WWUTT 2258 Mary Exalts in God Her Savior (Luke 1:50-56)

Mary lifts up a song of praise unto God, and she remembers the promises that God had made to Israel. Not just to Israel are these things fulfilled, but even to us who are in Christ, when we understand the text.

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Here once again is Pastor Gabe.

Thank you, Becky. In our study of the gospel of Luke, we come back to the Magnificat, the Song of Mary that we were looking at yesterday, and we'll finish up our text today. So let me begin by reading it once again.

Luke 1, verses 46 to 56. Hear the word of the Lord. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. So as I had mentioned yesterday, this song broken up into three parts, we have Mary singing about how God has blessed her, how privileged she is to be part of this plan that God had purposed from before the ages began.

And that's what we have in verses 46 to 49. That's what we considered yesterday. The second part begins at verse 50, where we have these contrasts, where God has brought low the proud, but he lifts up the humble.

His mercy is for those who fear him, but he has scattered the proud. He's brought down the mighty, exalted those of humble estate. He filled the hungry with good things, the rich he has sent away empty.

So that's the next section we're gonna look at where we have those contrasts. And then it closes with Mary remembering the promise that God had made to his people Israel and how God was faithful to fulfill it.

Though Israel had not been faithful. We've been reading about that going through Hosea on Thursday, the ignorance of Israel, how they kept retreating back into their sin, though God had continually showed them mercy and provision and blessing.

And yet Israel continued to betray God. Yet the Lord is faithful to what he had promised from the very beginning to Abraham and to his offspring forever. So that's the final remembrance that we have there in verses 54 and 55 that closes out this song.

So let's pick up again in verse 50. Before doing that, remember that I had mentioned yesterday how much Mary will reference Psalms. There's tons of Old Testament reference here. So it's not just Mary singing off the top of her head.

She is clearly inspired by the word of God, bringing other things that have been said in the Old Testament, showing how they are being fulfilled through this plan that God is accomplishing right now through these people in these places.

Elizabeth being pregnant with John the Baptist, Mary being told she is gonna be pregnant with the son of God who is gonna bring salvation to the world. Mary recognizing how all these pieces from the Old Testament are coming together.

And so she references a lot of Old Testament in her song. At the very beginning, my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. We have in Psalm 35, nine, my soul will rejoice in the Lord and I will exalt in his salvation.

Almost the exact same thing. And so we're gonna see references like that even as we come into these next two sections. So first of all, we have the contrasts that are gonna happen here where God has brought down the proud, he has exalted the humble.

Verse 50, his mercy is for those who fear him. So we're gonna start off here by talking about those whom God's favor is toward, just like Mary was rejoicing and how God had shown favor to her. We have Deuteronomy 5, verse 10.

God shows steadfast love to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7, nine, know therefore that the Lord your God, he is God. The faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.

Psalm 89, one, I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. There's a great and classic praise and worship song that features those words exactly.

Psalm 103, 17, the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children. Some of these things in mind, as Mary says, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Just as she had said previously, for behold from now on, all generations will call me blessed. Mary looking into the future as to how what's happening here in the present, she even knows right now, this is such a significant world event.

Not just what's happening in the midst of Israel, but what God is gonna do for the nations that for future generations, they're going to call me blessed. She even has an awareness of how this is gonna play out for the future, the future ramifications that this has because she knows the scriptures, not because she's given some prophetic insight beyond what God has just simply revealed in the scriptures.

Mary is never referred to as a prophet, not a prophet in the sense that God revealed to her, showed her something in the future. Everything that she knows of what God will fulfill in the future is because of what he said in his word.

And any one of us are privileged to know the same. After all, we have the book of Revelation. Mary didn't even have that in her lifetime, where God showed to John what he was going to fulfill in the future.

And what a wonderful book that we can go to and see how the story is going to end, how God is going to bring all things to completion. And we even see ourselves in that book gathered around the throne.

Can you picture yourself in the midst of that throng that is rejoicing in God forever at his throne because salvation belongs to our God and to the lamb who sits upon the throne. So Mary is able to even find that kind of insight in the scriptures herself as she says these things.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. I also think about in Exodus chapter 34, and what he said as he passed before Moses, the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation.

Now there doesn't speak necessarily of the generations that God will bless. It's talking about the generations that God will curse. But this of course is the transverse of that with Mary exalting and how God will bless the generations.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Verse 51, he has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. So first of all, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

The strength that he shows with his arm is directed at the proud. So all of that in verse 51, that's in reference to how God scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Psalm 89 10, you crushed Rahab like a carcass.

You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. We have multiple references to God's mighty right hand lifting up his people. This is in reference to the mighty arm that strikes down the wicked. Psalm 98 one, oh, sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous things.

His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. So in one sense, we'll read about his hand saving his people in another, we'll read about it bringing judgment upon the wicked. For example, Isaiah 51 nine, awake, awake, put on strength, oh, arm of the Lord, awake, as in the days of old, the generations of long ago, was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces who pierced the dragon, not Rahab the prostitute as in the story of Jericho, but Rahab the dragon.

That's the parallelism here. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces who pierced the dragon, which would have been Rahab. So God's mighty arm, striking down the wicked, even those spiritual forces and powers that would come against his people.

He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Remember Daniel 4 37, this is Nebuchadnezzar who was writing, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven for all his works are right and his ways are just.

And those who walk in pride as Nebuchadnezzar did, he is able to humble. God will scatter the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Did he not do that at Babel, at the tower of Babel? Remember the pride of the people in that they wanted to build a tower to the heavens so that they might make a name for themselves in the earth.

And the Lord saw this thing that the people were doing that they were not filling the earth and multiplying as he had instructed them to do. So he confused their languages and in confusing their languages, scattered them over the face of the earth.

That's probably the story in fact, where we have the scattering of the proud so that the people who were attempting to make a name for themselves in the earth would be scattered from their place. They were attempting to reach to the heavens.

They were attempting to commune with God by their feats, by their incredible accomplishments. Of course, they never would have been able to accomplish that, but the Lord in his mercy doesn't strike them down.

That's what they deserved. Rather, he does judge them, but scatters them by confusing their languages so that they're not able to accomplish what they in their pride had set out to accomplish. They're unable to do it.

They can't even communicate with one another, showing that God's strength was greater than theirs in that moment. So the proud are scattered. He shows great strength with his arm and scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

In this next reference that contrasts those to whom God shows favor and those who his face is against, verse 52, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted those of humble estate.

I think of what is said in Daniel chapter two, verse 21. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things.

He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him. So he brings down the mighty from their thrones as the Lord is the one who sets up kings and removes kings. And he exalts those of humble estate, consider Psalm 75, seven, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

Psalm 107, verse 40, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes, but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

These are reminders to us, by the way, that we would continue to pursue good in these days. Don't get discouraged when you see evil prevailing as though evil is winning. They'll have their day in the sun, but then they will fall in the day of judgment.

There is a day that has been appointed to them as said in the book of Proverbs. And also we read in first Peter chapter two, they stumble on Christ as they were destined to do. God has a day of judgment and destruction that will come upon the wicked.

He will accomplish it. Don't be discouraged in the day of evil. Don't think that, you know, maybe we have to join the bad guys in order to win and you compromise on your values and your godliness. Don't do that.

Remain godly, even in evil days, look to Christ and continue to pursue Christ likeness and God will lift us up. We who have not sat in the seat of scoffers nor rejoice in the way of wickedness as talked about in Psalm chapter one, we are like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which will bear its fruit in its season and produce a harvest.

So don't lose sight of those things, of those promises of God that have been given to those who pursue godliness. He will bring the mighty down from their thrones and he will exalt those of humble estate.

As said in James 4 .10, humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. Lastly, our final contrast here we have in verse 53, he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.

Remember that there's a constant contrast between rich and poor throughout Luke. It seems like Jesus shows even more affection for the poor in the gospel of Luke than what we've read in Matthew and Mark.

And here's another one of those references. It's in the Magnificat, it's in the song of Mary. He has filled the hungry with good things. Psalm 34 .10, the young lions suffer want and hunger but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalm 107 .9, for he satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Almost exactly word for word. What we have here in the Magnificat. But the rich he has sent away empty. Now we see constant references like that in Proverbs where the one who is wise, who pursues wisdom is the one who will receive blessing but the fool will get nothing.

He will go away empty, he will hunger in a day of need. He will go away hungry in a day of need. So we see that constantly in the Proverbs. You know, there's a contrast here though between what Mary is saying and what is said in Job 22 .9.

Remember that Job laments in the book of Job over the fact that it seems like evil will prevail and good will languish. Seems like the wicked man will be exalted whereas the righteous man will be torn down.

And so it's in the midst of his complaining that he says you have sent widows away empty and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. Well, Mary kind of sings the contrast to that. She says, no, with the Lord, the rich will be sent away empty, the poor, the hungry will be filled with good things.

The Lord will certainly do this materially but this is most especially pointing to spiritual matters. The one who is rich, who thinks he has everything, who thinks he doesn't need saving, I'm righteous enough as I am, well, he's gonna be sent away empty.

But it's the one who is poor as said in the Beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit. It is that poor man who knows he is hungry, knows he is starving, knows he has nothing good apart from Christ. He is the one who will be filled with good things and things even greater than what we could accomplish or acquire on earth.

Last of all, in this song, we have the reference to God's promises to his people. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy. God remembers the promise that he had made to Abraham. And so it said in Isaiah 41, eight, you Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen the offspring of Abraham, my friend, you whom I took from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners saying, you are my servant.

I have chosen you and not cast you off. Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Mary's remembering that promise.

He has helped his servant Israel as he said in the prophets that he would in remembrance of his mercy. Psalm 98, three, he has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Now this is certainly delivered first to the people of Israel, those descendants of Abraham. The context is plainly there. The savior comes first to this people that God had chosen out of all the other people of the earth.

But all who are in Christ are Israel. Jesus becomes faithful Israel, which by the way, we're gonna consider that tomorrow when we come to Hosea chapter 11, how Jesus is faithful Israel. So that anyone who is in Christ is therefore Israel, the chosen people of God.

So as God helps his servant Israel, we reap, we who are Christians, even in the church, we reap the benefits of that as well. In remembrance of his mercy. Verse 55, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

I mean, that even goes back to Genesis 17, 19. God said, Sarah, your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

Mary's remembering those promises, that covenant, the things that she has heard from a little girl and is knowing that God is fulfilling all those things he had promised in the past. Even now, he has not forgotten his people.

He has not cast them off. Psalm 132, 11, the Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back. One of the sons of your body, I will set on your throne. But we also know from Galatians chapter three, how we are the benefactors of these promises also.

We who are in Christ. Galatians 3 .16, now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring and is said at the end of that chapter, if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

So we're not just talking about ethnic heirs here. We're talking about all who are in Christ. We get to be children of Abraham. Galatians 3 .7, know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

And in this, God's promises are poured out to us who are in Christ Jesus. Now, the very last line at the conclusion of this Magnificat is verse 56, where after she has sung this song, and by the way, God's promises that he spoke to Abraham and to his offspring forever, these are eternal promises.

Even the promise of everlasting life with God forever in glory is contained right here in this song from Mary. And Mary remained with her, with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned to her home.

I had talked about that yesterday at the beginning of the Magnificat. So she's gonna be showing herself to be pastor first trimester by the time she arrives home in Nazareth. And we continue the story of Jesus, the Christmas narrative, practically.

We're gonna get into the Christmas story here pretty soon when we come back to our study of Luke. We're not gonna get to that part of the story though, the birth of Jesus until, not this next week, but the week after that.

Next week, we have the birth of John the Baptist. So first of all, we're gonna read about the birth of John the Baptist and then the birth of Jesus Christ. That's what we have next in our study of the gospel of Luke.

But may we be reminded of the good promises that God has made to his people, those promises are even for us, the promise of being filled with good things, of receiving heavenly reward beyond what we could ever receive on this earth.

God has sent away the proud. He's filled the hungry with good things. Hunger after Christ. Heavenly Father, we thank you for what we've read, these reminders. I pray that we would be filled with good things today.

As we are taught to pray, give us this day our daily bread. Supply us those material things that we need to live, but most especially those spiritual things that we need to live forever. Forgive us our sins and lead us in paths of righteousness for your name's sake.

It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book.

On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an Old Testament study When We Understand the Text.