Mary's Prayer - My soul doth magnify the Lord

• My soul doth magnify the Lord - Mary's prayer describes the joy, adoration, and gratitude of one who indeed is a true child of God. Her prayer is filled with praise and adoration for God and His magnificent salvation, just like we have seen in Hannah's prayer. A Christian finds within his soul a constant, and overflowing appreciation for his Saviour and for all that God has done for him in the past, at present, and for eternity.

Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

1 Sam 2:1 "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation."

Psa 5:11 “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”
Psa 18:2 "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."

Hos 13:4 “Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.”

1 John 4:14 “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

• Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God - In order for anyone to become saved, they have to be humbled by God because by birth and nature all human beings enter this world sinfully proud.

Luke 1:46-48 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

1 Sam 1:10-11 "And she [Hannah] was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11And she vowed a vow, and 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."

1 Sam 2:1-3 "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed."

1 Pet 5:5-7 "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Psa 138:6 “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”

Psa 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

• Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD - What are the “great things” that God did for Mary? The same that He has done for every believer – the salvation of their souls! The great deliverance of Israelites from the bondage of Egypt typifies the Marvelous Work of Salvation by God’s power and grace alone. “Great things” is a rendering of a Greek word that is only found only one other time in the New Testament. It is translated as “wonderful works” in Acts 2:11, which describes the events of Pentecost Sunday, when Holy Spirit was given. When we speak of God’s “name” as being Holy it is in reference to the person and work of God Himself.

Luke 1:46-49 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.”

1 Sam 2:1-2 "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."

Psa 78:12 “Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.”

Exo 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”

Isa 54:5 “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”

Hos 13:4 “Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.”

Acts 2:11 "Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."

• There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared - In this compelling verse we recognize the amazing reality that those whom God intends to save will be filled with a holy terror – a gift from God – as they consider the majesty of the God of the Bible.

Luke 1:46-50 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.”

Mat 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Psa 130:4 "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

Pro 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

• Salvation through a mighty hand - This verse speaks of God’s strength – as typified by “His arm” – to save His elect from spiritual death and Hell to eternal life. This is dramatically seen in the deliverance of Israelites (typifying God's Elect).

Luke 1:46-50 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”

Deu 26:8 "And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:"

Deu 5:15 "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day [pointing to the Rest God provided in Christ]."

Isa 59:16 "And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm [Lord Jesus Christ] brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him."

• God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble - To “put down” is really the word for “take down” or “destroy” . Again we see how much emphasis God is placing on the destruction of the unsaved (or the “proud”) and on the exaltation of the saved (or the “humble”).

Luke 1:46-52 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.”

1 Sam 2:1-4 "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength."

Mat 23:12 “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Pro 3:34 “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.”

Jam 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Pro 29:23 “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”

• Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness - We understand that those who are spiritually hungry will be filled. On the other hand, those who think they don’t need salvation – the “rich” – are the deceived, will hunger and thirst, like we see in the rich man thirsting for a drop of mercy, while Lazarus is being comforted.

Luke 1:46-53 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.”

1 Sam 2:1-5 "And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. 5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble."

Matt 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Luke 6:25 "Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep."

Mat 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Luke 16:25 “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”

• Peace and Mercy upon the Israel of God - Often believers are referred to as spiritual “Israel” in the New Testament – that is, those who are the beneficiaries of God’s incomprehensible mercy and forgiveness. We learn from Gal 3:29 that all true believers [God's Elect from both Jews and Gentiles] are “Abraham’s seed” forever and throughout the Bible we always find God communicating to man by means of His Word.

Luke 1:46-54 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord. 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy 55As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”

Heb 1:1-2 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

Rom 9:6-8 "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

Heb 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

Gal 6:16 "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

Gal 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”