Zechariah’s song is a rich source of prophecy. In these verses, he tells us God’s plan for the Messiah.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
Luke 1: 69-71
Strong’s Concordance has this to say about the Greek word for “horn”:
“since animals (esp. bulls) defend themselves with their horns, the horn with the Hebrews (and other nations) is a symbol of strength and courage, and used as such in a variety of phrases”
So the “horn of salvation” might be understood to be “strength and courage” of the Messiah to save Israel from her enemies.
Q: Who do you think the Hebrews of the day saw as their enemy, and who (or what) do you think God was thinking was the enemy when he promised to raise up a “horn of salvation?”
I think the Jews of the day were thinking about the Roman Empire, but God was thinking of Satan, Sin, and Death. So often we can get focused on our present circumstances and think that God’s war with Satan revolves around our own objectives. We easily miss the big picture.
Thanks Nathan! That is what I took from the passage as well. Given the history of the nation of Israel and all of the enemies they acquired over time it is easy for me to see why they would expect the Messiah’s main focus to be on earthly enemies. I agree, though, that God’s perspective is very different than ours. He sees the larger enemy; the enemy of the soul.