Lord God of Israel. The covenant title of God, the use of which implies a recognition of, and earnest desire for, the fulfillment of all the promises included in the covenant.
Hath visited. Gr. episkeptomai, “to inspect,” “to examine,” in the sense of looking into a matter with a view to giving assistance. In Matt. 25:36 the same word is used of visiting a person in prison, not so much in the sense of making a social call on him as of endeavoring to succor him. Here, Zacharias envisions the fulfillment of the Messianic promises made to “his people” from generation to generation. This was particularly significant in view of the fact that now, for about four centuries, the voices of the canonical prophets had ceased. The majority of the people were doubtless saying in their hearts: “The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth” (Eze. 12:22). God now “visits” His people, not in judgment, but in mercy, to deliver them and to redeem them.
Redeemed his people. These words constitute an implied announcement that the Redeemer Himself would soon appear, “to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). As is so often the case throughout the prophets of the OT, Zacharias here speaks of a future event as if it were already accomplished (see Vol. I, pp. 27, 28). God’s promises are so sure that even then Zacharias could rightfully speak of the plan of redemption as an accomplished fact.
Israel was not only a company of individuals in need of salvation from sin (Luke 1:68, 77), but also a nation, a “chosen people” in need of deliverance from their enemies (v. 71). In past generations God had often delivered the Israelites from their national enemies, such as Egypt, Midian, Philistia, Assyria, and Babylon. Indeed, the establishment of the Messianic kingdom as set forth by the prophet Daniel (Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 18; 12:1) envisioned deliverance, complete and permanent, from all enemies. But in the plan of God deliverance from sin must precede deliverance from the nations round about. However, national pride led the Jews to think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of deliverance from external enemies and to forget the necessity of deliverance from unseen enemies within. The popular concept of the Messiah as a political savior was not altogether a matter of error; it was in part a case of misplaced emphasis (see DA 30, 235), for the OT is filled with predictions of Messianic glories. The Jews forgot that without deliverance from personal sin there could never be deliverance from national enemies. They focused on the rewards of rightdoing to the extent that they neglected to do right. See Vol. IV, pp. 26-33.
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