The Second Lot was for slaughtering the lamb, sprinkling the blood, removing the ashes, and trimming the
lamps of the menorah (seven branched candelabra).
The Third Lot was for the burning of incense at the Golden Altar right in front of the veil where the Holy of
Holies was.
―The manner in which the lots were drawn, the priests stood around the president of the Temple in a circle,
and he fixing upon a certain number began to count it starting with the priest whose cap he took off. And he
who the number terminated with was the person to attend to the service in question‖ (Tammid 6:3).
―(10) And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense‖. The scene
described here could have occurred in the morning or evening. The Jews regularly gathered for prayer in the
Temple court when the incense was burned, at the third hour (9:00 a.m.) and at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).
Zacharias evidently had been signaled by a superior priest to begin burning the incense. As soon as the
people saw the ascending smoke of the incense offering, which was a symbol of true consecration to God,
they fell down before YHWH and spread out their hands in silent prayer. The Mishnah says that after the
president had given the signal to burn the incense, the people withdrew to either the Court of the Israelites or
the Court for the Women (the first court you enter from the Eastern Gate entrance).
―(11) And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of
incense. (12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him‖. While serving as
priest, Zacharias saw an angel of YHWH standing on the right side of the Golden Incense Altar. Why is this
so important, the right hand side?
Jewish history tells us that they took the ̳tallit‘ (prayer shawl) and leather girdle (priestly clothing) of Elisha
(which were passed down from Elijah to Elisha) and put it on the right hand side of the Golden Incense Altar
inside the Temple. A special place was made to put it on the right side of the altar, and they said... ―It will
stay here until he whose it is, returns to use it‖. Judaism, even today, firmly believes that Elijah will return to
usher in the Messiah. Year after year they wait for Elijah to arrive at the Passover. A chair, plate and cup is
specially prepared for Elijah at every Passover meal, and at every Passover a door is left slightly open and a
child must go and see if Elijah is at the door. A few years ago they started for the first time to fill Elijah‘s cup!
Well, in 606 B.C. the Babylonians came; and in 578 B.C. they burnt Solomon‘s Temple down, and the story
breaks off there of Jewish history as nobody knows what happened to Elijah‘s ̳tallit‘. It is amazing that
YHWH‘s angel appears at the exact place where Elijah‘s mantel was left, at the right hand side.
Now listen to this: when Zacharias saw the angel standing on the right hand side of the Golden Incense
Altar, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. The Rabbinic tradition says that going into the Holy Place
always carried with it a sense of danger; and to show the relief of making it out alive, the priest would
prepare a feast for his friends the hour he came forth (Yoma 7:4). The tradition further says that if a priest
was going to die during his work inside the Holy Place that an angel would be standing on the right side of
the altar of incense. Seeing the angel there did not help Zachariah much; in fact, it brought much more fear.
Knowing this makes it a little easier to understand why Zacharias was trembling with fear.
―(13) But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John‖. The promise that Elizabeth would bear a son
required a supernatural act of YHWH. The baby was to be named Yochanan, which means ―YHWH is
gracious‖. Not only would YHWH be gracious about removing the stigma of childlessness from the elderly
couple, but He would also set in motion His plan of redemption through the Messiah. That the angel knew his
name should have been enough to quiet Zacharias‘ fears. To hear that they would have a son was the
answer to prayers that had been offered for many years.
―(14) And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. (15) For he shall be great in
the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost, even from his mother's womb‖. These two verses are very rich and give us much information.
Firstly, Yochanan is the only person known that was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth; as the Scripture
says, ―he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb‖. And secondly, verse 15 says,
―shall drink neither wine nor strong drink‖, referring to the Hebrew term ―Nazir‖ and signifies to one who is
dedicated to YHWH by a vow involving abstinence from intoxicants and cutting one‘s hair.
The person who took the Nazarite Vow for a certain specified period of time (30 days was the minimum) did
not become a loner. He continued to live in human society without being necessarily an ascetic (a person
who practices painstaking self-denial as a religious discipline). He was under an obligation to abstain from
wine and all other products of the vine, and to let his hair grow long. During the period of the vow, he was
forbidden to touch a dead body.