This is the story of Zechariah. He was a good man. He and his wife, Elizabeth had tried hard to live according the the commandments of God. Their one sorrow was the factthat they had no children. Elizabath may have been barren. It was usually the wife who was considered infertile, although they had no way of knowing who was unable to mother/father a child. At the time this story begins, both husband and wife were older and had probably given up hope of a family.
Zechariah was a priest. The priests served a month of the year. Individual priests were chosen by lot (similar to the idea of throwing dice or cutting cards) to be the ones who would offer the incense in the sanctuary. Unlike today when most people refer to the entire worship area as the sanctuary, the sanctuary in the temple was a secluded space where few people entered.
It must have been fulfilling for Zechariah to be chosen to enter the sanctuary. God was generally considered to have something to do with the lot falling upon a man, so it was a sign that Zechariah had found approval. Yet not having a child was often considered a mark of disfavor by God. So he may also have been confused. He knew his wife to be a good woman. Here he was favored by lot to offer incense to the Lord, yet why didn't they have a child?
Such questions are like the hardest questions people ask about faith and God. Why do people suffer? Especially, why do good people suffer? Why do innocents like children suffer?
What do you think Zechariah was feeling as he entered the sanctuary?
How do you ask those questions of God?
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