And Mary said: “My soul
magnifies the Lord, 47 And
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For
He
has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For
behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great
things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to
generation. 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,
And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the
rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His
mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To
Abraham and to his seed forever” (Luke 1:46-55).
The angel Gabriel had appeared to Zacharias
to prophesy the birth of his son (even though his wife, Elizabeth was well
advanced in years), who would be John the Baptist. Gabriel also appeared to Mary and informed
her she would give birth to the Savior (even though she had not known a
man).
Mary would visit Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth
A Young Adult
It is worth noting that Mary’s song, though
far from dispassionate, is full of allusions to the Old Testament. Quotes from Hannah (1 Samuel 1, 2), the
Psalms, Isaiah, and more, flow from this young woman’s (likely still in her
teens) lips. In today’s culture, Mary
would be considered an adolescent (from the Latin adolescere—meaning “to grow up”).
The Scriptures make no such distinction between teenagers and
adults. The teenager is an adult. And here we see a glorious example of a godly
teenager.
A Refined
Exuberance
The Magnificat (which is the first word in
the hymn in the Latin Vulgate: Magnificat
anima mea Dominium, meaning, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord)[1]
is a wonderful example of passion tempered and directed by knowledge and
truth. This is not the sentimental
rambling of a young woman. It is rather
like a talented artist who has refined her skill through the study of anatomy
or architecture.
Four Parts
There are four unique aspects of her
song. First, God’s blessings toward her;
second, God’s blessings from generation to generation; third, God’s judgment on
the proud; fourth, Mary’s allusion to the covenant keeping God.
I. God’s Blessing Toward
Mary
And Mary said: “My
soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For
He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all
generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things
for me, And holy is His name (Luke 1:46-49).
A Unique Birth
Mary’s response is reminiscent, if not
taken directly from, Hannah who also had a miraculous birth of the prophet
Samuel (1 Samuel 2). Mary would have
been aware of the Sarah’s birth of Isaac and now Elizabeth
Magnifying God
Her soul magnifies the Lord. As the Psalmist records,
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name
together (Psalm 34:1-3).
God had extolled Mary, and every generation
would call her blessed. Yet Mary would
not magnify herself, but she rather acknowledges her “lowly estate” and magnifies the Lord.
“But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My
word” (Isaiah 66:1,2).
Soul and Spirit
Mary’s soul would magnify the Lord and her
spirit would rejoice in her God, her Savior.
Two things to note here:
Mary mentioning soul and spirit is thought
by some to simply be a poetic repetition of the same faculty. The distinction between soul and spirit,
according to this view, should not be made.[2] Others believe the spirit ought to be taken
for understanding and the soul for the seat of affection.[3] I wouldn’t force the issue at this
point.
One thing is clear no matter how we slice
up the language—both understanding and affection are contained in Mary’s
praise. This is something that could
only be achieved by one who is well catechized in heart and mind. What I mean by this is knowledge of the
promises of God and a joyful expectation of the fulfillment of those
promises. Such should be the goal of
every believer.
Savior
Secondly, Mary refers to her Savior. Although this reference to salvation may be
applied to salvation from bondage, obscurity or other earthly predicaments, it
seems that the context is salvation from sins (Matthew 1:21). This is clearly problematic for the Roman
Catholic view of a sinless Mary. Mary
rejoiced in being saved from her sins, as should we.
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be
afraid;‘ For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”3 Therefore
with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2,3).
And there is no other God besides Me, A just
God and a Savior; There is none
besides Me.
Personal and
Corporate
This stanza ends with a very personal
outburst. “For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His
name.” From generation to generation
there seems to be two dangers: One is an
over-emphasis of our personal relationship to the exclusion of a corporate
relationship (this perhaps being the dominant error among today’s
evangelicals). People feel perfectly
comfortable in their Christianity apart from any connection with the body of Christ. This is clearly unbiblical.
The other is an over-emphasis of our
corporate relationship to the exclusion of a personal relationship. We see this among many Roman Catholics who
view the church as their mediator rather than Christ. We also see this among Protestants, who might
be faithful in church attendance, but don’t exhibit the fruit of one who has
Christ as Savior and Lord.
Mary is excited about what God has done for
her individually, but quickly moves to the corporate blessings as well.
II. God’s Blessings
from Generation to Generation
And His mercy is on
those who fear Him From generation to generation” (Luke 1:50).
Mary’s excitement is further
established when she sees herself as part of the tapestry of God’s everlasting
covenant. A covenant Mary was no doubt
familiar with as one given to Abraham.
And I will
establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in
their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your
descendants after you (Genesis 17:7).
Bittersweet
There should be an excitement in the
life of the Christian, not only in what God has done for us, but in what God is
doing in history from generation to generation.
Mary’s life was to be filled with difficulty and heartache. But her difficulty and heartache would be major
players in God’s plan of redemption throughout history.
She would witness the crucifixion of her
Son. Yet at the same time she would be
witnessing the crucifixion of Savior of the world. It was bitter and sweet. Honey on the tongue and sour in the stomach
(Revelation 10:10). But the true glory
can only be appreciated from one who would have a protracted view of time. We mustn’t be overly concerned with the
apparent failures and victories of our singular generation. We must know that God has a plan of mercy for
all generations.
Mercy
Even though God’s goodness, at some level,
is known to all men, the mercy of which Mary sings is extended to a specific
group. It is extended to those who fear
Him. Matthew Henry states,
It has been a
common observation that God in his providence puts contempt upon the haughty
and honour upon the humble.[4]
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). No man who views
God as a debtor or a contemporary will find favor in His sight. God is to be feared. And He will incline His ear to those who in
humility of faith, call to Him for deliverance.
Mary will now proclaim the judgment which comes to those who have no fear
of God in their eyes, those who trust in the strength of their own arms and minds.
III. God’s Judgment
on the Proud
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, And exalted the
lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away
empty. (Luke 1:51-53).
Scattering the
Proud
Interesting that such a young girl would
have such a broad world view. God
scatters those who are proud in the imagination of their own hearts. Who Mary likely has in mind are people in
power who trust in their own innovations for goals and methods, rather than the
goals and methods revealed by God’s word.
It would appear that our very best
political candidates have lost sight of what it means to govern in such a way
as to defer to the only wise God and Savior.
What Mary seems to be saying is, “that
in the course of history God’s mighty power has repeatedly punished these
arrogant people.”[5]
Rich Yet Poor
God exalts the lowly. He fills the hungry with good things (unlike the
bad things the ungodly seek to fill men with).
And the rich he sends away empty.
This is not to say that it is inherently evil to be rich. But when one thinks their riches to be
satisfactory we must consider the words of Jesus Himself in a letter to the
church at Laodicea
Because you say, ‘I
am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that
you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy
from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments,
that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (Revelation 3:17,18).
In short, as Matthew Henry states, “They come full of self, and are sent away
empty of Christ.”[6] Mary grasped the wisdom of men
humbling themselves “under the mighty
hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6). For God,
as revealed in Daniel, “changeth the
times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21).
How well acquainted Mary must have been
with Psalm 2.
Why do the nations
rage,And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set
themselves, And the rulers take counsel
together, Against the Lord and
against His Anointed, saying,3 “Let
us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He
who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord
shall hold them in derision.5 Then He shall speak to them in His
wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:6 “Yet I have set
My King On My holy hill of Zion.”7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.8
Ask of Me, and I will give You The
nations for Your inheritance, And the
ends of the earth for Your
possession.9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash
them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”10 Now therefore, be wise,
O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with
trembling.12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled
but a little. Blessed are all those
who put their trust in Him (Psalm 2:1-12).
It would be the Son of Mary who would
inherit the nations and break the ungodly with a rod of iron. Mary rejoiced in what had been done for her
and what would be done through history.
IV. The Covenant Keeping
God.
He has helped His
servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To
Abraham and to his seed forever (Luke 1:54, 55).
Jews or Gentiles?
This passage, and so many like it,
seems to exclude the gentiles. When I
read the New Testament—when I read the words of Mary, am I excluded from being
in the chorus of her song? We serve and
covenant making, covenant keeping God. Yet
the covenant is with Israel
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).
The promise made to Abraham was that
through Him all the families of the world would be blessed. The Old Testament was always universal in its
final aim. And the Israel of God
(Galatians 6:16) are the recipients of the precious promises contained in the
person and work of the blessed Savior.
God has made an everlasting
covenant/promise. It is directed toward
those who come to God seeking mercy through Jesus. The good news of this mercy has reached our
generation—it has reached our ears—may our souls, like Mary’s, magnify the
Lord.
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