▪️ The Gospel According to Luke 1:5–6 ▪️
 
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
 
  Zacharias and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist. So we cannot say that there were no longer righteous people in those days! Sincere people can always be found. And we want to be among them.
 
  “In the days of Herod, the king of Judea” — Herod I was known for his cruelty and his desire for power. The Gospel account of the birth of Jesus Christ belongs to the final years of his reign.
 
  Herod was not an independent king: his authority depended on Rome. Judea was under the rule of the Roman Empire, and the former independence of the Jewish kingdom was already gone. For the people, this was a tragedy that many were unwilling to accept.
 
  But the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy was drawing near: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen.49:10).