“According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 1:9 Mean?
"According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord." Zechariah receives the most significant assignment of his priestly career — burning incense in the Holy Place — through the lot system. The lot was random by human standards but directed by divine providence. A routine temple duty becomes the stage for an angelic visitation.
Burning incense was one of the most honored tasks in the Temple. The priest entered the Holy Place alone, placed incense on the golden altar before the veil, and prayed while the congregation waited outside. The smoke represented Israel's prayers ascending to God. Only one priest could do it at a time, and many priests served their entire careers without being selected.
The phrase "according to the custom" emphasizes the ordinariness of the moment. Zechariah isn't doing anything unusual. He's following routine protocol. And in the middle of routine, God shows up.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Has God ever shown up during your routine rather than during your dramatic spiritual efforts?
- 2.What ordinary duty might be the stage for your next significant encounter with God?
- 3.How does the lot system — random by human standards, directed by God — change your view of 'coincidence'?
- 4.What does 'according to the custom' teach about faithfulness in ordinary tasks?
Devotional
A routine duty. A random lot. An ordinary day in the Temple. And God chooses this exact moment — this specific priest, this regular rotation, this customary task — to announce the most significant birth since Isaac.
Zechariah wasn't seeking a vision. He wasn't on a spiritual retreat. He wasn't fasting or praying for a supernatural experience. He was doing his job. Following the custom. Burning incense the way priests had burned incense for centuries. And Gabriel appeared.
This is how God often operates: in the middle of the routine. Not at the spiritual conference. Not during the dramatic prayer vigil. In the ordinary, the expected, the customary. You're doing what you always do, and suddenly the angel is standing at the right side of the altar.
The lot system adds another layer: Zechariah didn't earn this moment. He was chosen by a random draw. His entire life changed because a lot fell his way — and behind the lot was the hand of a God who doesn't do random.
What routine task might be the stage for your most significant encounter with God? The moment you stop looking for extraordinary spiritual experiences and start being faithful in ordinary duties might be the moment the angel shows up.
God finds you in the custom, not in the crisis.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
According to the custom of the priest's office,.... In which, every man took his part in the execution of it by lot; and…
According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was. - The Jewish writers inform us that it was customary for…
His lot was, etc. - We are informed in the Talmud, that it was the custom of the priests to divide the different…
The two preceding evangelists had agreed to begin the gospel with the baptism of John and his ministry, which commenced…
his lot was to burn incense Rather, he obtained by lot the duty of entering and burning incense. This was the loftiest…
Cross References
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