“Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

“Nothing is impossible with God.”

“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’ The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time’” (Luke 1:18–20).

Meditating on this passage, I want to receive the lessons God gives us:

(1) When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and said, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John…” (Luke 1:13–17), Zechariah’s response was: “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” [(Modern Translation: “I am old, and my wife is advanced in years. How can such a thing be possible?” he asked)] (v.18). When I meditate on this passage, I think of Abraham and Sarah, because they too were old and well advanced in years like Zechariah and Elizabeth:

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead…” (Romans 4:19, Modern Translation).

(a) When God took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5, Modern Translation), Abraham believed the LORD (v.6). At that time, Abraham was 75 years old (12:4). Yet when he was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him (17:1) and said, “I will bless her [Sarah] and will surely give you a son by her…” (v.16). Abraham fell facedown, but he laughed to himself and thought, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” (v.17).

(i) And in Genesis 18 we read:
“Then the LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’ Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” (vv.10–12, Modern Translation).

“The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh’” (vv.13–15).

• At age 75 Abraham believed God, but 24 years later, at 99, he did not fully believe, saying, “Will a man a hundred years old have a child? Will Sarah bear a child at ninety?” And Sarah, too, said, “After I am worn out and my husband is old, will I now have this pleasure?” This shows that even Abraham and Sarah did not fully trust God.

(2) Likewise, Zechariah, when the angel Gabriel told him the good news, answered, “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years. How can this be?” (Luke 1:18, Modern Translation). Clearly, he did not fully believe the angel’s words (v.20). Then Gabriel answered him:

“I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time” (Luke 1:19–20, Modern Translation).

(a) Meditating on this, we see that although God Himself sent Gabriel, who stands in His presence, to bring “this good news,” Zechariah still did not believe him. Ultimately, this meant he did not believe God.

(i) One interesting point is that the name Gabriel means “God is my strength” (Hokmah). This is striking because just as God, through Gabriel, announced the good news to unbelieving Zechariah, so also God, the Almighty One (Genesis 17:1, Modern Translation), said to Abraham who doubted His power, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14, Modern Translation).

• Zechariah 8:6 (Modern Translation) says:
  “This is what the LORD Almighty says: It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but it will not seem marvelous to me.”

(b) To Abraham, whose body was “as good as dead” at nearly 100, and Sarah, whose womb was barren (Romans 4:19, Modern Translation), God declared, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son” (Genesis 18:10). Hearing this from the tent entrance, Sarah responded: “Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself and thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” (vv.11–12, Modern Translation).

(i) Likewise, Zechariah could only ask Gabriel, “How can this be? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1:18, Modern Translation).

• When meditating on Zechariah’s question, I am reminded of Mary’s words to the angel Gabriel (v.26): “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34, Modern Translation).

• Similarly, when Nicodemus asked Jesus, “How can this be?” (John 3:9, Modern Translation), Jesus replied: “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (vv.10–12).

(3) In the end, because Zechariah did not believe the word of Almighty God, Gabriel declared: “Because you did not believe my words, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens. But at the appointed time, my words will come true” (Luke 1:20, Modern Translation).

(a) Here we see the amazing grace of God: although Zechariah did not believe, God still heard his prayer and promised through Gabriel that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, “and you are to call him John” (v.13). Because God is always faithful and cannot deny His word (2 Timothy 2:13, Modern Translation), He fulfilled the promise at His appointed time (Luke 1:20):

“After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion… When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son” (vv.24, 57).

(i) The Almighty and Faithful God also speaks to us today:

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14a, Modern Translation)

“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37, Modern Translation).