Here we see God’s sovereignty over the leader of the nation of Rome to make sure that His prophetic word in the Scriptures regarding the Messiah will take place and get fulfilled (see Matthew 2:1-6).
The people were perplexed with Elizabeth for naming her son John. In the first century, it seems that the people reused names from within their families, as the name familiarize the person’s family.
When we read in the Scriptures about salvation, we can be confident that those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ will go to heaven after death.
Being barren for a woman was considered a disgrace. A barren woman couldn’t fulfill God’s command to fill the earth, and children provided for their parents when they got old.