LOC 006: Life of Christ: The
Magnificat of Mary
In our study of the Life of Christ last time we looked at the
annunciation to Mary by the Angel and Mary’s godly reaction.
She had found favor with God. She was to be the means whereby the
savior of Israel would come. She was
told that the Holy Spirit would come over her, that she would be found with
child. She must have been surprised at
her angelic visitor and the message he brought.
Her reaction to the word of God as delivered by the angel was. . .
She said, Luke 1:38 "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."
She was ready to serve God in any way she could. She submits her will to God’s. She says, what
you say, oh my God, is what I want.
She remains an example of a godly disciple to us. When we rightly understand who she was and
what she did, we understand that her life of obedient service ought to be the
pattern for those who follow Christ.
The angel had used her cousin Elizabeth as an illustration of how,
With God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1: 37). So, with Elizabeth and her
pregnancy as a special work of God in mind, Mary sets off for a visit, quickly.
Turn to Luke 1:39-41
Luke 1:39 Now Mary arose
in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40
and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened,
when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb;
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
John, the miracle baby, was in Elizabeth’s womb for six
months. He lept at the presence of Mary,
upon whom the Holy Spirit had come in order that a child would be born, and a
son would be given.
The joy and godliness of Elizabeth is apparent in the words she
speaks to Mary. She said,
Luke 1:42 Then [Elizabeth] spoke out with a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your
womb! 43 "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me? 44 "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded
in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 "Blessed is she who believed,
for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the
Lord."
Elizabeth shows us the soul of a faithful woman and wife of a faithful
priest in Israel.
In the same language the angel used, Elizabeth replied. The angel said, Luke 1:28 And having come in,
the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with
you; blessed are you among women!"
Elizabeth, in humility asks why she is granted this special grace
of the visit of the mother of the Lord.
The angel reminded Mary of Elizabeth’s miracle pregnancy—of which
it appears that she already knew and, as we can see by the words, Elizabeth has
prior news of the great thing that has happened to Mary. Good news does travel quickly. When someone has something they believe to be
noteworthy, they will tell anyone to get the news out. When are gripped in their souls about a
matter, it effects the way they live.
Elizabeth and Mary are two wonderful examples of how the good news from
God can effect our way of living and manner of expression. They are thrilled at the news about the joys
in each others life, yet they express praise to God and wonder and awe.
In line with Luke’s purpose in writing, to show how God’s words
were fulfilled, Elizabeth adds, 45 "Blessed is she who believed, for there
will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
The Greek word for blessed is Eulogia. It means to speak well of, i.e. (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction
upon, prosper):-bless, praise.
Mary is not worshiped by Elizabeth in the use of blessed, she is
speaking well of Mary and unique blessing present in her womb. She is speaking good words. In English, a eulogy, is the good words
spoken about another. This is usually
done at a funeral. During a eulogy, the
speaker gives good words about the one who died. It is a remembrance of the person for the
family, friends and relatives. It is
intended to bless those who are present.
Elizabeth intends to bless Mary for the marvelous work of God within her
in two senses.
To this eulogy, Mary replied,
1. Her frame of mind
2. Her State
3. Her future eulogy
4. His Mighty Holiness
5. His Strength
6. His Mercy
7. His Exaltation of the Lowly
8. His Satisfaction of others
9. His Grace and Mercy
10. His Promise
1. Her frame of mind
Luke 1:46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
2. Her State
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
3. Her future eulogy
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
4. His Mighty Holiness
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is
His name.
5. His Mercy
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to
generation.
6. His Strength
51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their
thrones,
7. His Exaltation of the Lowly
And exalted the lowly.
8. His Satisfaction of others
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has
sent away empty.
9. His Grace and Mercy
54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
10. His Promise
55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed
forever."
Then Luke adds a summary of her activities at Elizabeth and
Zacharias’s house.
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to
her house.
The first thing to notice is that Mary knows a lot of
Scripture. Though relatively young, she
eulogizes God in glowing terms drawn from many Old Testament passages. She was a woman who knew her Bible and was
comfortable presenting her case in biblical terms.
Just like Hannah of old who at the birth of Samuel praises God, so
does Mary. Hannah had been barren. She prayed for a son, God gave her a
son. 1 Samuel 1:28 tells us, in Hannah’s
own words:"Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives
he shall be lent to the LORD." So they worshiped the LORD there. She was given a son, she gave a son
back. She did not want a son to fulfill
herself, she wanted one to serve God, to expand his Kingdom.
But, listen to the same themes expressed by Hannah, another godly
woman in Israel. Turn to 1 Samuel 2.
1 And Hannah
prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the
LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 "No one is
holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like
our God.
3 "Talk no more
so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God
of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
4 "The bows of
the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 Those who were full
have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even
the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.
6 "The LORD
kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7 The LORD makes poor
and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.
8 He raises the poor
from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth
are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them.
9 He will guard the
feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by
strength no man shall prevail.
10 The adversaries of
the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His
king, And exalt the horn of His anointed."
Neither of them make an issue of themselves. They point others to God and his mighty
works. Women, we need godly women to be
great influences in the lives of our children.
Whenever someone asks about women in the Church, remind them that women
have the greatest part in raising a goldy heritage for the next
generation. How they carry themselves,
how they speak, how they teach, will have a profound impact upon their children
and subsquent generations. Motherhood is
an awesome task. We should pray for our
wives who are challenged in this way.
Work to raise a goldy seed dependant upon God to work his grace. Fill your words, your instruction and rebuke,
your comfort and concern, you love and your discipline, with the words of
godliness drawn from the pages of God’s Book.
It is the Word of God that is quick and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword. God may be pleased
to use your words to convert your children.
Many a person who professed faith late in life recalls the haunting
words of a godly mother or father instructing them or praying for them.
In Mary, we find a godly mother praising her God with the very
words God had spoken to saints of old.
Let’s look at the elements of her words:
1. Her frame of mind
Luke 1:46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
She does not rejoice in her experience for the sake of a religious
experience. She wants others to see that
what has happened is marvelous and something that ought to make her God known
in an enlarged way. She wants the
gracious God to be seen with greater detail.
She rejoices in who?
God, her savior. Was she a
woman with so many good works that she could save herself and others? NO! She too, finds joy in an undeserved
salvation. Consider the profession of...
2. Her State
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
She does not view herself as deserving what has come to her. She is lowly and a servant. She is a humble woman rady to do whatever God
requires. True godliness desires to do
whatever God wants. Even if that means
cleaning out the stables of horse dung, or the dishes after the children and
hubby. God wants faithfulness not only
in the big things, but in the lowly.
Mary views herself rightly. She
is not concerned with her own self-image, she is concerned with
God-esteem. Whatever you want, my God, I
am at your service. The work, at this
time, just happened to be the birth of the Lord Jesus.
She sees that this event will have future implications...
3. Her future eulogy
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
It is not about herself.
She realizees that all generations, all who come after her will see the
unique blessing that was given to her. In this she turns all of the attention
off of herself to her God.
4. His Mighty Holiness
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is
His name.
This is a theme snatched from nearly all of the Old Testament
books.
A sample:
Deut 3:24 'O Lord GOD,
You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand,
for what god is there in
heaven or on earth who can do anything like
Your works and Your mighty deeds?
Deut 10:17 "For the
LORD your God is God of
gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who
shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
Joshua 4:24 "that all
the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the
LORD your God forever."
Psalm 89:8 O LORD God
of hosts, Who is mighty like
You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a
Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
5. His Mercy
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to
generation.
Psa 5:7 But as for me, I
will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear
of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
Psa 33:18 Behold, the
eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,
Psa 103:11 For as the
heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear
Him;
Psa 103:17 But the mercy
of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His
righteousness to children's children,
6. His Strength
51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their
thrones,
Psa 89:13 You have a
mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
Psa 136:12 With a strong
hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;
Isa 40:10 Behold, the
Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold,
His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
Jer 21:5 "I Myself
will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in
anger and fury and great wrath.
Jer 32:21 'You have
brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders,
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
7. His Exaltation of the Lowly
And exalted the lowly.
Job 5:11 He sets on high
those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
Psa 136:23 Who
remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 138:6 Though the
LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Prov 16:19 Better to be
of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Zec 9:9 "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King
is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a
donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
8. His Satisfaction of others
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has
sent away empty.
Psa 107:9 For He
satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with
goodness.
As Hannah said, 1 SA 2:7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
9. His Grace and Mercy
54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
10. His Promise
55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed
forever."
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