Pastor Andrew Russell preaches on Luke 1:1-25. This member of the Herod family was Herod the Great. He was king of all the land of Israel for 33 years. Herod the Great was great as a builder, but not great in character. He was    jealous and cruel (see Matthew 2:1-18). The event that Luke is going to describe happened about one year before Herod died. Zechariah belonged to one of the 24 groups of priests (1 Chronicles 24:10). Each group worked in the Temple in Jerusalem. Twice a year they were on duty for a week. If a wife had no children, Jews thought that God was punishing her and her husband. The woman would feel both sad and ashamed. Other women, who had children, would think of her as a wife of no value.

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