And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. — Luke 1:18-22

So a little background on Zechariah might be helpful.

Zechariah was married to a woman named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the older sister of a woman named Mary, who would soon become the virgin mother of Jesus. At this time, Zechariah served as a priest in the temple. He was one of about 60 priests who served on a regular rotation on the temple grounds. And on this particular day, he was chosen by lots out of his rotation to enter the temple to offer burnt incense — which was an honor. While he is performing his duties, an angel appears. And the angel tells him that he and his wife will have a child. The angel declares that God has heard their prayers, will provide them with a child, his name will be John (a.k.a. John the Baptist), he will bring them joy, and he will be great before the Lord. Pretty spectacular, right? And all this happens in the temple of the Lord which makes it very significant.

But Zechariah has a hard time believing what he is hearing from this angel for two reasons. First, because they had tried to have children but couldn't. And second, and the bigger issue to Zechariah, was their age. They were both around the age of 60. So Zechariah replies with, "How is this possible when we are so old." And in his verbal response to a spiritual reality, something is born that should not have been born — unbelief. Unbelief is born in his heart and disclosed with his mouth. And so the angel strikes him with muteness. He loses his ability to speak because of his unbelief. And why does the angel choose muteness as his punishment? First, maybe to demonstrate that God has power over all things including the well-aged physical body. Or second, maybe to silence the duplicity of Zechariah's mouth who with it asked God for decades for a child and now when guaranteed one questioned God's power to provide.

I have to believe that this time of muteness greatly affected Zechariah. The next nine months had to change him forever. I guarantee it changed how he listened and communicated with people. But even more, I believe it changed how he listened and communicated with God.

So today, take some time for silence. Take a few moments, and turn off the noise. Shut off the news. Turn off the radio. Find a quiet place. Be silent with God. Then reflect on the duplicity of your life. I know, this doesn't sound like an easy task, but it's good work. Maybe consider a time you asked God for one thing, and then believed another. Confess this. Make it known to God. And then stop the silent duplicity.

God eventually healed Zechariah's muteness. It was healed at that moment his son was named. When he wrote on that tablet the name of his newborn child, “His name is John,” his muteness was healed. For this was not just a name, but a confession of a man about the duplicity that lied in his heart and newborn belief in a God who can do anything he wants.

Make your own declaration today. Don't live in duplicity any longer. Believe and reject unbelief. And then praise the Lord.

ASK THIS: Where have you been duplicitous?

DO THIS: Be silent. Confess duplicity of belief. Believe in God. Then praise the Lord.

PRAY THIS: God, thank you for all you have done. You deserve praise. I lift my eyes and praise to you.

PLAY THIS: Mack Brock — I Lift My Eyes.

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