Zechariah Inside di Temple

Sweet smoke dey rise up for di small darkness of di holy place. One old priest stand alone, im hands dey shake as e dey pour incense for top di hot coal. Then e look up, and e no dey alone again.

Luke start im Gospel for di time of Herod, king of Judea. One priest dey wey im name na Zechariah, from di priest group of Abijah. Im wife Elizabeth sef come from priest family, from di line of Aaron. Luke tell us say both of dem dey righteous for God eye, dem dey waka without blame for all di commandments of di Lord. But dem no get pikin, because Elizabeth no fit born, and both of dem don old well well. Di priests for Israel dey divided into twenty-four groups, and each group dey serve for di temple for one week at a time, two times for one year. Now e reach Zechariah group turn. E don travel come Jerusalem from im house for di hill country to serve.

Priests plenty, and na only one fit burn incense inside di holy place at a time. So dem cast lot, and di lot fall on Zechariah. E go enter di sanctuary of di Lord, di room wey dey just outside di most holy place, and burn incense for di golden altar. Dis na moment wey priest fit wait for im whole life. For outside, for di hour of incense, di whole crowd of worshippers dey pray for di courtyard. For inside, Zechariah dey alone with di lampstand, di table, and di smoke wey dey rise for di front of di curtain. And suddenly, one angel of di Lord appear to am, e stand for di right side of di altar of incense. Zechariah body shake. Fear catch am.

But di angel talk, No fear, Zechariah, because God don hear your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth go born son for you, and you go call im name John. God don hear your prayer. Maybe na prayer wey Zechariah don pray for many years, wey e don almost stop to pray. Maybe na di prayer for Israel redemption wey e just dey offer with di incense. Whichever one, God don hear. And di angel continue. You go get joy and gladness, and plenty people go rejoice because dem born am. Because e go be great for di eye of di Lord. E no go ever drink wine or strong drink, and di Holy Spirit go fill am even from inside im mama belle.

Then di angel tell Zechariah wetin im son life go mean. E go turn plenty of di children of Israel back to di Lord dia God. And e go waka for di front of di Lord with di spirit and power of Elijah, to turn di heart of di fathers back to dia children, and di people wey no dey obey to di wisdom of di righteous, to make one people ready for di Lord. Zechariah know im Scriptures well. Na di words of di prophet Malachi be dat, di last promise before four hundred years of silence. Di messenger wey Malachi promise dey come. And na Zechariah own son e go be.

Di detail wey Luke give about di lot match wetin we know from Jewish tradition. Di Mishnah, one collection of Jewish teaching wey dem write down around two hundred years after Christ, describe how priests dey cast lot every day to decide who go offer di incense. E still talk say dem dey give dis work to priests wey never offer incense before. Thousands of priests dey, so for plenty of dem, like Zechariah, na honour wey person go only get once for im whole life.

You go find dis moment for Luke chapter one, verse five reach seventeen. After hundreds of years without new word from God, di silence break inside di temple, beside di altar, as answer to one old man prayer. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Any prayer dey wey you don stop to pray because you think say God don forget am?