Luke 1:46-55
SS Lesson for 12/25/2011
Devotional Scripture: 2 Cor 1:18-22
The outline of the lesson came from a previous SS Lesson dated 12/07/2008. The lesson teaches how the birth of Jesus was According to God Promises. The study's aim is to show that God is worthy of praise for the way He cares for His people and works through them. The study's application is to praise God for the powerful works He does for and through His people.
Not What You’d Expect
Have you ever had to wait a long time for a promise to be fulfilled? Do you remember as a child wondering if a special day would ever come? Can you remember a time when a promise was fulfilled in an unexpected way? Maybe you got what you wanted, but not from the anticipated source. Or maybe what you received was better than what you expected. The Bible is filled with situations where God kept his promises in unexpected ways and when his blessings came at unexpected times. The Christmas season is the ultimate example of a promise fulfilled in an unexpected way at an unanticipated time.
Lesson Background
Over the past several weeks, we’ve looked at God’s covenant promises to Abraham. In Genesis 12, God promised to make Abraham a great nation if he would leave his home country and follow God’s leading. Years later, God reaffirmed this promise by telling Abraham that he would have numerous descendants, even though at that time he had no children (Genesis 15:1-6). Last week, we saw how God tested Abraham’s trust by asking him to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac. Because Abraham was willing to obey even this mystifying command, God promised once more that all people would be blessed through him (22:18). By the days of Mary and Joseph, over 2,000 years had passed since the time of Abraham. The hope of the promise seemed to be nowhere in sight. The Jews had indeed become a large people group, but centuries of internal strife, political turmoil, and idolatry had resulted in generations of exile and domination by foreign nations. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Roman Empire, under the brilliant leadership of Emperor Octavian (Augustus), was just entering the apex of its power and had taken control of almost the entire Mediterranean world. The only chance for freedom lay in the ancient hope that God would remember his covenant with Abraham. The promise had been a long time coming by human standards.
Are you ready for Christmas? That is a question people frequently ask or are asked at this time of the year. In most cases, this question relates to gift buying, decorations, food preparation, and entertaining friends and family. By the time Christmas Day arrives, many people are totally worn out from all the additional activities they have participated in during the weeks preceding Christmas. Since most retailers have their largest sales volume during this time, they seem to be trying to make the Christmas season start earlier each year. Of course, many of the aforementioned activities have little or nothing to do with the birth of Christ. While most of the church activities during this season do revolve around the true meaning of Christmas, there is a danger that the world's values will creep into our celebrations of Jesus' birth. To avoid this, Christians must diligently examine all activities to make sure they truly honor the Lord. As has been said so often, Jesus is the reason for the season!
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
46 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.
3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
33 The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
12 I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds. 13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy .
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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."
6 "Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. 7 In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.
21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.
24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God."
11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
5 All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
5 The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord — he is their help and shield.
125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
Nothing about the way that the Savior came into the world was what first-century Jews expected. Some expected that the Christ would be a rebel leader and great warrior to drive the Gentiles out of the land. Others thought the Messiah would be a great priestly prophet, who would reform corruptions of the temple system. Some believed that God himself would appear on earth to destroy evil suddenly. As far as we can tell, none imagined that the Messiah would be born to an unknown peasant girl and laid in a manger! If somehow Abraham could step into a time machine and visit our world, we can only imagine what he would think about the way that God finally fulfilled his promise to bless all nations! No doubt he would be more than a little surprised by God’s methods and timing. The Lord really has worked in mysterious ways. He still does.
Standing up for God in difficult circumstances seems so noble, so rewarding, so uplifting. We fantasize about being such a useful vessel for God. But when the rubber meets the road, living for God is hard. Mary the mother of Jesus discovered that walking by faith can seem as difficult as walking on water. The account of the angelic announcement to Mary and her submissive, positive response is beautiful. So too is the song of faith she sang in response to the reassuring words of her relative Elisabeth. We call it the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Perhaps it raises images in our minds of voices singing to the Lord while glorious luminosity surrounds the women. However, when one considers what this moment really meant for Mary, it reminds us once again that doing God's will can be very difficult. Mary certainly should be honored for her faithful response, for her life was about to change in ways she never could have imagined. Mary was a good Jewish girl who was minding her own business when she was startled by a stranger. Nazareth was a small town where everyone knew everyone. But Mary had never seen this man, and she was terrified. The Angel Gabriel insisted she had no reason to fear, but she probably felt otherwise. Consider Mary's situation. Most Jewish girls were married between the ages of twelve and fourteen, and Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Yet when the angel announced her pregnancy, the news must have stunned her. How could this be? She had been faithful. She was a virgin. Then the second wave of panic probably hit. Who would believe her? How would she tell her parents? How would she break the news to Joseph? It was more than fear of embarrassment. She could be stoned for such apparent infidelity. Perhaps this is why Elisabeth's comforting words brought such a glorious response from Mary. What is striking in the text is how easily Mary's fear was replaced by faith. She knew the promises regarding the coming Messiah. Perhaps she had imagined the joy of being the privileged woman who would give birth to the Anointed One; but when faced with the reality, she could have responded with unbelief. She instead responded with great faith. One interesting point to note is Mary's assertion that God was her Saviour. In spite of the teaching of some that Mary was sinless, she made it clear she was a sinner in need of a Saviour. Her humanity makes her response to God even more amazing. Believers will never face the exact issues Mary faced; yet when we confront personal obstacles and difficulties of life, we can feel they are just as daunting. It may be the birth of a child or the loss of one that tests our faith. Our relationships with others can be as difficult as those Mary faced. The issue of trusting God and responding by faith is as real for us today as it has been for any of the men and women of God in the past. The issue is whether, like Mary, we will rejoice in God's plan and accept it without reserve. Are you willing to respond in faith to God's plan for your life? You may not be able to sing the Magnificat, but you can live a life of magnificence. You may not be able to give birth to the Son of God, but you can bear the image of God in your service for Him.
1. Our response to God's revelation should be one of joy and humility (Luke 1:46-47)
2. The more we understand our un-worthiness, the greater our praise will be for God's mercy to us (vs. 48-49)
3. Whoever reverentially trusts and obeys God can expect His mercy and grace (vs. 50)
4. In His time, God will reward the righteous and judge the unrighteous (vs. 51-53)
5. God will never forget His people Israel (Luke 1:54; cf. Isa. 44:21; 49:3)
6. We can count on God to always keep His promises (Luke 1:55)
After the angel told Mary she would give birth to the Messiah (Luke 1:26-35), Mary went to see her relative Elisabeth, who was herself miraculously pregnant in her old age. Elisabeth's Spirit-filled revelation upon seeing Mary confirmed the angel's words (verses 40-45) and brought forth Mary's beautiful song of praise to God.
In verses 46 and 47, the words "soul" and "spirit" are essentially the same. They speak of the inner self. Likewise, "Lord" and "God" are parallel terms. Mary was exalting, or lifting up, the Lord with her whole being. It is significant that Mary referred to God as her Saviour. This implies a recognition of her own sinfulness. This awareness of her sin and of God's salvation was not something she just now realized, however. She had known it all along and considered God her Saviour. The One she now carried in her womb would play a crucial role in God's work of salvation (cf. Matt. 1:21). Thus, she praised the Lord for what Christ's birth meant.
"For" introduces further reasons for Mary's praise. The coming birth of her son demonstrated God's mercy and compassion. Though she was of humble social status, or "low estate," God had been merciful to Mary personally. He had exalted her by making her the mother of the Messiah. As a result, Mary would be forever counted as blessed. While we should not unduly exalt Mary, we should recognize the special place she had in God's plan and honor her for her faith. Mary declared, "Holy is his name" (Luke 1:49). "Holy" describes God's moral perfection. God is morally perfect in His character and thus also in His righteous and merciful acts. She recognized that God's mercy extended to all who "fear him from generation to generation" (vs. 50). Thus, Christ's coming is an act of mercy to us as well. Next, Mary praised God for His power and justice. While the verbs are past tenses, it seems they describe the future work of Christ and are set in past tense to express certainty. "Strength with his arm" (Luke 1:51) speaks of God's power, by which He humbles the mighty. The "proud," "the mighty" (vs. 52), and the "rich" (vs. 53) are all used as titles for those who reject God. Christ's coming assures us that the proud will be scattered, the mighty will be put down, and the rich will be sent away empty. On the other hand, God exalts the humble and fills the hungry. We see God's justice powerfully revealed in only a limited way now, but Christ's coming means that ultimately justice will prevail completely (John 5:21-29). Mary also praised God for His faithfulness to Israel. God remembered, or acted upon, His mercy to Israel by bringing their Messiah into the world. God had promised Abraham that through his descendants, blessing would come to all the world (Gen. 12:3). That blessing came in the Person of Christ. Christ's coming has perfectly revealed to us, as it did to Mary, God's mercy, power, justice, and faithfulness. God has not changed. He is the same God that Christ so perfectly revealed.