Location, Location, Location

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." (Luke 1:18-20 ESV)

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"  And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. (Luke 1:34-34 ESV)

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"  And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"  God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. (Genesis 17:17-19 ESV)



Why was Zecharia punished when he doubted the angel, the same angel that Mary doubted and why was Mary not punished?  Why was Abraham not punished when he doubted the angel?  All three individuals were visited by an angel from God and all three were told that they would have children, miracously.  Two of them when they were old and their wives were past childbearing age and one was an unmarried virgin.  All three were told that they would have a son.  All three doubted what they angel told them.  Two of them were visited by the same angel, Gabriel.  So why was only Zecharia punished by being made mute until his son was born.

Once a year a Levite priest was selected to burn incense in the Holy of Holies.  The place where God met with and talked with Moses.  Entering the Holy of Holies meant entering the presence of God.  The priest would enter with a rope tied around his ankle so that if he sinned while in the presence of God the other priests could remove the body without entering and thus encurring the wrath of God themselves.  Zecharia should have know that he was going to be in the presence of God.  Zecharia should have assumed that Gabriel was God, who I'm sure would have corrected him just as John was corrected in Revelation.

Thanks to Christ and His atoning sacrifice, we can enter the Holy of Holies anytime we want to or need to.  Just by praying.  Let us remember the lesson from Zecharia and never treat this honor and privilege as some common and mundane thing.