They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. — Luke 1:6
It is a beautiful thing that we read of this good, old couple, Zacharias and Elisabeth, that they were righteous before God. Some people appear to men to be righteous, who before God have no such record. Real character is what our hearts are, our hearts make us. We ought not to be satisfied with doing well the things which men can see; we ought to work and live ever for God’s eye. Sometimes we say it is no matter how we do certain things, because nobody will see them. But we should remember that God will see them, and surely we should never do careless, faulty work for His eye.
The word “commandments” suggests that the holiness of these people was of a very practical kind. Some people’s religion is chiefly emotional. They talk about loving God, but they pay little heed to the commandments. God is pleased with ardent devotions, but He wants us to prove our religion by obedience, by doing the things He gives us to do.