Gabriel | The Wolfe Notes

These notes follow our 7-step rhythm for Bible study. Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotes are from the EasyEnglish Bible translation.

Notes on Gabriel

(from Luke 1:11-22 and 26-38)

Annotation Notes, Summary, N/W/L Statements, Key Verse, God's Character, Prayer, Action 

The Present by Bru-nO at Pixabay

1. Annotation Notes

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, ! a connection, and italics a referenced source.

1. ? What does the name Gabriel mean?
1. God is my strong man or hero ("Gabriel" at Behind the Name)
2. *Truly, God was. Gabriel stood before the Lord, in His presence continually. How could God not be his strong man?
2. ? What were some other angel proclamations in the Bible? (Luke 1:13)
1. x The angel of the LORD said to Hagar, 'Now you are pregnant and you will give birth to a son. When you cried in pain, the LORD heard you, so you must give your son the name "Ishmael". Genesis 16:11
2. x The LORD's angel appeared to [Manoah's wife]. He said, 'You have not been able to give birth to any children until now. But you will become pregnant and you will give birth to a son [which she named Samson]. Judges 13:3
3. x Then the angel of the LORD appeared to me, Zechariah, and he showed me Joshua, the most important priest. Joshua was standing in front of the angel of the LORD. Satan stood on the right side of Joshua. He was ready to say that Joshua had done bad things...The angel said to the other angels that stood in front of him, 'Remove his very dirty clothes.' Then the first angel said to Joshua, 'See, I have taken away your sin. I will put the clothes on you that a priest should wear.'...The angel of the LORD spoke to Joshua with these serious words. 'These are the words of the LORD Almighty. Listen to them and obey them. "You will rule in my house. You will rule inside the walls of my house. I will give you a place among the angels that are standing here. Zechariah 3:1-7
3. ? Are these stories in Luke the only time that Gabriel is mentioned? (Luke 1:19)
1. x [Daniel] heard a person's voice. It was coming across the Ulai river. The voice said, 'Gabriel, help this man to understand the vision.' So Gabriel came towards me, where I was standing. I was very afraid and I fell down onto the ground. He said to me, 'You, as a human, need to understand that the vision is about the end of time.' While Gabriel spoke to me I was lying with my face on the ground. I was asleep. But he touched me and he caused me to stand up. Then he said to me, "I will tell you what will happen at the end of time. It will be a time when God is very angry. The vision shows what will happen at the time that God has chosen. That will be the time for everything to finish. Daniel 8:15-27
2. x While I was praying, Gabriel came towards me. He was the same man that I had seen in the first vision. He flew quickly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He said to me, 'Daniel, I have come to teach you, so that you can understand these things." As soon as you started to pray, God sent his message. I have come to tell you the message, because you are very important to God. Listen carefully, so that you understand the meaning of your vision. Daniel 9:21
4. * Gabriel seems like an important angel. He is named and assigned a place in front of God, a servant always ready for duty. (Luke 1:19)
5. ? Are other angels named in the Bible?
1. x But the ruler of the the kingdom of Persia stood against me for 21 days. Then Michael came to help me. He is one of God's most important angels. He helped me because the ruler of Persia was keeping me there...Only Michael will help me. He is the angel who keeps your own people safe. Nobody else will be there to help me fight against God's enemies. Daniel 10:12-21 (See also Daniel 12:1, Jude 1:9, and Revelation 12:7-9)
2. x The king that ruled [the locusts] was the angel of the deep hole. His name is 'Abaddon' in the Hebrew language. In the Greek language his name is 'Apollyon'.  Revelation 9:11
3. * The only time angels' names are mentioned are at significant world-changing moments: end time prophecy and Jesus' birth.
6. *How harsh Gabriel seems with this punishment (Luke 1:20)! When I consider punishment, I tend to give those who typically behave well a lighter sentence. Well, Zechariah is said to be righteous (Luke 1:6-7), so his punishment, according to my rules would be lighter. But, that is not the case for Gabriel. (For more thoughts on this punishment, see our Zechariah notes.)
1. x Then the LORD said to Satan, "You have seen Job, who is my servant. What do you think about him? There is no one on earth that is like him. He is a good and honest man. He is afraid to make me angry. He refuses to do evil things.'...So the LORD said to Satan, 'I agree to give you power over all the things that belong to Job. But you must do nothing to hurt Job himself.' After that, Satan went away. Job 1:8, 12
7. *The messages Gabriel gives to Zechariah and Mary were very similar, but they were received very differently. Zechariah receives his with doubt (Luke 1:18); Mary with faith (Luke 1:38). 
1. ? I wonder what a more in-depth comparison of the messages and responses would reveal.

2. Summary

Gabriel told both Zechariah and Mary that they would have sons. Zechariah was to name his John, who would have the spirit of Elijah, and Mary was to name hers Jesus, who would be God's own son. Zechariah didn't believe, so Gabriel made him mute until the promise was fulfilled. Mary didn't understand how it could happen, but accepted Gabriel's message on faith because Elizabeth was already pregnant.

3. N/W/L Statements

1. I NOTICED that Gabriel stands in front of God (Luke 1:20), appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar, *representative of Jesus?* (Luke 1:11), knows God's will and feelings toward Mary and Zechariah, and works to bring them peace with the message they are hearing.
2. I WONDER what angels do? Are they still among us delivering messages? Do they still begin their messages by reminding us to not fear? Do they have the authority to mute us?
3. I think God wants us to LEARN that:
1. Jesus and John's births were planned and marked with holiness.
2. Jesus and John were born to ordinary people who experienced extraordinary acts of God.
3. This moment in history is extremely significant and demands our attention.

4. Key Verse

Listen! A baby boy will grow inside you. When he is born, you will call him Jesus. He will be great. People will call him the Son of the powerful God who is over all. The Lord God will make him king. He will rule as his ancestor King David ruled. He will rule over the family of Jacob for all time. He will be king for all time, without end. Luke 1:31-33 EASY 

This verse reminds me it's not the messenger who deserves the attention, but the message he brings. This baby is the One we've been waiting for. This moment in time is one to hold sacred. Our King has come! 

5. God's Character

1. God cares about us and our emotions.
• After this, the LORD spoke to Abram in a dream. God said, 'Do not be afraid Abram. I will keep you safe. I myself will give you many good gifts.' Genesis 15:1 (See also Zephaniah 3:17)
• If you have any kind of trouble in your mind, give it to God. God has promised to take care of you. I Peter 5:7
2. God chooses to work with us to accomplish His purposes.
• In this work, we work with God, and that means that you are a field under God's cultivation, or, if you like, a house being built to his plan. I Corinthians 3:9 PHILLIPS
• It is God who has worked in us to make us what we are. He has given us a new life because we are united with Christ Jesus. He saved us so that now we can do good things in our lives. Those are good things that he has already prepared for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (See also Matthew 5:16, I Peter 2:9, and John 15:16)
3. God entrusts angels with messages and authority to discipline.
• God calls the powerful rulers to meet in heaven. He sits on his throne to judge them. Psalm 82:1 (See also Job 1:6.)
• The two [angels] who were inside [Lot's] house opened the door. They pulled Lot back into his house and they shut the door quickly. Then they caused all the men outside to become blind. The young men of the city and the old men all became blind. As a result, they could not find the door of the house, even though they tried for some time. Genesis 19:10-11

6. Pray

Father God, it amazes me that You include us and angels in Your rule. You value input from others and You entrust us with authority. What an honor, what a privilege to partner with You! Grow me in serving You better and remind me to treat others the way You treat me. Though I can do something alone, You set the model to work with others, to trust others, and to give them authority to make decisions in my name. If You trust us to do this, of course I can trust others too.

7. Act

1. Recognize Jesus as King who chooses to work with me.
2. Serve, knowing my work is always about directing others to Him. 
3. Partner with others, trusting them with decision-making. 
4. Remember relationships are about caring for the needs of others, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They are never about assuming authoritative control; God set the model for us.

Sample these related posts:

• To understand our 7-step rhythm for Bible study.
• For 2026 Bible study plan suggestions.
• To review Zechariah's story.
• To challenge yourself to care for others better. 
• To revisit the build-up to our Christmas story. 

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