In The House of Zacharias

“And it came to pass, that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.” – Luke 1:23

“And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.” – Luke 1:39-41

Zacharias was dumb yet he waited till the end of the annual feast; he accomplished the days of his ministration in the temple. He was not ashamed or angry with God. He was faithful at his duty post till the end. Let us be faithful till the end.

Despite being dumb he returned to his own house meaning he was still in charge of his house. He still commanded the respect of his household. Thank God for a wife like Elizabeth.

At the time Mary visited the house of Zacharias, he was dumb, but glory be to God for a woman like Elizabeth that submitted to her husband despite her husband’s spiritual malady. We saw her submission here when the bible said Mary “entered into the house of Zacharias”, not “the house of Elizabeth”.

Women like Jezebel
Many Christian women take charge of the house and become the head of the home once their husbands backslide or are in a state of spiritual dryness or infirmities (waiting on God for His restoration). Such women begin to see themselves more experience than their husbands in the things of God. They feel more anointed than their husband, but they don’t know that it is their obeying God in submitting to their husband that honors God and activates the anointing for them to function in their calling.

They prevail and lead astray their husbands in their private talk in the bedroom and such men speak to the public (Church, friends, family) what their wives have rehearsed for them to say. This is a Jezebel spirit! Let such women repent!

Women like Elizabeth
Elizabeth hid for five months, submitted to her husband and learned the vision, and was fully persuaded and defended it. I can’t imagine the painstaking detail she had to follow to learn of this great vision.

May God give us such wives that will stand with their dumb husbands. They won’t be proud or carried away because they have experienced the revival of God by carrying God’s purpose in their womb. They will see the connection of what they are carrying with their husbands.

O Christian woman, even when your husband is dumb spiritually do you take over the house? Women, beware, that your husband does not have words to say now (dumb) does not mean he never had a divine encounter with God like Zacharias. Because you can dissect the bible more than your husband does not give you the license to disregard or disrespect him, when he will speak out of God’s mercies he will be filled with the Holy Ghost, prophesy, and burst out into singing.

Don’t intimidate your husband because you are the first to be filled or baptized in the Holy Ghost; Elizabeth was first filled with the Holy Ghost (by the Salutation of Mary) before her husband (at the Naming ceremony) yet she never flaunted his instructions. Mind you, his personal encounter and experience with God (the temple) is the most important. Even nations wait on him to bring them the word.

Women, in your marriage, don’t feel because you are carrying a vision or revival of God in your womb like Elizabeth, you can have a separate ministry or work things out yourself. Don’t forget, it was where he was standing in the place of prayer and faithfulness at his duty post as head at home or in Church in addition to your right standing with God, faithfulness, and submission to your own husband that made you conceive that vision in your marriage.

Remember Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac entreated God for his faithful, righteous, and submissive wife and she conceived, but at some point in pregnancy she got some revelation from God about the children and when they were born she took it as a separate ministry from Isaac and wanted to work out God’s vision. She got “burnt”!

Women stand in the gap for your husband, that his tongue may be loosed.

Luke 1:59-60: “And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not [so]; but he shall be called John.”

Building One Another
God has made the husband and the wife to be connected and they need one another. Zacharias’s breaking forth in ministry was tied around his wife’s bringing forth. What a dependence on the wife too! I presume Zacharias was actively involved in the pregnancy stages of his aged wife. I see him running here and there to ease the pregnancy cramps and burdened in prayer for his wife to bring forth safely. What she is bringing forth is to serve the purpose of God under the leadership of her husband.

The Test to Take Over
Wives are careful when friends, neighbors, and families tempt or lure you to take the center stage of the home because of your husband’s “dumbness”. You can only withstand this test if you have submitted under him and carefully learned of the vision despite his present infirmity. A time of testing is coming for you so be prepared and learn from him.

Neighbors and families came for the naming with the name of the child, and it looked so sweet to call the baby by his father’s name.

These people love your family but they feel since your husband is not competent to support “your vision” they advise you and get your consent to sign. They came to Elizabeth with an accommodating and understanding offer: “let us name the baby Zacharias, they said”. You hear words like, “Your husband should even thank you (Elizabeth) that you have honoured him by putting his name on the vision”. “We are trying to preserve his lineage and make it relevant”. Adding to the fact that the name her husband gave her, John was strange to their family lineage. Elizabeth could have been shaken by her husband’s vision and jumped at their offer, but she stood her ground and defended her husband’s vision to the point that they referenced him and sought his final decision.

Thank God Zacharias, even in his weakness, was able to communicate the vision to his wife even when he was dumb. Husbands, you have to share the vision of God with your wives because a day will come when the enemy will beguile them with sweet words just as he did for Eve appealing to her emotions and she fell but thank God for Elizabeth.

It was her standing up for the name John that established what God had told her husband and his tongue was loose.

May God’s divine organization for homes take effect in our homes so our homes will birth the vision of God. Amen.

Author: Sunday Oladiran is a teacher of God’s Word, committed to the revival and reformation of the body of Christ. He lives in Ibadan, Nigeria, together with his wife, Bukola. They have two children.