JOSEPH
Mary’s
Prophetic Poem
Luke
1:46-56
John
MacArthur Study Bible
1:46–55 Mary’s Magnificat (the
first word in the Latin translation) 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
1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Susie: 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.
Susan: Mary says that her soul
magnifies, exalts the Lord. She identifies God as Savior, highlighting the
purpose for which God was coming in human form as the Son, Jesus. 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. Every fiber of Mary’s being
declared the greatness of her God who had transformed her into the mother of
her own Savior. One of no special significance was carrying the One of supreme
significance.
Luke
1:48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from
henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath
done to me great things; and holy is his name.
Susan: Mary viewed herself as God’s servant, his handmaiden.
Susie: 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.
Susan: She needed the Seed of God she carried as much as the world He would
be born into needed her Baby.
Susie: Mary magnified the Lord as the Holy One—pure, sacred, blameless.
Luke
1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Susie: 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;
Susan: The best tool to interpret scripture is the scripture itself.
Susie: This is the reason we often present cross-references in our
studies.
Luke
1:51-53 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in
the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree. 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.
Susie: 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. The poor are not
forgotten or forsaken by our Lord.
Susan: 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; As he
spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
Susie: God would fulfill His promise to Abraham to redeem His
people.
Susan: The time was drawing near for the Messiah to be revealed. The baby
Mary was carrying was the long awaited Anointed One promised to Abraham and
Sarah, the Savior who would be 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.
Susan: Mary stayed with Elizabeth her final trimester of pregnancy and
probably until John was born.
Susie: Then she went back home to Nazareth where she stayed until she and
Joseph were married and ended up having to make a long, arduous journey during
the final days of her pregnancy. More on that later.
QUESTIONS
1.
Why is Mary’s speech called “The Magnificat”?
2.
What was Mary’s view of herself?
3.
How does she describe her relationship to God?
4.
What did Mary prophesy concerning the poor and
lowly people?
Ponder
this: One of my favorite Christian singer/songwriters is Michael Card. Reflect
on this line from his song The Mystery:
No fiction as fantastic and wild,
A mother made by her own child,
The helpless Babe who cried
Was God incarnate, man and deified.
You
can listen to the entire song here:
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