Righteousness in Luke 1:6: Considering marital stability amid barrenness in Nigerian societies

Abstract

The study explores the role of a righteous lifestyle in the marital stability of Zechariah and Elizabeth, particularly in the context of their struggles with barrenness, as detailed in Luke 1:6. Previous studies have primarily focused on righteousness as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments and its liturgical implications, overlooking its relevance to marital stability in the face of barrenness. This study used an interpretive design to explore the challenges of infertility in Nigerian societies. The research involved in-depth interviews with 72 participants, including 30 individuals currently experiencing infertility (CEI), 24 people who had previously faced infertility (PFI) and 18 fertility specialists (FS) from the towns of Òsogbo, Ilé-Ifẹ̀ and Ilésà in Ọ̀sun State, Nigeria. These towns were chosen because of their cosmopolitan nature and diverse populations. The study used a grammatical-historical approach to interpret the biblical text and analysed the data exegetically. The findings indicate that a righteous lifestyle, characterised by godly moral acts, covenantal relationship and communal identity in God, contributed to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s marital stability despite their barrenness and advanced age.
Contribution: The article contributes new insights into how Zechariah and Elizabeth’s ‘righteousness’ not only reflects personal piety but also serves as a source of social support, marital stability and unwavering commitment to each other despite societal pressures related to childlessness.