Mary knew at this time that she was to become a mother, and that her relative Elisabeth would give birth in three months, she wanted to see Elisabeth so they could rejoice together. " Joy"is the major theme of this section as you see three persons rejoicing in the Lord.
First is the joy of Elisabeth verses 39-45. As Mary entered the house, Elisabeth heard her greeting, was filled with the Spirit and was told by the Lord why Mary was there. The one word that filled her lips was "blessed. Note that she did not say that Mary was blessed above women but among women, and certainly this is true. While we don't want to ascribe to Mary that which only belongs to God, neither do we want to minimize her place in the plan of God. What Elisabeth emphasized was Mary's faith: "Blessed is she that believed" (Verse 45). We are saved by grace through faith Ephesians 2:8-9. Because Mary believed the Word of God, she experienced the power of God.
Second, there was the joy of the unborn son. This was probably the time when he was filled with the Spirit as the angel had promised. Even before his birth, John rejoiced in Jesus Christ, just as he did during his earthy ministry. As John the Baptist, he would be the forerunner for the Messiah.
Third the Joy of Mary verses 46-56. A joy that compelled her to lift her voice in a hymn of praise. The fullness of the Spirit should lead to joyful praise in our lives Eph 5:18-20. And so should the fullness of the Word Col. 3:16-17. Mary's song contains quotations from and references to the Old Scriptures, especially the Psalms and the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Mary had God's word in her heart and turned it into a song. Her great desire was to magnify the Lord, not herself. Question of the day who do you try to magnify in your life? Do we give ourselves all the credit for what we have achieved or do we realize every good and perfect gift is from above! She used the phrase He hath eight times as she recounted what God had done for three recipients of His blessing.
1. What God Did for Mary-To begin with, God had saved her (verse 47). Which indicates that Mary was a sinner like all of us and needed to trust the Lord for her eternal salvation. Not only had He saved her, but He also had chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah. He had regarded her, which means He was mindful of her and looked with favor upon her. No doubt there were others who could have been chosen, but God chose her! Not only was God mindful of her, but He was also mighty for her, working on her behalf. Because she believed God and yielded to His will, He performed a miracle in her life and used her to bring the Saviour into the world.
2. What God did for us-In the second stanza of her song, Mary included all of God's people who fear Him from generation to generation. We have all received His mercy and experienced His help. Mary named three specific groups to whom God had been merciful: the helpless, the humble, and the hungry. The common people of that day were almost helpless when it came to justice and civil rights. They were often hungry, downtrodden and discouraged and there was no way to fight the system. Mary saw the Lord turning everything upside down: the weak dethrone the mighty, the humble scatter the proud, he nobodies are exalted, the hungry are filled, and the rich end up poor! The grace of God works contrary to the thoughts and ways of this world system
3. What God did for Israel-He shall save His people from their sins. In spite of Israel's destitute condition, the nation was still God's servant and He would help the people fulfill His purposes. God was on Israel's side! He would remember His mercy and keep His promises.
No comments:
Post a Comment