Luke 1:46-End Bible Teaching

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Luke 1.46-end
May 5th 2019
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So, we left off with Mary accepting the news from the Angel Gabriel and then going to Elizabeth’s home and at her presence both Elizabeth and John the Baptist in her womb were filled with the Holy Spirit.

This caused Mary to utter what is known as the Magnificat beginning at verse 46 and runs through verse 55.

There is some debate as to whether this can be attributed to Elizabeth as well, but lets just stick with the traditional view.

The term “Magnificat” is Latin and means “My soul magnifies” and it is also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Orthodox tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos.
It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical services of the Catholic Church (at what are called vespers or evening prayers) and of the Eastern Orthodox churches (of course in the morning).
It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn (or Hymn attributed or aimed at Mary.
The word the traditionalists use to describe it is a canticle, which is simply put, a song, and not surprisingly the text for the song comes directly from our text for today!
Recall that Elizabeth praised Mary for her faith (using words that are partially reflected in the Hail Mary prayer) and then Mary responds with what is now known as “the Magnificat”.
For me the recitation of it marks the height of religious adoration, and while I’m sure it brings some great emotions with it (depending on the place, tune, volume, incense, chant) I’m not convinced that it should have or take any precedence over other scriptures.
Maybe I am just jaded, but when things become rituals I wonder about the actual validity of them – when it comes to God.
Anyway, let’s read it:

46 And Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, (hence the Magnificat)
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Jump back to verse 46 where, after Elizabeth praised her by the influence of the Holy Spirit we read:

46 And Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord,

To magnify something means to make it larger, greater and more loosely, to celebrate it.

My soul does enlarge the Lord in myself is the way I read it.

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

God is called Savior here, as he saves people from sin and death. He was Mary’s Savior, as he had redeemed her soul and given her a title to eternal life; and she rejoiced in that, and especially for his mercy in honoring her by her being made the mother of the Messiah.

When Mary says:

And my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior is she referring to the child in her belly as God her Savior or do you think she is speaking of God her Father located in another place?

Just asking. In fact in the remainder of her praises do we think that Mary is speaking of her baby or God located in another place?

48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Literally, he (God her Savior) has looked upon the low or humble condition of his handmaid. In other words, despite her humble station and poverty, God looked upon her and showed her favor, evidencing the fact that God is NOT a “respecter of persons.”

And “from henceforth” (from hereafter, or in consequence of this) all generations (of the human race) will call me blessed.”

Will pronounce me “highly favored or happy in being the mother of the Messiah.”

Thus far Mary’s pronouncement has been true as every generation ever since appears to have seen Mary as blessed to be the mother of the Christ child.

Blessed for sure – but not someone to pray to. I mean Abraham was blessed as the father of the faith . . . but we don’t pray to Him.

Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles; Peter in first to preaching the gospel to them, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah but none of us would pray to any of them, right? Mary continues and says:

49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

Again, is that the Babe in her womb or no? I think it speaks of the father of the babe in her womb – he has done Great things to her and Holy is His name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

There are a couple of ways that we fear others. There is the reverence or honor we have toward others – to the point we would do anything not to disappoint them. The other kind of fear is what we have of a cruel master or a being that is seeking to constantly catch us in wrong doing or failures.

The fear believers have in the Living God is one of Awe, Respect and consummate love. The fear we have of dishonoring him or letting him down. Those who have this toward the living God Mary exclaims are the recipients of His mercy – from generation to generation or “from one age to another.”

51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

In scripture the arm is a symbol of strength. Here Mary seems to be speaking of what YHWH had done for them over the course of the history of her people.

This shows that even as a young girl Mary was trained in the history of the Nation.

And so when she speaks of scattering the proud she seems to be speaking of the proud Assyrians, Egyptians, and Babylonians who had come against the people of God but met with YHWH scattered and driving them away.

She continues to speak of how YHWH has dealt with the Nation over their history and says

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree.

This line appears to concur with Isaiah 14:12-14 which says:

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Of course, to many Christians this speaks of Satan but that is not the case here as Isaiah was speaking of Nebuchadnezzar.

53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Again, a reference to the compassion and very of God which is central to all Mary says here – how merciful God has been and continues to be to the Nation and her people.

54 He hath holpen (he has helped or assisted) his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy (that his mercy will be remembered)

55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, (and then the application to us) and to his seed for ever.

56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

It seems that three months time took Mary to about the time that Elizabeth would bear John and so she left right before she gave birth. Which make sense when we consider the next verses – starting at verse 57:

57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

And back to verse 57:

57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

According to Genesis 21:4 this was the day when children were to be circumcised.

“And they called him Zacharias.” This was not unusual as the name of a first child was commonly given at the time of the circumcision (according to Genesis 21:3-4) and the name commonly given to the eldest son was that of the father.

60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

Which of course was the name which the angel had said should be given to him – how Elizabeth knew the name was either by the angel, inspiration, or Zacharias informed her in writing.

61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

As a means to keep the Hebrew tribes and families distinct and to avoid confusion in their genealogies, they probably tried to keep to only those names found among their ancestors.

Plus, it was an honor to use the name of a relative in the naming of a child. The name John was breaking all of these established traditions.

Apparently, the people (or at least the moil) didn’t trust Elizabeth completely. Verse 62:

62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

A writing table was probably a flat table or board and covered with wax. A stylist of some sort would be used to inscribe upon it.

64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

We recall that Zacharias has not been able to speak for nine months – so they must have been really surprised when he suddenly talked.

65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Of course, the circumstances surrounding the birth of John lead the people to believe that he was something special in the eyes of God. And Luke adds:

Let’s read through yet another chunk continuing at verse 67 –

Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Alright back to verse 67 where we again are told that yet another person pre-day of Pentecost was filled with the Holy Spirit – this time it was Zacharias.

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

Remember – this was still the Old Testament, if we want to be exact – as Jesus has not yet been born, the Holy Spirit has not fallen, and the law not fulfilled.

So, what Elizabeth and Mary and Zacharias did by and through being filled by the Holy Spirit. And what does HE now say, having been filled?

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

The Greek word translated “visited” best means “has looked upon” as in to ‘look in on” – like a mother will do of her toddler who is in the nursery.

So he is saying that God has not only looked in on but that he has also “redeemed” his people.

This apparently speaks to the fact that the Messiah was on His way to save them, as evidenced by the birth of John who would prepare the way AND the pregnancy of Mary, of which Zacharias must have surely been aware.

Interestingly, the words that Zacharias offers are referred to as, Benedictus (of Zacharias) and is considered one of the three songs (canticles) in the first chapter of Luke.

Zacharias continues and says:

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

In scripture a horn is a symbol of strength as the figure is taken from the fact that in horned animals the strength lies in that protrusion.

So when the sacred writers speak of great strength they often use the word horn, (see Psalm 148:14; Deuteronomy 33:17; and Daniel 7:7,8 and 8:21.

So combining horn with the word salvation, and it means the strength to save.

It is possible that this imagery was taken from the Jewish altar on which posted on the four corners was a projection called a horn.

According to 1st Kings 1:50 a person could flee for safety of the altar when in danger. Likewise, the Redeemer may be called the “horn of salvation,” because those who flee to him are safe.

“And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;”

A direct tie to David and His throne in the line of the Messiah, adding (verse 70)

70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

We have a problem Houston. Since the world began there have not been prophets – so what gives? What gives is the King James Version which translates the term aionous (age) to world here.

If they had translated the term properly this would read:

70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since this age began – which would obviously mean the age of ??? That’s right, since the age of the law and the prophets began!

Which started with Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15) and continued on through Malachi.

What did the prophets say? Verse 71:

71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

Now – listen carefully – the Promised Messiah that was prophesied of came as promised.

And did he save every Jew from their enemies and the hands of those who hated them in that age (namely, the Romans)?

No he did not. Only those who received him by faith and placed their trust in Him. So we can see that the promised given the Nation were always predicated on their faith – and were not blanket universal statements for all.

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

The expression here in the original is, “To make mercy with our fathers “– that is, to show kindness to our fathers – with the idea being that when mercy is extended to the children the parent is blessed.

“And to remember His holy covenant.”

Zacharias does not say, Our Holy Covenant here does he? He says, His holy Covenant.

The word “covenant” means a compact or agreement and it implies equality in the parties and freedom from to do the thing now covenanted.

Literally speaking, such a transaction can never take place between man and God, for we are not equal. See, man is not at liberty to decline what God proposes, and Man is under obligation to do all that God commands.

When the word, “covenant,” therefore, is used in the Bible, it instead usually means either a command, sometimes a law, and sometimes a promise.

I think Zacharias is referring to the promise God made to Abraham – that all the nations/families of the earth would be blessed in and through Him.

We can say this because of what is said next:

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Which is recorded in Genesis 22:16-18
Where God says:

“By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

The writer of Hebrews says (in 6:13-14) this about this promise of God:

13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

In the end, that promise, which Zacharias is speaking of here, was now going to be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah. (Verse 74)

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: (74) That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

In the material sense this is true – when enemies are subdued then the servants liberated can serve the king without fear.

Even moreso in the Spiritual sense – and since the enemy has always been the law, sin, wrath, condemnation, death, Satan and hell – with the knowledge that these have been overcome by the Messiah, those who are his are free to then wholly serve him fearlessly.

And he adds:

75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

And this point Zacharias turns his attention to his own son who in all probability was there before him. And he says, by the Holy Spirit:

76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

Zacharias predicts in this and the following verses the honor and mission of his miracle son.

He says that he would be THE Prophet of the Highest – interesting use of the article “the” – a prophet appointed by God to declare his will, and to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.

And he says that his son would “go before the face of the Lord.”

Not God, but the “Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah that was about to appear but had yet to be born.

To go before the face of one is the same as to go immediately before one, or to be immediately followed by another.

To do what? To prepare his ways – a quote taken directly from Isaiah 40 which says:

3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Verses 77-79 is a huge and extremely insightful as Zacharias adds

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

In other words,

“To give to His People a knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of their sins,”

How? Verse 78

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby “the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Isn’t that awesome? That John, in preaching repentance to the House of Israel would help give “Knowledge of the way of salvation by and through the remission of their sins.”

The word remission means pardon or forgiveness. It implies that God will treat the sinner as if he had not committed the sin.

And this would NOT happen in and through the baptism of John, which was unto repentance, but

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby “the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The word “dayspring” from on high speaks to the morning light or the rising of the sun.

Luke cites Zacharias as calling it the dayspring from on high because the light of the gospel shines forth from heaven.

I tend to believe this refers to Jesus, the Light that came into the world, like the morning sun on a people who for centuries had sat in darkness and in the shadow of death and who would now be a guide to their feet unto the way of peace.

I think this because scripture says:

Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

And of course, John writes in his first Gospel chapter:

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

And that ends the song of Zacharias – which is profound and beautiful.

Last verse 80

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

The word wax is an old Saxon word that means to increase, to grow and we note in what way John grew strong –

In the Spirit.

And we conclude the first long chapter of Luke with

And John was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

The deserts referred to here are believed to be in Hebron or the hill country where his father resided.

John lived in obscurity, and was not known publicly by the people of his day “ Until the day of his showing.”

Until he entered on his public ministry (which is recorded in Matthew 3:1-17) and described in chapter 3 of this Gospel of Luke – which we will get to in a few weeks.

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