And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
Overall, according to David Guzik: "This song mainly celebrates God’s goodness, faithfulness, and power. Mary’s song shows the futility of trusting in yourself, trusting in political power, or trusting in riches. Mary’s trust has been in God, and it has been rewarded."
Interestingly, though, there are striking similarities between the situation of Mary, mother of Jesus, and Hannah, mother of the Old Testament prophet, Samuel. Neither are biologically capable of pregnancy. Hannah is barren; Mary, a virgin. The Lord sees fit to "open" the wombs of both women for a specific and significant purpose. (For thoughts on Hannah's prayer and circumstance, see Studies in Prayer, Part One.) Even more than that, the majority of Mary's prayer is borrowed from Hannah's! Seriously! Mary quotes Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel and more than twelve other Old Testament passages. This beautiful song of praise is almost 100% plagiarized! (Haha, just a joke. Biblical plagiarism is A-OK!)
Vs. 46-47: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" is found in 1 Samuel 2:1, Habakkuk 3:18, Isaiah 61:10, and Deuteronomy 32:3.
V. 48a: "for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant" is found in 1 Samuel 1:11.
V. 49: "for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name" is found in Psalm 71:19 and 1 Samuel 2:2.
V. 50: "And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation" is found in Psalm 103:17.
V. 51: "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts" is found in Psalm 89:13-14.
V. 52: "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate" is found in 1 Samuel 2:8 and Job 5:11.
V. 53: "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away" is found in 1 Samuel 2:5 and Psalm 107:9.
V. 54: "He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy" is found in Isaiah 41:8-9 and Psalm 98:2-3.
V. 55: "As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever" echoes God's promise to Abraham, found in Genesis 15 and 17.
Truly, all generations will (and should!) call her blessed! That woman knew her Scriptures! This prayer not only reveals her genuine love for the Lord and elation at His blessing: it reveals her heart for God's Word. This was an impromptu song of praise! She didn't ponder on the words of her cousin Elizabeth, think about it a couple of days, sit down with pen and paper, and write down all the allusions to the Old Testament she could think of, add a melody, and perform it at a later date. These words were at the forefront of her mind, clearly prompted by the Spirit, revealing her knowledge of the Word, and devotion to the Word. She knew God's promises: what God has done in the past, and what He promised to do in the future. She knew that many of them referred to her - in her specific situation.
She prayed God's own words back to Him. (There's another study I taught on the purpose and blessings of praying God's Word, I'll have to find that somewhere... stay tuned, but suffice it to say there's something special and powerful about it - and, I think, something particularly close to God's heart.)
In response to the doctrine of Mariology, I like what David Guzik says. According to verse 47, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior," Mary knew she needed a Savior. "Mary answered the Roman Catholic dogma of the immaculate conception, which holds that from the moment of her conception Mary was by God's grace 'kept free from all taint of Original Sin.' Only sinners need a Savior." Truly, Mary is blessed, and is to be honored (Luke 1:28-33). She is an example to us. However, while she is "highly favored," "blessed," and the Lord is with her, these apply to all the saints. You and I, included - by nature of our new redeemed status before God. Ephesians 1 speaks to this new status: we are blessed. We are chosen. We are holy and blameless. And He is always with us (Matt. 28:20). All believers share in this, true. Mary was not perfect, as no human is, but she was beloved and righteous. Mary was, though, specially blessed, and is given a place of prominence for believers to look to as a model of what it looks love God.
Something to practice from this study on prayer:
-praying Scripture
-thinking about the testimony of those God has blessed, honoring and learning from them, all the while giving glory to God alone.
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