"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever." Luke 1:46-55

LESSON 1, VERSE 46:

Usually studied at Christmas, this portion of the Word of God is amazing. In it Mary, the Virgin Mother of our Lord insofar as His humanity is concerned, is praising the Lord.

This young lady knew the Bible, the Old Testament Scriptures. In her day the New Testament had not been completed.

The whole "Psalm," for indeed it is just that, is found in Luke 1:46-55.

In reading that precious Paragraph of Scripture, one cannot help but be impressed with the fact that it is perfectly full of Scripture.

Mary either quoted or alluded to the Holy Writings of God, the Canon, in every verse!

For example, look with me at verse 46. "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord." These words were uttered while Mary was visiting Elisabeth, expectant mother of John the Baptist. The sentence says, in essence, "Praise the Lord!"

The name Mary, a derivative of Miriam, means "rebellion!" At least the first two sources I checked say so. That being the case, Mary, by God's saving Grace, turned her rebellion into submission! In fact we all were rebels against Almighty God ... until He saved us!

The verb "said" is a translation of "epo," perhaps related to "rheo," and is used only in the "past" tense. What is declared here was said exactly like this only once! Probably Mary was a constant student of Scripture and by tomorrow she would have had more new "quotes" to add anyway! Her next prayer or psalm of praise no doubt would have been even more Biblically oriented!

The noun "soul" is "psuche" and literally means "breath." It is at least a reference to her "innermost being." In her heart, her spirit, the deepest recesses of her mind and will and emotions, Mary sincerely speaks these words!

Now to the verb. "Doth magnify" is a rendering of "megaluno." It means "to enlarge, to make great, to show to be big!" In the old Latin Bible, "doth magnify" is spelled "magnificat." And this Passage of Scripture has been called just that ever since, "The Magnificat" of Mary! This term is a present tense verb. It's a lifestyle with Mary to praise the Lord, to uplift His dear Name!

The noun "Lord" is "kurios." While it can be used as just a term of respect, as in "sir," here it is much more. The word means "one with power and authority!" It's "root" is "kuros" and means "supremacy." Paul nailed it precisely when he said of Jesus: "That in all things He might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:18

Mary, Jesus is conceived in your womb!

"My soul doth magnify the Lord."

But look at this.

After her baby boy was born, Hannah, another godly Mother in Israel, said: "And Hannah prayed, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD." 1st Samuel 2:1

Or listen to David in Psalm 34, at the beginning: "My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together."

Yes!

Or again the Psalmist says: "And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation." Psalm 35:9

The first words out of Mary's mouth, in worship anyway, were snippets of Scripture!

She really based "My soul doth magnify the Lord" on other Bible verses! She echoes the saints of history here!

She thought according to Bible patterns!

Her mind was saturated in God's Word!

No wonder she was chosen to be the Virgin mother whom the Holy Spirit blessed so abundantly!

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we shall see if this "pattern" continues.

Does Mary let her mouth speak Scripture for ten solid verses?

If so, we have a young Bible scholar on our hands!

                                                                           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

P. S. --- For those of you who would like to see how the Holy Spirit uses that word for "magnificat," see all eight New Testament instances below. I will capitalize the word or words translated from "megaluno" or one of its cognates.

Matthew 23:5 says, "But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments."

And of course here's our Text, Luke 1:46, where Mary declares: "My soul doth magnify the Lord."

Then Luke 1:57 says of Elisabeth: "And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her." Here it's just an adjective.

Acts 5:13 adds: "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them."

And at Cornelius' house, in Acts 10:46, we read: "For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter ...."

Acts 19:17 comments: "And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."

Then Paul, in 2nd Corinthians 10:15 opines: "Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."

Then lastly, Philippians 1:20, in typical Pauline fashion says: "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death."

LESSON 2, VERSE 47:

Short verses they are, but powerful!

And all spoken by a lady, Mary the Virgin!

This is part of Mary's great Psalm of Praise in which she magnifies the Lord! It's often called by its Latin name, the Magnificat.

Hear her in Luke 1:47. "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

The noun "spirit" is "pneuma" and literally means a current of air, or just breath. It is derived from "pneo," to breathe hard! To blow as does the wind!

The verb "hath rejoiced" is spelled "agallian" and blends "agan" meaning "much" and "hallomai" meaning "to jump, to spring up, to leap," usually for joy!

Mary's spirit is not the only thing that leaped that day! Listen to Elisabeth, expecting little John the Baptist quite soon! "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." Luke 1:41-42

Now also notice the golden nugget of theology Mary drops next! She is rejoicing "in God her Saviour." This prepositional phrase actually names Jesus, Mary's son according to the flesh but God's divine Son eternally, and equates Him to Almighty God!

Jesus is God!

And Mary already knows it!

Also see here that Mary called her little infant Son, yet to be born even, her very "Saviour!"

Mary got saved just like every other sinner!

Jesus is her Saviour too!

Her Redeemer and Deliverer and Provider and Sustainer!

Her All in All!

But wait a minute! Look what Mary has done. Not only has she exposed her very heart, worshipping God deeply ... she also has again quoted the Old Testament prolifically.

Compare Mary's words: "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

Now notice, as Mary did long ago, "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Psalm 18:2 here calls God our "Salvation!"

Or, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." See the joy in Psalm 28:7!

Or maybe she is alluding to Psalm 78:35. "And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer."

No doubt Mary too is a student of Isaiah the Prophet! "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:2-3

This godly lady knew her Bible!

Scripture literally flows from her lips!

No wonder she was so used of God!

                                                                             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 3, VERSE 48:

She was so humble.

Truly a meek young lady.

I'm speaking of the Virgin Mary.

Upon learning that she was to be the mother of Jesus, she burst into praise.

She, talking about God, said: "For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." Luke 1:48

"Handmaiden," the term she used to describe herself, is actually a feminine form of "doulos," a common slave! She's a servant of the Lord!

"Low estate," one word in Greek, is "tapeinosis" and means something like "lowness." It verbal root means "to depress, to humiliate." John the Baptist had a goal, "He must increase, but I must decrease." It sounds like Mary had already achieved such a noble attitude.

The verb "regarded" is interesting. It's "epiblepo," It means "to place one's eyes upon" someone!

Knowing she was "nothing" in the sight of the world, a mere espoused wife of a carpenter named Joseph, common within herself ... Mary also recognized what God was doing with her. She was to be the mother of the Messiah!

Therefore, "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."

"Henceforth" is just the little Greek adverb "nun," meaning "now."

"Generations" represents "genea." It is from a background that means "to cause to be." These are the successive fathers, sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and so forth ... age after age of humans coming and going.

The term "call me blessed" is quite rare in the New Testament, being found only twice. It's "makarizo," meaning " to pronounce someone happy, well off, fortunate." James uses the verb, here capitalized for identification purposes. "Behold, we count them happy which endure." James 5:11

But now, there's a big difference between calling someone blessed and worshiping them!

Worship is reserved for Jesus, not Mary!

Mary we simply honor as the obedient and pure young lady whom the Holy Spirit "overshadowed," a miracle of course.

But the thing to notice today is yet again how Mary, even in these words of verse 48, is building her praise on Scripture!

She knew the Bible exceedingly well, especially to be a young lady!

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

Yet Hannah in 1st Samuel 1:11 said: "O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

Notice the amazing similarity!

This same attitude of lowliness prevails in 1st Samuel 2:8, still with Hannah: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill."

It seems that Mary the soon-to-be mother is experiencing her spiritual journey, having a little baby Boy, through the eyes of another godly lady of years past! Hannah, mother of the Prophet Samuel!

After all, Paul did tell us of these Old Testament accounts: "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1st Corinthians 10:11

Mary, lady who loved the Bible!

And studied it in her home as she grew to maturity!

Yes, in that sense we all should call her blessed!

                                                                              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4, VERSE 49:

The young Jewish virgin named Mary knew how to praise the Lord!

She even knew the Name of the Lord to be praised!

Let me show you what she said.

Luke's Gospel records her precise words, among which are: "For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name." Luke 1:49

"Mighty" here is an adjective. It describes "One Who is able." Spelled "dunatos," it's that old "dynamite" word which means "inherent" ability! Energy that is "within" ... already there, ready to be used! "Potential" energy the scientists sometimes say. Reserved, on hand, in stock, available!

Mary, having just learned that she is to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, bearing the little body God is going to inhabit in order to save lost sinners, full well knows how "mighty" this great God is!

The verb "hath done" is especially significant here. It's spelled "poieo" in its base form and means "to make or do," but with this nuance ... to make something lovely, something acceptable, something "poetic" to use an English derivative!

What has God done to Mary? Let Gabriel tell her in his own words: "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35

Jesus, God the Son, is to be born!

Virgin born!

And Mary is the instrument through whom God will work!

Then, without going too far, let me assert that Jesus, having been sent to earth God incarnate, is Something beautiful!

Someone lovely!

A Poem Divine!

When He walks and talks and ministers to others ... one is seeing Poetry in motion!

No wonder God could not keep from saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17 and again in Matthew 17:5 and then Mark 9:7 and Luke 9:35 too!

And "poieo" here is an aorist verb, signifying that the virgin birth was a one-time Event! It will not occur again! Jesus came and successfully provided redemption for the lost! His next coming will be in His resurrected glorified body, not having to endure the birth process again! He is alive for evermore!

The English pronoun "me," where Mary declares that God hath done "to her" great things, is a declension of "ego," the dative singular of which is "moi." It, having no written preposition, means "to me" or "for me" God has done this great thing.

Yes, not only "to" Mary was this miracle extended, but also "for" her! Think how the incarnation of Jesus augmented her faith, strengthened her resolve to be what God wanted her to be! She, having learned of the plan of God, immediately said to the angel: "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38

"Great things" translates "megaleios," excellent things! Things wonderful or splendid or magnificent! This word is built upon the "mega" stem, just meaning "big!"

I too would say the Virgin Birth is a Big Thing, the greatest Event of history apart from Calvary! And Calvary even could not have occurred had the Virgin Birth not happened first!

Again, today's Verse:

"For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name."

Mary knew this Lord's Name too!

It is "holy!"

"Hagios" means sacred, filled with awe! This is the same word for "holy" that is used in the name "Holy Ghost" or "Holy Spirit" too! It flows from "hagnos" which is from "hazo," to venerate! Really it means that which is "separated" from evil! Set apart! Different! Unique! Dedicated to God!

By "name" or "onoma" Mary means the whole Essence of God. Name indicates Character in Scripture.

God's fundamental attribute is just that, "Holiness!

No place in Scripture can I find a group of angels crying "Love, Love Love" to God! Or "Patience, Patience, Patience!" But twice at least do I hear "Holy, Holy, Holy" flowing from the courts of Glory!

"Holy is His Name!"

Mary is teaching us how to praise God!

But where did she get her "pattern?"

The more I study this "Magnificat," the more I am sure! She derived all these things, from Luke 1:46 to Luke 1:55, out of the Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament scrolls!

Watch!

Mary: "For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name."

"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Genesis 17:1 here just might be where Mary first learned that God is "Mighty," Almighty in fact!

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle," asks Psalm 24:8, picturing the coming Son of God!

The "great things to me" part of our verse may have sprung from Samuel in his farewell sermon: "Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." 1st Samuel 12:24

Mary is fusing together various and pertinent portions of the Word of God, blending them into her personal words of worship and praise!

Great things, Mary? "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:2-3

Or Psalm 71:19 might have been the verse Mary read during her morning devotions that day! "Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!" Amen!

And as far as God's Name is concerned, Psalm 111:9 teaches us: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Amazing!

This precious girl named Mary is a walking concordance!

A Bible scholar!

A young lady who had already obediently developed the fine art of meditating on God's Word!

No wonder God used her so!

He signally blesses all who "live" in His Word!

                                                                          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5, VERSE 50:

The "fulness" of time had nearly arrived.

In this Biblical sense ... "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Galatians 4:4-5

John presents us with even more detailed truth. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

This event, the Incarnation and Virgin Birth of God the Son, is being celebrated in Luke 1:46-55. Mary herself is the psalmist. Her words are now known by the Latin verb that introduces the whole paragraph, the Magnificat.

God having come to earth!

Come to stay for a while, over three decades!

Come to redeem sinners, dying on a cruel Roman cross!

Come to be buried and raised from the dead, fulfilling the Gospel with all its blessings!

And the little virgin girl who is here so intelligently praising God, she herself being the instrument physically speaking through whom that "Holy Thing" would be born, is raptured by the very thought!

If Mary must reduce this whole glorious fact, God in human flesh ... completely God and completely man, come to seek and to save that which was lost, it will be with one glorious word!

And here's that word, "mercy!"

Yes, Mary sings, "And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation." Luke 1:50

Mary lived in the Age of Law, the dispensation marked by "an eye for an eye" legislation, yet she now sings of "mercy!"

That's correct!

There's even mercy in the Old Testament of course. God is God, all the way through the Bible!

But with the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, mercy is about to be manifest as never before in all history!

In today's verse "fearing" God is equal to reverencing Him and adoring Him, worshipping Him really. "Phobeo" is the strong word used here. It's the Greek translation of the Hebrew "yare." Our English word "phobia" illustrates that this word has a darker sense too, one of dread and terror.

"Mercy" is the noun "eleos" in Greek. It means compassion, but in an extremely aggressive and active sense! It's an outward manifestation of pity, but only on the needy! It always indicates the ability of the Giver to adequately minister to the pain and suffering of the recipient! I once heard an old Preacher distinguish mercy from grace like this: Mercy for your misery and Grace for your guilt!

Mary had all her life "feared" God!

Now, Gabriel having come with his life-changing Announcement, Mary has experienced God's "Mercy" in a special way too!

Thus she says, "And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation."

With Jesus coming into the world now, Mercy Personified, nothing will ever be the same!

"From generation to generation" the Story of Mercy will be told again and again, without end!

"Genea" is a derivative of "genos," one's very "kin!" Thus a "generation" grammatically is an age of births, many births! Births wherein babies grow into teens and teens into men and women and fathers and mothers into elderly men and women, the cycle then being repeated!

From this day forward ... God's Mercy is alive!

Now some of you may object to me calling Jesus "Mercy."

If so, I have no counter-attack to launch against you!

I just mention this fact. When discussing the Mercy Seat in Hebrews 9:5, Paul uses a unique word, "hilasterion." It is the normal word for "propitiation!" To please the anger of a Righteous God, to placate His wrath against sin!

Brothers and Sisters, that's exactly what Jesus did!

Now watch "hilasterion" in Romans 3:25, its only other location in the New Testament! "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." This "propitiation" certainly is Jesus, no doubt!

Since the two words are identical, Jesus is the Appeasement, the Propitiation, and the Mercy Seat also!

Jesus is Mercy!

Jesus is God!

And, by the way, Mary did not come up with these words all by herself! Again, obviously alluding to Old Testament Scriptures, this little Bible scholar blends verses like Lamentations 5:19 and Exodus 20:6  and Exodus 34:6.

"Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation."

"Shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

 "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin ...."

Thank God today for His Mercy!

Praise Him for It!

Sing of it too!

Amen!

                                                                          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6, VERSE 51:

The virgin Mary, in her great Psalm of Praise recorded by Luke, said some things that are rather general in nature. Wonderful things she noticed ... such as God's Mercy and Power.

However, Mary also said some very specific things too.

Today's verse is an example of the latter. "He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." Luke 1:51

The verb for "showed" is spelled "poieo" and means "to make or to do." In the King James Bible it's translated "do" 357 times and "make" 113 more times. Only 5 times is it "show." God here is actually being said to "make" strength! He's indeed the Creator of Power and Ability and Authority!

The noun "strength" is "kratos," believed by many scholars to be particularly "manifested power." The word is often associated with "dominion." The "kra" prefix indicates "perfecting, completing or creating" something.

Using a noun that only appears in Scripture only 3 times, "brachion," God's "Arm" is mentioned. It's from "brasso," meaning "to wield."

The verb "scattered" is "diaskorpizo," which blends "skorpios," a sting like that of a scorpion, and "dia," all the way through something! That's a good way to "scatter" things!

"Proud" is spelled "huperephanos," blending "phaino," to shine or to show off oneself, and "hyper," over or above! This kind of pride is that which makes a person act "better than anyone else!"  My folks used to say "stuck-up!"

"Imagination" is from the Greek "dianoia," another blended term. "Nous" is one's "mind" or "intellect." And again, "dia" is a preposition meaning "through." So we have ... a "thinking through" of things! Deep thought!

"Kardia" means "heart" in Greek. See "cardiologist" therein! It carries the idea of that which is "innermost" to a person.

Everything Mary has said here is so specific and so right and so ... inspired! Yet, from whence did this unusual series of thoughts spring?

Mary: "He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts." Luke 1:51

Now notice Psalm 89:10. "Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm."

See the similarities? "Rahab" often represents pride or rebellion in the Old Testament.