Luke 1:5

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 7^th & 8^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Then Luke shows his literary skill by contrasting Herod the Great with Zechariah the Very Small. He was a mere priest, one among many assigned to perform ordinary Temple service. Herod the Great built the Temple; Zechariah the small served in the Temple.

When the text mentions “the priestly order of Abijah,” alert readers would recall 1 Chronicles 24 with its roster of priests assigned to serve in the sanctuary of the Lord. David assigned them using a rotation system of twenty-four priestly families. Rotation number 8 was the “Abijah” group in which Zechariah served (1 Chronicles 24:10b). For a thousand years, countless descendents of Abijah — Levites with priestly credentials — kept the machinery of worship turning with precision and on schedule. I invite you to read the priestly duties as described in 1 Chronicles 23-24.  [BN,2]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am