Anchor My Faith

Title: God Provides for Mercy Promised (Luke 1:71-72)

In the previous lesson we left our study with some examples of the prophets of old speaking of a Savior, the Messiah, who would come to us from the house of David. We start this lesson, looking at an example of what he will save us from: “that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” (Luke 1:71 ESV). If we look at our brothers and sisters in countries of persecution who suffer and even sacrifice their lives at the hands of those who hate them, we might wonder what this verse means. The verse has to be true, but at first glance it appears to be false. How is that possible?

As we study the life of Jesus and especially what he said, we will find there are two layers to many of his examples. There is the physical layer and there is the spiritual layer. That is true with this verse. At the physical layer the above statement of suffering is not true. Jesus did not come to save us from physical suffering. In fact, there are times when he might call us into suffering, even at the cost of our life, to accomplish kingdom work. Then there is the spiritual layer where our enemies are our sins, our carnal tendencies, our lusts, and our adversary Satan and his angels, who continually seek to destroy us.

An example of this enemy is spoken of as early as Genesis 3:15 (NLT): “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” But Jesus enters the picture as our savior: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 ESV). At the spiritual layer, we are saved from our enemies and those who hate us.

Zachariah continues by saying: “to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant” (Luke 1:72 ESV). God made a covenant with Abraham, which envisioned the blessing of all families of the earth through the glorious Seed which is Jesus Christ (Genesis 12:1 – 3). Showing this kindness to the children of future generations was seen as mercy promised to their early fathers. In remembering the covenant made with Abraham, God sends Jesus to die on the cross as payment for our salvation.  

Prayer

Father, we can fully trust you to fulfill your promises. Even when through the seed of Isaac, you promised this future salvation, you gave the command to Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Even in the face of this command, you were faithful to your promise and provided, at the last minute, a substitute in place of Isaac. Should we not be living our lives according to those promises today?