Glory in the highest heavens to God... - Spirit & Truth Fellowship ...

She (Mary) was one of the few who loved God with her heart, soul, mind,
and strength, and expressed that love in selfless service to Him.
in the presence of the mother of the Messiah, and asked how it
was that she was so favored. A humble heart is one of the great
characteristics of a godly person, and Mary and Elizabeth stand as
wonderful examples to us today.
Mary responded to Elizabeth’s prophecy with a beautiful
psalm. 6 If it came by revelation the text never says so, and even if
it did, we know that what came from her mouth lived in her heart.
Mary’s psalm reveals much about her.
It reveals the praise for God that lived in her heart, that burning
and upwelling love and thankfulness that expressed itself in praise
and overshadowed any personal grief she would have from her
service to God. She said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” and it
truly did.
It revealed her knowledge of Scripture, because many things
she said relate directly to verses in the Old Testament (cp. v. 46
with Ps. 34:2; v. 47 with Isa. 61:10; v. 48 with Ps. 138:6; v. 49
with Ps. 111:9; v. 50 with Exod. 20:6; v. 51 with Ps. 98:1; v. 52
with 2 Sam. 22:28; and v. 53 with Ps. 107:9). Mary obviously paid
attention when the scrolls were read in synagogue, and believed
what she heard.
It revealed her humility, for she again referred to herself as the
slave-maid of God (v. 48). She was one of the few who loved God
with her heart, soul, mind, and strength, and expressed that love in
selfless service to Him.
It revealed the inner strength in her soul and her keen insight
into life. Surely the mother of the Messiah would be a woman
with great inner strength, and it comes out in her psalm. She
boldly proclaimed things that God had done and will do, including
scattering those who are proud and bringing down rulers. The
rulers in her world were men like Herod the Great, who would
soon try to kill her son. Rather than being awed by their earthly
power or the glitzy life they lived, she saw the evil in what they
did and was quick to proclaim that God would deal with it, which
she had to know would be in part through the agency of the child
in her womb.
It revealed her compassion for those who, in this life, have
been downtrodden and abused. Mary proclaimed that the humble
would be lifted up, the hungry would be filled with good things,
and mercy would be extended to Abraham and his seed forever.
It revealed that Mary believed in the Messianic Age, the coming
kingdom that would be ruled by her son, when there would be no
more hunger, disease, war, or political oppression. She knew God
would be merciful to the seed of Abraham “forever,” even as he
had said to the ancient fathers and had recorded in
His Word.
Mary and Elizabeth were both great women of
faith, one very young, and one very old, and they
spent three months together, talking and praying
about what was to come. No doubt they did their
best to prepare Mary for the joys and tribulations
of being the mother of the Messiah. Little did
Mary know that, even as her virgin pregnancy was
unexpected, and a shock and stumblingblock to the
Jews, so the path of peace and love that her son
would take would be a shock and stumblingblock
to her.
A Woman of Courage
After spending three months with Elizabeth,
Mary went back to Nazareth, knowing that she was
heading into a storm. The people of Nazareth would
not be as Elizabeth was. No, they would be shocked,
hurt, dismayed, doubtful, and express every other
emotion that “nice” parents and relatives of “nice”
girls usually express when a beloved daughter
shows up pregnant. It is a testimony of the courage
and faith of young Mary that she went home to face
her relatives, knowing what the situation would be
like. People today, who avoid conflict, lie to cover
their actions, have a “victim mentality,” and make
excuse after excuse, could learn a lot from Mary.
We can imagine the scene. Mary’s pregnancy
was discovered, likely because her expanding
tummy showed a little after three months, and
perhaps also her complexion had changed. No
doubt there was shouting, endless questions, and
many tears. The rabbi would have been called to
see if there was anything about a virgin birth in
the Old Testament. Eventually Joseph was told. He
did not believe Mary’s story either. Can you blame
him Who could have guessed But Joseph’s godly
character showed itself in the situation. He was not
a hard, vindictive man who wanted Mary publicly
embarrassed, he was content to make the divorce
a quiet family matter. No doubt Mary prayed for
wisdom and peace, and God was good, showing
Joseph in a dream that Mary really was pregnant
by God.
Knowing the truth about Mary, Joseph acted
decisively and took Mary home as his wife (Matt.
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