What is the meaning of Luke 1:9? He was chosen by lot • Zechariah did not volunteer; “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). God used a simple drawing to place one man at the exact spot and hour He had ordained. • Casting lots for ministry is seen again when the apostles chose Matthias (Acts 1:26). Scripture consistently presents the practice as a means God can employ to reveal His will. • Priests in the days of David were already divided “impartially by drawing lots” (1 Chronicles 24:5). Zechariah stands in that same line, underscoring the continuity and reliability of God’s plan through the ages. According to the custom of the priesthood • By New Testament times the 24 priestly divisions established in 1 Chronicles 24 rotated service in the temple twice a year (Luke 1:8; 1 Chronicles 24:19). • Each division’s week included a daily selection—again by lot—for specific tasks. The routine shows the order God values: “everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner” (1 Corinthians 14:40, applied here by pattern). • Tradition restricted a priest to offering incense only once in his lifetime, making Zechariah’s moment a singular honor and a divine appointment that would intersect with the angelic announcement to follow. To enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense • The priest stepped into the Holy Place, just outside the veil, to burn incense on the golden altar every morning and evening (Exodus 30:7-8). This fragrant smoke rose heavenward, picturing prayer. “May my prayer be set before You like incense” (Psalm 141:2). • In Revelation 8:3-4 the same imagery appears as “the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God,” confirming that the ritual pointed beyond itself to continual intercession. • Only priests could draw this near, foreshadowing Jesus our great High Priest who “always lives to intercede” (Hebrews 7:25). Zechariah’s service highlights both the privilege and the limitation of the old covenant system—access was close, yet not fully open until Christ. summary Luke 1:9 shows God sovereignly guiding events through an established priestly custom to place Zechariah at the altar of incense. The lot revealed God’s choice, the custom framed it in orderly tradition, and the act of burning incense symbolized prayer and foreshadowed Christ’s perfect intercession. Every detail underscores the faithfulness of God to work through Scripture-ordained patterns to accomplish His redemptive purposes. |
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