Wednesday, December 28, 2016

WOMEN OF CHRISTMAS - MARY & ELIZABETH - SPIRIT-FILLED UNBORN BABY JUMPS FOR JOY!

LUKE 1:39-56 -  MARY AND ELIZABETH
SPIRIT-FILLED UNBORN BABY
JUMPS FOR JOY!

Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

Mary may have fled Nazareth to avoid gossip and unkind stares as her pregnancy developed, but I believe she wanted to see the miracle of Elisabeth’s pregnancy in person as well. Mary may have wanted to avoid prying eyes and whispering lips as her own pregnancy developed. 

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

When Mary spoke a greeting to her relative Elisabeth, the unborn baby John jumped for joy! Elisabeth was overjoyed as she was overcome by the Spirit of the Lord.

Luke 1:42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

John, who Gabriel foretold would be filled with the Spirit in the womb, leapt when Mary greeted His mother. An UNBORN baby was the first to recognize the Savior while HE was yet UNBORN. This is a strong argument for the fact that an embryo is already the person God is forming inside their mother.
  
Embryo John’s reaction, caused Elizabeth who was also filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment he moved within her to rejoice as well. Elizabeth questioned her worthiness to be visited by the mother of the Son of God, but she boldly prophesied concerning Mary because the Holy Spirit empowered her. Elizabeth called Mary “the mother of my Lord,” which says that she already believed Jesus would be the Messiah. No human had told her this. Mary had just arrived, so they had not had time to even discuss the fact that Mary was pregnant and all that Gabriel had told her. The Holy Spirit prompted Elizabeth to honor Mary’s faith in believing the Lord. Somehow, in the moment that baby John moved excitedly in her womb, the Lord caused Elizabeth to know exactly what was going on with her relative, Mary. For this moment in time, the Lord was using Elizabeth as His prophetess.

John MacArthur Study Bible
1:46–55 Mary’s Magnificat (the first word in the Latin translation; see notes on vv. 68–79; 2:29–32) is filled with OT allusions and quotations. It reveals that Mary’s heart and mind were saturated with the Word of God. It contains repeated echoes of Hannah’s prayers, e.g., 1 Sam. 1:11; 2:1–10. These verses also contain numerous allusions to the law, the psalms, and the prophets. The entire passage is a point-by-point reciting of the covenant promises of God.

Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Mary broke out rejoicing in song, humbly praising the Lord for all He was doing through her.  This is known as the Magnificat because that is the first word of Mary’s praise song in Latin. Mary says that her soul magnifies, exalts the Lord. She identifies God as Savior, highlighting the purpose for which Jesus was coming as a man. I think it is significant that the one chosen to bear the Messiah sees her own need for salvation and knows that God is meeting that need.

Luke 1:48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

Mary viewed herself as God’s servant, his handmaiden. She was probably poor, not significant in any way. Therefore, she realized she was extremely blessed to be chosen to conceive and carry her Redeemer in her womb. She acknowledged that this was not her doing but was the choice and work of God in her life. She needed the Seed of God she carried as much as the world He would be born into needed her Baby.

Luke 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Mary may have had several passages from the Psalms in mind. We looked up “them that fear him” on www.biblegateway.com and came up with these as well as others: Psalms 25:14, 33:18, 34:7, 34:9, 85:9, 103:11, 13 & 17, 111:5, 145:19, and 147:11. Psalm 103 has been a favorite of mine (Susie’s) for a long time:

Psalm 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Luke 1:51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Psalm 103:5-6 (KJV) Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

In Jewish thought, riches were a reward from God, which in essence they are. However, they believed the opposite was true as well, that poverty was a curse from God. Mary espoused the truth that God would bring down the proud and boastful and elevate the poor and downtrodden. In the Magnificat, Mary was announcing prophetic reality that God would bring forth, in the fullness of time, the bringing down of the proud and elevation of the humble. God’s salvation would be for all people who believed.

Luke 1:54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

He would fulfill His promise to Abraham to redeem His people.  The time was drawing near for the Messiah to be revealed. The baby she was carrying was the long awaited Anointed One promised to Abraham and Sarah, the Savior descended from their son Isaac.

Galatians 4:4-5 (NASB) “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Mary probably stayed with Elizabeth her final trimester of pregnancy and probably until John was born. Then she went back home to Nazareth.

Ponder this: Things that assure us that a baby inside the womb is already a human soul.
1.           John was filled with the Spirit even while in his mother’s womb.
2.           John jumped for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice because he recognized by the power of the Spirit that she was carrying the Messiah.

3.           Jesus was recognized by John even though Mary was probably not even showing yet, even though by today’s modern medical standards he would not be “viable.”

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