Unexpected Endings

After being rescued under protest from a fiery dragon, Princess Fiona has a change of heart. She leaves her cave, finds a bird, and sings with her. The audiences expect a familiar scene from Snow White where she sings to birds and animals around her. Instead, Fiona sings notes higher and higher, and the bird tries to imitate, only to lose its head. Princess Fiona then picks up the eggs and makes breakfast for Shrek and Donkey!

Unexpected results, endings, and scenes are common in movies, books, and lives. After centuries of being God’s people, set apart from the rest of the nations, considering themselves unique, privileged, and God’s chosen, the Israelites couldn’t think of anything good in the Gentile nations. They could, as Zechariah sang, think of only evil for them.

He has raised up the horn of salvation in the house of David, his son – just as he has spoken through the mouths of his holy prophets – to bring deliverance from our enemies and the hands of all those who hate us and to show our fathers mercy and remember his covenant. (1:69–72)

Soon, however, Zechariah and other Hebrews would find that John and Jesus proclaimed God’s rule over everyone and taught “love those who hate you,” not take revenge on those who hated them. To the tax collectors whom the Hebrews considered enemies, John said,

“Don’t collect any more taxes than you are required to.” (Luke 3:13)

And to the soldiers, another group of enemies, John said,

“Don’t exhort money from people for a false testimony or accuse them falsely; instead, be content with your salary.” (Luke 3:14)

God had raised the horn of salvation in the house of David, not for their enemies’ destruction but for their enemies’ salvation. God loves to restore people to himself. Equally, he is long-suffering (i.e., patient) and merciful.

To imitate God, the Hebrews should stick to the three principles God had said to Abraham in an oath, which Zechariah repeated.

“He had made an oath to Abraham, our father, (1) to enable us to be unafraid of our enemies, (2) be redeemed, and (3) serve him in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives.” (1:73–75)

With God on their side, they shouldn’t fear their enemies. Moses, Joshua, David, and Jael demonstrated this principle. Further, the Hebrews must be redeemed people, unlike the nations around them that didn’t live a “purchased” life. God had purchased the Israelites from the Egyptians and gave them the promised land. That was not true of the rest of the nations. Finally, they were to be holy and just people. Holiness was living apart from anything that contradicts the nature of God, and justice was showing the right evaluation of everyone without looking at their faces, status, or privileges—equal justice for everyone. Should the Hebrews focus on these three things – not fearing their enemies, being a redeemed people, and living in holiness and righteousness, they would understand God’s salvation of them and those around them. Enemies would no longer be enemies but fellow believers in YHWH God.

We, Christians, often fear something new that the world throws at us and have a knee-jerking reaction. We want the destruction or abolition of their beliefs. Instead of armoring ourselves to fight them, we must not fear them; instead, as redeemed people, we exercise holiness and justice equally.