Heart of Christmas - Part II

Here in true psalm fashion, in poetic form we find Mary singing a song of joy to the Lord. She opens by saying her soul exalts the Lord and then she emphasizes this feeling with the repetition in verse 47 by saying here spirit rejoices in God her Savior. Her heart of filled with Joy in what God is doing in and through her. This is a big deal especially with the understanding that she was pregnant at a very young age, more then likely about the age of 14 possibly as young as 12 but more then likely 14 hard to know the text doesn't tell us. Still she is very young, she isn't married and once she was told of the conception by the Holy Spirit she went to her cousin Elizabeth and stayed with her for three months so even Joseph doesn't know yet. The fact that she has joy in her heart over this event is very telling of how much faith she had and how much she trusted in God's power(48-49), provision(50-53) and promise(54-55).

Being Joyful in His Provision

Mary is recognizing God has come to her, she has not gone to Him. In His coming to her she finds that He has looked on her humble state, which here seems to mean her humble physical state as well as spiritual state. By the use of the term bondslave she it making it clear to all who hear of her song that she saw herself as a faithful servant of God. Just like Joseph her husband she had a faithful heart and it is this faithful heart, a heart that trusts in God and has already trusted in God, that she feels was the criteria for her being chosen. She was also very young and she had never been with a man, which made her a perfect chose for God. She doesn't see this pregnancy as a stigma she sees it for what it is, a miracle brought about by the power of God. She can rejoice even though she knows her life is going to be difficult she can still rejoice.

I love how Mary says that all generations will count her blessed. Some see this as a way of saying she is set apart from all other women and this gives her special grace and she is holier then all others. The catholic church teaches that she is greater then all other women because she was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. They will look at this verse and say look she is blessed, she is special. True she is special and she deserves some special recognition what she had to endure as a mother for her child was very difficult. God chose a woman who was very humble spiritually and who could endure not only the ridicule from the community but also having to watch her oldest son die a death He didn't deserve for her sake and the sake of the world. So yeah God chose a special woman. She wasn't special because she carried Jesus and raised Jesus, she was special because God saw her and chose her to be special. It was her faith that made her special.

Jesus says this in Luke 11:27-28 this, "While Jesus was saying these thing, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." This is why she is blessed it is not because she carried Jesus and raised Him and even she knows this, it is because of the fact that she was faithful to God and observed His Word. This is a big deal especially since she will be looked at as being an adulterous woman and anyone who teaches that she is blessed simply because she is the mother of Jesus doesn't know Scripture and doesn't know what makes people blessed, people are only blessed because of God and God choosing you, and people are blessed because of their faith, because they trust God's power, provision and promise. When I look back at Mary that is what I see a woman, a young woman who trusted God in the midst of one of the toughest points in her life. She trusted God even when her life was on the line. That is why she is blessed.

What Mary is feeling in this moment is shear joy and her outlook is that those who reflect on her and on the child who she is carrying they will reflect on the joy of who God is and what God is doing not just for Mary but for all mankind. She was chosen true but the joy she found is in the person and work of her Son, God's Son Jesus Christ. That is were joy is found. We can rejoice in God's power in using Mary and bringing Jesus into this world born of a virgin, born under the law, born in the flesh, but the joy and the blessing is in God's choosing, in His power. Mary spells this out for us as she continues this song.

Verse 49, she says, "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name." She is not elevating herself she is expressing why she is filled with such joy and why 'all generations will count her blessed.' it is because of what God has done for her, not to her. This is a reference to the fact of the Kingdom of God is at hand, she has been given the opportunity to see God's power and His mercy work out in her. Even here she elevates God, calling Him Mighty and His name is holy. This is all about God's power and she can rejoice in His power. He is mighty and He has brought her joy. The joy is in the power of God in bringing about the Savior of the World. The angel tells her this earlier in Luke 1.

Luke 1:26–38 NASB95

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Here in verse 28 when Gabriel calls Mary the favored one, this is a strange greeting but what he is saying here is "Rejoice, the Lord is with you." God has found favor in Mary, He is bestowing His grace on Her. He is choosing her and because God has chosen her there is no need for her to be afraid. See this is God's work in her this is God choosing her for this and He will carry her through. It is by His power and she is only a submissive servant to God's word. Just like Jesus said, she is blessed because she observes the word of God. She submits to His power in this whole event. The angel's greeting was for her to rejoice and Mary's song here in verses 46-55 is the expression of joy.

Her expression of her joy in God's power is grounded in her understanding of God's word. She quotes here psalm 103:17 I want to look at the context of this psalm. So we will look at Psalm 103:15-19

Psalm 103:15–19 NASB95

15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them. 19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

See this the psalmist even understands God's power and knows God is never changing and never fades away. His lovingkindness is forever and never ceases, it is overflowing to those who fear Him and who keep His commandments and His precepts. He is the Lord He has established His throne in heaven and He is in complete control of all things. He is power and He has all the power and we can rejoice in His power. Our hearts should be filled with joy because God provides trust, God provides Salvation and His provisions are perfect. Which leads to the next reason for joyful hearts this Christmas, Joyful in His power.

Being Joyful in His Power

Mary now goes from what God has done for her and moves to how God has acted in the lives of the nation. She mentions the things God has done, starting with "He has done mighty deeds with His arm." This points to God's Power and His activity through out history, and specifically Israel's history. Mary acknowledges God's power and what goes along with God's power is His Sovereignty. He does what He does because He is who He is. God doesn't answer to no one and God doesn't need man's permission to do anything He is in control. The phrase "mighty deeds with His arm," points to the fact that God is powerful and God is in control. It doesn't matter if you believe He is in control, the fact remains He is.

This fact plays out in the next few verses.

First Mary continues in verse 51, "He scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. 42 He has brought down rulers from their thrones and exalted those who were humble. 53 He Has filled the hungry with Good Things; And sent away the rich empty-handed." Do you notice the justice here? God is watching and in control. This power God has should bring joy to your heart. He cares for those who are humble and who are hungry and He deals with those who are proud and power hungry. Mary points to God in all of this, she sees Him for who He is and what He does. Her joy is in her reliance on God's power. God not only provides for us joy, places joy in our hearts but all the events that happen around us doesn't escape His notice and He by His power controls it all.

There is also a direct correlation between what Mary says in verse 50 about God's mercy being on those who fear Him and what she says here in verses 51- thru to the end of this song. It is those who fear God who are humble before God, and it typically those who are hungry are those who come before God in humility and ask for Him to provide. The 'proud' don't turn to God because the proud believe they have the power and control over their own lives. They don't need God in fact to them most of the time, God serves them not them serving God. Kings are an excellent illustration of this truth and in fact the best example of a king who was extremely proud and was humbled by God is Nebuchadnezzar. Check this out in Daniel;

Daniel 4:28–37 NASB95

28 “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 “Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31 “While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, 32 and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ 33 “Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. 34 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ 36 “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. 37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Notice what happens to Nebuchadnezzar, he goes up to his roof top and looks at his kingdom and instead of praising God for what God has done and what God has provided for him, Nebuchadnezzar rejoices in his own power and might, and he is brought low and his mind is mad and all his power is stripped away from him, even the ability to reason and to discern what is appropriate for mankind to ware, to eat and how to find shelter. It is all stripped away. Until finally God after a set time puts it in Nebuchadnezzar's mind to reason once again and what does he do? He is humbled by God and when his reason returns to him he lifts his eyes to heaven and acknowledges God's power and he praises God for His power. He was humbled. That is what God does when people don't acknowledge His power, when people are proud they see everything through the lens of I,I,I and me, me, me. The exalt themselves but exalting yourself only leads to being humbled and it would be better to be humble then to be humbled.

Notice also how God's power supplies and also withdraws. Mary quotes psalm 107:9, and the quote is in reference to God supplying for the needs of those who fear Him and He cares for them, they don't go hungry and they don't thirst. God is the One who by His power provides not only joy to people but all that the people have. Those who are hungry are those who turn to God and seek His aide and seek His provision. The rich rely on their own power and their own money and they are the poorest people alive because they never find true joy because they are always chasing after the emptiness that comes from following the ways of the world. They chase after vanity just like Solomon says in Ecclesiastes,

Ecclesiastes 5:10 NASB95

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.

The world speaks into your ear, money is power and great wealth increases your happiness. That is a lie. Money is a necessity but there is no power in money to bring about true joy. If anything it pulls you away from the only One who with the power to bring joy, God Himself. The presents we receive on Christmas day should be what brings joy, the joy should come from the power in the true gift that was provided for us 2000 years ago in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He was rich, in heaven seated on His throne and became poor for our sake, so that believing in Him we can become rich in all spiritual blessings. The power of Joy doesn't come from what God provides but from who God is and knowing He has the power to provide and the power to take away and if our joy is in Him, just like it was for Mary then it doesn't matter what you have because you rejoice in God.

The heart of Joy comes from God's provision, God's power and it comes from God' promise.

Being Joyful in His Promise

Look at how Mary acknowledges joy in God's promise. She ends this song in verse 54 and 55, "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever." She is not fixed only on her present circumstance and issue, her joy is not wrapped up in her own selfish desires and feelings, what she is receiving or not receiving. Her Joy is in the fulfillment of what God has promised to His people. God is merciful and God brings help to His nation, whether they will acknowledge it or not. Which is funny because when God called His people out of Egypt and delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh the nation after seeing all that God had done still didn't want to acknowledge God's provision and power and promise. They grumbled and complained continuously instead of rejoicing at who God is what He is doing and going to do. Instead the nations was to focused on their present situations and not God's control. Mary is the opposite. Mary is the opposite because she is in a situation that was very difficult, she was pregnant our of wedlock and she knew she would have to face the stigma of having a child out of wedlock all of her life. Yet here she is looking at the bigger picture of what God is doing, and what God has done. God fulfills His promise to her and to the nation of Israel as a whole.

Her joy is found in the promise of God and how this extends to her life and the promise God has made to Abraham and to all of Abraham's descendants. Now this is prophetic in the fact that all of Abraham's descendants don't only include the nation of Israel but whether Mary understood that or not I don't know, probably not but never the less we are grafted into this promise.

We are spiritual descendants not physical.

Romans 9:3–8 NASB95

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Paul teaches the Galatian church about adoption,

Galatians 4:1–7 NASB95

1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

We can rejoice in all of these same elements, God's provision, power and promise. God has provided for us the joy of everlasting life with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. He has placed this joy in our hearts. By His power He has humbled us in trusting Him and we can trust His promise of never leaving or forsaking us. Romans teach that we are now grafted into the promises of the nation of Israel we are adopted children of God who receive the same inheritance as the true Son of God. If we have trusted in God's promise we are now children of God and we can have the assurance of an everlasting life with Him. If we are truly called by God then we can rejoice in Him because He has implanted that joy in us. The Spirit of Truth resides within us and He is God and He is the essence of Joy. If we trust in Him and in His promises we don't need to complain and grumble, and in fact complaining and grumbling is the opposite of joy, it is a lack of joy. Now I don't mean we don't ever tell people about what is going on in our lives. There is a difference between complain and telling people what is going on and your demeanor speaks volumes about who you trust, yourself or God. If you trust God you sit there with cold fruit punch dripping off your nose and french fries in your hair knowing God is in control. If you trust yourself you get up and you give the person a piece of your mind and tell him your right you are going to buy me a new outfit and a new meal.

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