*What is the significance of Elizabeth's age in Luke 1?

There are several points of comparison between Elizabeth and Mary's conception and pregnancy that are worth our attention when studying Luke 1. I'll be handling each of the following questions in separate posts.

*What (if any) is the purpose of the close proximity in the stories of Elizabeth and Mary's pregnancies in Luke 1? (Yesterday)

*What is the significance of Elizabeth's age in Luke 1? (Today)

*What is the significance of Elizabeth's barren status in Luke 1? (Tomorrow)

*What is the significance of Mary's virginity in Luke 1? (Sunday)

A disclaimer prior to sharing more thoughts: Not every anecdote or particular singular detail recorded holds some special, unique, or "hidden" purpose. God's Word is God's revelation to his people. It is through God's Word that the wisdom of the world is often foolishness or simple to God (Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11, 1 Corinthians 3:19). We are not to become biblical astrologers in our study and reading of God's Word. In our study we're not looking for mysterious jewels of hidden lore, or troves of locked away knowledge behind superstitious language. We're seeking to following along with, and carefully consider the intentions of God in revealing himself through the text at hand.

*What is the significance of Elizabeth's age?

Elizabeth's age is pointed out several times (V 7, 18, 36):

7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 

36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.

It seems as though everyone knows about Elizabeth's age. The narrator presents Elizabeth's age when introducing her in verse 5-7. Elizabeth's husband brings up her age to Gabriel in verse 18. And Elizabeth's age is shown as a sign of the Divine at work to encourage Mary. Luke repeatedly points out the age of Elizabeth as a impassible challenge that cannot be overcome. Only through the work of God could a women of Elizabeth's age become pregnant.

I think pointing out the age of Elizabeth in relationship to the Divine involvement is for us today a wonderful point of emphasis. Another possible point of emphasis that may have come to the mind of Luke's original audience would have been the story of Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham's age seems to be more of the emphasis rather than Sarah's in the original story of the birth of Isaac. In Genesis 21 we're told twice about Abraham's old age:

2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.

7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Yet Sarah's age is equally included in the unbelief and doubt of Abraham at the time of the God's establishing of the Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:

17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”

While I think it dangerous and not intended by Luke to make transparent overlapping stories of Zechariah with Abraham, or Sarah with Elizabeth, or Isaac with John, I think that any audience familiar with the ancient Patriarchs will have such a story come to mind when reading Luke 1. One of the ways Luke distinguishes and highlights the differences in the stories is the added emphasis on Elizabeth's age rather than Zechariah, and in the delivery of the message - Abraham receiving the message directly from God, whereas Zechariah received his message from Gabriel.

The similarities between the Abraham and Sarah with Zechariah and Elizabeth do not stop at the
mention of age - but more on that tomorrow...