What kind of child will this be?

Luke 1:57-80

Birth and Circumcision of John the Baptist

57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."

61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zacharias' Prophecy

67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace."

80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

The birth of John the Baptist, who was the Herod of our Savior Jesus Christ, was met with great joy by Elizabeth's friends and family because God in His mer had blessed an old woman with the wonderful gift of a son.  When he was to be circumcised and given his father’s name family to perpetuate the family name according to tradition, Elizabeth said he was to be called John, even though there was nobody in the family with that name.  Since his father was still mute from doubting the Lord, he had to write his son’s name for them.  He also said it would be John as it was told him in Luke 1:13.  This faith and obedience resulted in the loosening of Zacharias’s tongue to praise God with!  This faith also caused great fear and wonder among all who heard and witnessed these things from the beginning till that marvelous moment.  They all asked, “What kind of child will this be?”  god was with that child with His hand upon him to grow John into the vessel He sovereignly predetermined him to be.  Zacharias prophesied in song to all who would listen and hear what great things God had done and would do.  He spoke of the salvation to come soon to buy back the people of the Lord from sin’s hands of bondage as promised through the lineage of king David.  He spoke of how this was all predicted by the prophets (Jeremiah 23:5, Luke 24:26-27, 1 Peter 1:10, 12) through time of His coming which his son John would announce (Luke 3:16) to the world for fulfillment of the covenant and promise.  This would allow them to worship and serve the Lord in holiness and righteousness without fear of the enemy destroying them, a shadow of the gospel hope we have of victory in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) over the enemy (2 Timothy 2:26) for eternity.  John would be therefore named a prophet of the Highest as he prepared a straight way through repentance to faith in Jesus Christ coming after him that the people of God would know salvation through everlasting forgiveness of sins according to the great mercy of the gospel of God in Him.  This Savior is the light of the world (John 8:12) who brings peace with God (Romans 5:1) at last!  Therefore John the prophet and herald of the Savior God grew into a wise man who found strength and understanding in God’s grace and Spirit, keeping to himself in the desert until it was time to announce the coming One and begin calling the people to repentance with a true change of heart made ready to trust in the Christ by faith in Him and His redeeming work for them.