46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on 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 for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 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 offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
At this point Mary, a young virgin of no significance in the world before a few days (maybe a few weeks) prior, has been told by the Angel Gabriel that she will give birth to the Messiah (v.32 and 33). She has been told her relative Elizabeth is pregnant even though she is past the age of child bearing. Mary has gone to Elizabeth and Elizabeth has praised Mary as being the “mother of my Lord.” What a couple of weeks it has been for Mary. This could be a frightening time, an uncertain time, a questioning time. It could be a number of things. But, to Mary, this was a time of Praise to the Lord as we see here.
Mary begins by praising the Lord by showing the following …
- Her spirit rejoices in God as her Savior
- God blessed her and she was poor
- She will be called blessed by men
- God is mighty
- Holy is His name
- God shows mercy on those who fear Him
- He has scattered the proud in their thoughts
- He has brought down kings
- He has lifted up the humble and poor
- He has provided for the hungry
- He has turned away the rich
- He has fulfilled His promises to Israel
It is amazing to see … this is Mary’s reaction to the news that she will father the Messiah. Nothing about “look at me,” “look at me.” It is about how great the Lord is for fulfilling His promises, providing for His people, and crushing those who think they know more about everything than the Lord does. God is truly good. What an example we can take from this. Mary is in a very scary situation and time, yet she does not look to what man would do to her, but what God has done for her.
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