68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Remember, the context of his message occurs after 400 years of silence. God did not speak to the Israelites except through the prophets and coming of the Messiah. It had been that long since they had heard His voice. Nine months earlier Zechariah would not believe his wife could have a child. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, he is so confident of God's redeeming work in the coming Messiah that, he puts it in the past tense. For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done.
I find it interesting that the word about Jesus’ activities is in the past tense as if it had already been done. Zachariah was so confident that he moved from a doubter to one who said it is as good as done, even though it would be thirty years before Jesus became public. God has come and has redeemed His people because His promise is sure.
In the Old Testament, one always finds the conviction that God is the one who fights for Israel. He is the one who is strong and who gets victory over the enemies of His people. Therefore, it is not surprising that the only two instances the phrase "horn of salvation" is used in the Old Testament are references to God, not man. Both are recorded in the same psalm of David after God saved him from his enemy Saul. He says, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation." God is his defense (his shield) and his offense (his deadly and powerful horn).
Zechariah no doubt, was hoping that the Israel of his day would be delivered from her oppressive Roman overlords and that the Messiah the king of David, would reign over a liberated Israel. It was not revealed to Zechariah that this deliverance would not happen at the first coming of the Messiah, but at His second coming.
When I read about the things God has said He will do one day, I don't worry about whether He'll do them or not. God has been faithful in the past. He is faithful today and I know He'll still be faithful tomorrow! God keeps His promises! That’s something to sing about!
Application: Sing with Zechariah a song of redemption
Prayer: O Lord, let earth receive her King.
