God’s Sovereign Timing in it All (Christmas)

There are so many things that come to mind when thinking about Christmas: trees, presents, mistletoe, holy, family, food, lights, music, and so much more. One could argue that all of these elements are wonderful and help make the Christmas season what it is, but these things are nothing without the birth of Jesus. That is truly what Christmas is all about. Jesus, the Son of God, steps out of eternity and into the temporal. The Creator, the giver of the breath of life, takes His first earthly breath as a baby. And the timing was perfect, because that’s who God is: sovereign. Yes, the timing was perfect. It wasn’t happenstance. From the moment God promised the coming Messiah in Genesis chapter three He knew exactly when Jesus, the Savior of the world, would enter humanity.  

The birth of Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s promise of the coming Messiah. That much is obvious, but there were events that needed to take place before Jesus would take his first breath in the manger. Luke 1:5-7 introduces Zechariah and Elizabeth. It says, “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years”. (ESV) Luke, author and historian, provides important details about God’s sovereign timing that can be easily overlooked or deemed as superfluous by the reader. But they are not! Luke’s inclusion of these details highlights God’s perfect timing and attention to detail. 

Zechariah is of the division of Abijah. What does that mean? In 1 Chronicles chapter twenty-four, King David, with Zadok and Ahimelech, organized the descendants of Aaron into 24 divisions to serve at the temple in rotation. Each division served for about a week at a time, twice a year, plus during the major festivals. The eighth division was that of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10). This means when Zecariah’s division came up, he went to Jerusalem to serve at the temple. During one of those weeks of service, Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense inside the temple. Luke 1:8-11 says, “When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.” It was there that the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and announced that he and Elizabeth would have a son—John the Baptist. 

This connection shows God’s sovereign timing. The priestly divisions were established centuries earlier under King David. The division of Abijah, which included Zechariah, being on rotation was not random–it was part of God’s sovereign timing. At this precise moment, God sent an angel to announce the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, who was prophesied about by Malachi. There are several things that this shows about God’s sovereignty. First, God’s plans are precise and ordered. God used the priestly schedule set generations earlier to bring about the events leading to the birth of Jesus. Second, John’s role is anchored in Israel’s priestly history. John was born into a priestly family, but instead of serving at the temple John served as the prophet preparing the way for the Messiah. Third, Jesus’ birth is rooted in Israel’s story. The announcement of Jesus’ forerunner takes place at the temple, to a priest, in line with the Old Testament structures. 

What does all of this have to do with the birth of Jesus? Luke grounds the story in real history, priestly order, and God’s sovereign timing. The birth of Jesus–the time and place–were not random. It was intricately woven into Israel’s worship life and priestly order. And John the Baptist’s priestly background highlights his role in preparing the way for the true High Priest, Jesus (Hebrews 4:14-16). The mention of Abijah’s division in Luke ties John the Baptist’s origin to the priestly system established under David. It shows God’s precise orchestration of events, connecting Israel’s priestly heritage with the dawn of the Messiah’s arrival. John, son of a priest, would point people to Jesus—the final and greater Priest.