Magnifying the Lord from Luke 1:46-55

Today I am commenting on Luke 1:46-55, which says, 

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 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 powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

In the 1970s American car manufacturers were struggling with quality control issues and they were losing a great deal of market share to imported cars. In a effort to boost flagging sales, the Ford Motor Company began using the slogan, "Quality is Job One."

The results of the Ford marketing campaign are not clear to me, but one thing is clear: the "Job One" of God's people is to love Him with all our hearts. As Jesus taught us, this is the first and greatest of the commandments.

As we love God with all our hearts, it is a natural reaction to praise Him and to magnify His Name in all the Earth. This is exactly what Mary did when she was told by the angel that, even though a virgin, she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, the Messiah.

Although she should have been petrified by these things, instead she burst out in praise and adoration of God. She could do that because she knew who God was and she knew His nature and personality. Let's consider those factors today.

Mary Magnified the Lord because He is Holy

We often misunderstand the term "holy" to mean pure and perfect. In the technical sense, however, "holy" simply means set apart, or designated for a specific purpose. All kinds of things can be set apart, as I learned once when I ventured into the church kitchen during vacation Bible school.

Laid out on the counter in the kitchen were rows and rows of delicious looking cookies. When I reached for one to eat I was swiftly rebuked by a member of the VBS refreshments team. "No! Those are counted cookies," she commanded. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that each row of cookies had been prepared to match the exact number of children and workers in a specific class. They were "counted" precisely and set apart for a specific purpose and if I took one, then a class would not have sufficient cookies. So, in effect, those cookies were 'holy!" (She gave me a cookie from the package, however, so I wan't denied a snack.)

The term "holy" has come to have the connotation of perfect, righteous, and good. This is because of the nature of the one to whom the term has been applied. Jesus was set apart for a task, to save God's people from their sins. To do that He had to be perfect, righteous, and just, and so was and is. His very personality has given a new meaning to what would otherwise be a very utilitarian term.

Jesus was different than any other person born to a woman, That difference has made all the difference in lives of those who trust Him for salvation. He is worthy to be magnified because of that difference. He truly is Holy!

Mary Magnified the Lord because He is Merciful and Benevolent

While Mary knew that Our God is an awesome God, she also knew, before it was articulated in these exact words by the Apostle John, that God is Love.

Like Mary, we know God is gracious because He forgives our sin through the saving work of Jesus, the Messiah.

Like Mary, we know God is merciful because He helps us endure and overcome the natural consequences of our sin.

Like Mary, we know God is benevolent because He gives His children all good things.

When Mary was confronted with God's love she could not restrain from praising Him. As Jesus said in Luke, 19:40, “I tell you, if my followers didn’t say these things, then the stones would cry out.”

Mary Magnified the Lord because He is Omnipotent

It is one thing to be be righteous and merciful, but it entirely another thing to be able to act on on those factors. It is wonderful to note that, as Mary proclaimed, our Lord is not just a uniquely just, righteous, and loving personality, He also has the ability act justly, righteously, and lovingly.

Having good intentions is not enough. As the old saying goes, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." One of the tenets of Alcohol Anonymous is that alcoholics are powerless to overcome their addictions.

God, unlike frail and limited human beings, is  all powerful. The prophet Micah noted that, "He has shown you, O mortal, 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." While humans could not (and can not even today) do this in our own power, Jesus, being God, could. And so He deserved to be magnified by Mary.

Mary Magnified the Lord because He is Faithful

The Children of Israel longed for the coming of the Messiah for hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. Many lost hope, but those who did had misunderstood the true nature of God. God is faithful and He keeps his promises.

Because of their sin, the Children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, but God never abandoned them. Once they entered the Promised Land, the Children of Israel failed to subdue the land, but God never abandoned them. When the Children of Israel sinned and were oppressed by the heathen nations remaining in the land, God never left them. When the Children of Israel were taken captive God never abandoned them. He was faithful to them, to His Word, and to His sovereign plan to save humanity from ourselves.

Today, the Bride of Christ awaits His return for her. Some have lost hope, and others have been enticed by the false blessings of the ways of the world, but those have misunderstood the true nature of God. Our God is faithful, and as Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." He came the first time as He promised and so He will come for His Bride in due time, just as He has promised!

Conclusion

Mary could magnify the Lord because she knew Him and He knew her. The same should be true of our lives, as the old hymn written by Bill Gather says, The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows."

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt