We probably are not as appreciative of our power of speech as we should be. Recently my friend had a chest infection and lost his voice as well. A proper conversation with him was impossible at that time. I thought about Zechariah unable to speak for a period of months. During that time he wouldn’t have been able to speak kind words to his family or lead his community with encouragement.
Neither would he have been able to speak harsh or unkind words. No doubt there have been times when we wish we had never spoken or regret the words we have said. Zechariah wouldn’t have had any such soul-searching at this time. The letter of James urges us to watch what we say.
On reading my Bible notes it was pointed that probably this priest also suffered from deafness. This idea was gained from Luke 1:62 ‘And they made signs to his father.’ Does this point to the fact that he was also deaf? What a lonely period this must have been for him!