he was great, not in birth and blood, in worldly riches and grandeur, but in gifts and grace, in his work, office, and usefulness, and in the esteem of God, and even of men too: AND SHALL DRINK NEITHER WINE NOR STRONG DRINK; which were forbidden the Nazarites, Numbers 6:3 where the Jews, by "wine", understand "new wine"; and by "strong drink", old wine: so all the "three Targums", of Onkelos, Jonathan b

Luke 1:5. _There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless._ You have here a very interesting couple, Zacharias and Elisabeth, a priest with a wife. I have often marveled why the Church of Rome should think it wrong that priests should be married, when it is evident that the priests under the law were so. The priests had grown so numerous that there was not room for them all to work at the Temple at one time; they were divided into twenty-four courses, and Zacharias would, therefore, come up to Jerusalem for a fortnight to take his share of the service. Zacharias and Elisabeth were notable for excellence of character: «They were both righteous befo...

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE Analysis and Annotations I. The Birth and Childhood -- Chapter 1-2:52 CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Introduction. (Luke 1:1)_ 2. Zacharias and Elizabeth; the Vision. (Luke 1:5) 3. John the Baptist, his birth and ministry announced. (Luke 1:13) 4. Zacharias' Unbelief and Punishment. (Luke 1:18) 5. The Angel's Announcement to the Virgin Mary. (Luke 1:27) 6. Mary's Question and the Answer. (Luke 1:34) 7. Mary Visits Elizabeth ...

PREDICTION OF THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Lk. alone gives the story, which perhaps existed independently. and had been preserved in Baptist circles like that of Acts 19:1. Its Jewish character and form are evident: there are many reminiscences of OT incidents and language. In the days of Herod the Great (_i.e._ before Luke 1:4 B.C.) there lived in Judæ a (Luke 1:39 *) a priest named Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth. She was of Aaronic descent (_cf._ Exodus 6:23, Elisheba), and both were folk of exemplary piety. They were now, like Abraham and Sarah, advanced in life but childless. Zacharias belonged to that one of the divisions of the priesthood which