Where's the Bitterness???

 The writer of Hebrews defines Faith as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Hoping for children was what all young married couples did. Zach and Liz were no exception. They hoped, they prayed, they hoped, they prayed, and it did not happen. Elizabeth was branded as “barren”, and Zacharias could have put her away and taken another wife. Being barren was not a good thing in those days. That label brought with it serious social consequences, and she certainly faced raised eyebrows when she approached gatherings of other ladies in their community. They were surely known as the old couple who could never have children. A mixture of shame and pity shrouded them.

I can’t even begin to imagine her surprise when she learned that she was pregnant! Today we think it odd when a woman over forty gives birth; just imagine what we would think if an eighty year old lady became pregnant! My mind won’t even go there! But let’s look at how Liz handled her surprise.

Scripture tells us that she kept herself in seclusion for five months. Apparently, that time was a time of spiritual soul-searching for her. She concluded that the “Lord had taken away her disgrace among men.” It’s important to note here that when she and Zach are introduced to us in Luke 1, they had been living with their disgrace for many years. Furthermore, we should remember that they were “both righteous in the sight of God and were walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Law.” Now here’s my question. How did Liz keep bitterness from consuming her? She had every right to be disappointed that she had not been able to have a child. Disappointment breeds anger, and anger breeds bitterness. Where’s the anger and where’s the bitterness in her life? How was she able to continue walking blamelessly with the Lord throughout her life? I think it was her relationship with the Lord that gave her an uncommon peace.

It wasn’t just those five months of seclusion that had been a spiritual journey for her. Most of her life had been a spiritual journey. Even when she was a young woman and barren, she walked blamelessly in her relationship with God. Years down the road, when other couples their age were becoming grandparents, she walked blamelessly with God. Scripture doesn’t give us detailed insight into Liz’s mind through those years, so we don’t know how much she wrestled with anger and bitterness or if peace came easy to her. When big things don’t happen for me the way I hope, I do wrestle with anger and sometimes bitterness. Oh, that I could continuously walk blamelessly with God!

Let’s continue Liz’s story. While she was in seclusion, the same angel that had appeared to Zach, appeared to her cousin, Mary. In the proclamation that Gabriel gave to Mary about giving birth to the baby Jesus, he told Mary that Liz was also pregnant with a special child. The last thing the angel said to Mary was, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one! Not only had God allowed Elizabeth to become pregnant in her old age (and she would later give birth to a healthy baby boy), now Mary was going to become pregnant while still a virgin. Soon after learning the news from the angel, Mary went with haste to see Liz.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. At that point, Liz cried out a blessing upon Mary and her baby, who was to be the Lord. Liz seemed to understand her pregnancy and the roll her child was to play in the coming of the Lord.

Her faith had seen her through to the purpose of God in her life. She faced a crisis of Faith early in her marriage, but did not allow anger and bitterness to ruin her life. Keeping her relationship with God from being stained by bitterness allowed her to protect her relationship with Zacharias. 

So….. What do we learn from Zach and Liz’s crises of Faith? How we react at that critical and decisive moment may frame the rest of our lives. It certainly impacts our spiritual journey. Sometimes we react with anger, fear, and doubt. However, if we give that over to the Lord and walk with Him through the crisis, we will grow stronger and taller in our relationship with Him. How we react may also frame some aspect of another’s life. We’ll never know until we walk through the crisis with Him. I think Elizabeth would tell us that God was with her at the beginning of the crisis, in the midst of the crisis, and through the end of the crisis. That’s what walking blamelessly with Him means.

Where will we go from here? Next time…