Luke 1:9 describes how the priest Zechariah was chosen by lot to go into the Lord’s temple and burn incense, a sacred honor that came to each priest only once in a lifetime. The verse shows a faithful man in a moment of ordinary religious duty, which becomes the stage for an extraordinary event. Luke, the narrator, writes it as the opening scene of his Gospel, so the reader understands that God is about to act through a faithful servant at prayer.
According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
Luke 1:9 (WEB)
What Luke 1:9 Means
The phrase “according to the custom of the priest’s office” tells you that the priests of Israel had set routines for their service. The temple had many priests, far more than could serve at once, so they were divided into groups and rotated through duty. Within that system, a lottery decided who would take the particular task of burning incense inside the sanctuary. Luke is not describing chance as the source of what happens next, but the orderly way God’s people organized their worship.
When Luke says that Zechariah’s lot “was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense,” he is naming a rare privilege. Incense was offered morning and evening as a picture of prayer rising to God, and the priest who burned it stood in the holy place while the people waited outside. The verse does not promise Zechariah a personal blessing or a reward. It simply records the setting in which God chose to speak.
The Context of Luke 1:9
The Gospel of Luke was written by a companion of Paul, traditionally identified as a Gentile physician, and addressed to a reader named Theophilus. Luke writes with a careful historian’s interest in order and detail, and he composes his opening chapters in the style of the Old Testament, with echoes of earlier stories of barren women and promised sons. His readers are likely Gentile Christians who need to see that the story of Jesus is rooted in Israel’s history.
Just before verse 9, Luke describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as righteous, yet childless and advanced in years. Just after, the crowd waits in prayer while an angel appears at the altar. Read with that setting, the verse shows a devout man doing his duty at the very moment his deepest hope has seemed closed off. The ordinary faithfulness of the scene makes the angel’s arrival more striking, and it teaches you that God often meets people in the middle of their regular service.
Key Phrases in Luke 1:9
Exodus 30:7-8
7 Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it. 8 When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
(WEB)
These verses give the original instruction for burning incense on the altar each morning and evening. Reading them alongside Luke 1:9 shows you the law that Zechariah was fulfilling when he entered the sanctuary.
Revelation 8:3-4
3 Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
(WEB)
John sees an angel offering incense with the prayers of the saints before God’s throne. The image connects Zechariah’s temple duty to the larger picture of prayer rising to heaven and being heard there.
A Short Prayer From Luke 1:9
Lord, you have placed many people in ordinary roles of faithful service, and you see the prayers they offer when no one else is watching. I bring you the duties I have been given today, and I ask that you let my work become a quiet offering rather than a burden. Where I am waiting for something I have longed for, help me keep trusting your timing. Meet me in the ordinary places of my day, as you met Zechariah at the altar, and teach me to keep faithful watch with a heart turned toward you. Amen.
