EM 말씀

Luke 1:46-56, Let’s praise with Mary’s hymns

관리자 0 136 2024.12.27 04:25
Luke 1:46-56, Let’s praise with Mary’s hymns

46-56, 46.And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47.and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48.for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49.for the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is his name. 50.His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51.He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52.He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53.He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54.He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55.to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 56.Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
 
Merry Christmas! The Savior Jesus Christ is born. Let’s look at the praise of Mary who conceived the Savior Jesus and gave birth Him.
1. She praised the Lord of grace who cared for the lowly (46-48). The birth of Jesus is God’s mercy to elevate the lowly. Mary praises God who gave her the amazing grace of giving birth  the Messiah, even though she was a maidservant(48). “46....My soul magnifies the Lord; 47.My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48.because he has looked upon the lowliness of his maidservant; behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” The maidservant(38) means a ‘female slave’, and she is a person who confesses that her body, soul, and spirit belong to God. Our body, soul, and spirit are all the Lord’s. My soul praises the Lord Jesus. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior Jesus. “Rejoice always,” he said, so he will rejoice in any situation (47) and praise Jesus. In verse 48, he confesses that he is a lowly person who cannot expect God’s care. The “lowly person” (48) refers to a miserable person who has lost his country (Is.40:2). Israel was a miserable people under the rule of the Roman Empire. We were also miserable people who were under the rule of the devil. However, God gave her special grace. God comforted Mary in the darkness through Elizabeth, who was filled with the Holy Spirit. Verses 42-45, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Look! When the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby(John the Baptist) in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would truly come true.” This hymn awakens Mary’s soul and causes her to respond with praise of thanksgiving. Verse 46, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Mary praises and thanks God for the grace that cares for her (47-48). “47. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48. for he has looked upon the lowliness of his handmaid; behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Mary praises and thanks God for the amazing grace that He has given her. She does not have any great authority or power that can be recognized by others. However, God did not consider her human condition and gave her an amazing blessing. God raised her up, who was lowly and humble. God raised her up so that she would be praised by all generations(48). We were all lowly people. However, we became children of God by believing in Jesus. He forgave all our sins and gave us eternal life and heaven. He made us kingly priests of Jesus. Let us give thanks and praise to the Lord who gave us the grace to raise us up like this.

2. Praise God for doing great things (49-51). Mary praises the holy and great God who is powerful enough to do great things through her lowly self. She praises God’s power and characters. God has pity on those who fear Him. He does great things with His mighty arm. However, He scatters the proud with His arm(His powerful arm). The ‘arm’ praises God’s power in Israel through the Exodus, especially the Red Sea incident and the Passover incident(Deut. 26:8). God led the Israelites out of Egypt with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, great majesty, and signs and wonders. She also praises Christ’s ministry and that He will defeat His enemies. She praises that He will liberate and save us from Satan, who holds the power of the air throughout the world. Jesus came and became the shepherd of His people. He suffered with them and died for them. He performed the great work of freeing us from sin through the cross and completing the work of redemption for mankind. Let us praise the Lord who has done this great thing for us. "♪Amazing grace! How sweet the sound/That saved a wretch like me!/I once was lost, but now am found/T'was blind, but now I see♪“

3. She praised the God of justice who humbles the high and exalts the low(52-53). Mary praises the God of reversal. She praises the just rewards given to the humble. God brings down the powerful(Rome, the devil) and exalts the low(miserable Israel under the rule of Rome, miserable sinners under the rule of the devil). God fills the hungry(Israel, the saints) with good things and sends the rich(Rome, the devil) away empty-handed. God cares for the weak and wants to change their circumstances, and He actually does. God’s people also have a responsibility to look after their neighbors according to this will. The Old Testament repeatedly emphasizes looking after the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. God is a warrior of reversal. He will exalt, meet, and bestow grace on the spiritually and economically poor and hungry(those who are humble before God and long for His grace). Just as God came to poor Mary and bestowed grace upon her, Christians too should be concerned about the poor and help them. Let us all praise the God of reversal, the God of justice who exalts the humble and the lowly.

4. Praise the God of faithful mercy who helps(54-55). God helps His servant, has pity on them, and remembers them. He shows mercy forever, as He promised to our ancestors, especially Abraham. He promises the Messiah to His ancestors. He sends the Messiah to this world through Mary’s body. Mary conceived and gave birth to the Messiah who would become the king of the world. She confesses that God showed mercy to her ancestors, Abraham, and his descendants. At that time, Mary was oppressed in a world ruled by tyrants like Rome and Herod. However, God sent a new king, Jesus Christ, and declared that He would rule this world according to His will in place of the powers that oppressed the world. Mary was joyful and thankful as she looked forward to the promise that God would fulfill. The gratitude and joy that she showed are the characteristics of those who trust in God’s faithfulness. There is darkness in the world we live in. Violence and suffering have become everyday life. However, those who have the promise of the kingdom of God that God will establish in the future can rejoice and be thankful even in the midst of gloomy reality. That is why Paul tells us to always be joyful and give thanks in all circumstances (1Thes.5:16,18). Those who only look at the problems of reality can never maintain this joy. The secret to overcoming the world is to look at God, who is greater than the problems of reality and who is faithful to God and loves His children. God gave grace to Israel in the past. At the same time, that grace has been given to all people in all ages and to us today through Jesus Christ. Let us all praise the God of faithful mercy who helps us. *Question : What is the mercy and grace that God gives to you today, who is lowly, and what kind of praise do you want to give? Ephe.5:19, “Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
Dear saints, let us all bless one another with one heart. Let us praise God with one heart like Elizabeth and Mary. We thank God for caring for the lowly. We praise the Lord of power who has done great things for us. We praise the Lord who has raised up the lowly. We praise the Lord of mercy who has helped us in times of difficulty and tribulation. May us have a Christmas filled with our Savior, God, and Lord Jesus Christ, and the rest of our life. Amen.

Prayer: God, thank you for giving us Christmas, You had mercy on us and sent the baby Jesus to this world as our Savior according to your promise. Please help us to come closer to the Lord of mercy, compassion, grace, and power, and enjoy the blessings that the Lord gives us, rejoice, and praise Him. Please let us live by spreading this to our neighbors. Amen.

Comments

Category
State
  • 현재 접속자 28 명
  • 오늘 방문자 1,152 명
  • 어제 방문자 1,236 명
  • 최대 방문자 4,790 명
  • 전체 방문자 1,615,345 명
  • 전체 게시물 3,026 개
  • 전체 회원수 10 명
Facebook Twitter GooglePlus KakaoStory NaverBand