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THE KING’S BUSINESS
•because she had believed, that she was blessed. And it was because she had be lieved that •there was to be a fulfillment of the wonderful things which had been spoken to hèr from the Lord that there was a fulfillment. No matter how positive God’s promises may be, our experimental enjoy ment of them is always conditioned upon bur believing (v. 45, cf. Jas. 1:5-7 ; Mark 11:24). Tuesday, September 21. Luke 1:46-56. Mary’s wonderful song of praise, “the Magnificat,” shows how wonderful was her knowledge of God, and also how deeply steeped her thoughts were in Old Testa ment Scripture. One would do well to take a good reference Bible and see how com pletely Mary’s phraseology is derived from the Old Testament Scriptures. Doubtless, her remarkable- knowledge of so much of the word of God as -was already written had much to do with her choice to be the mother of our Lord. Each yerse of this wonderful song of Mary’s is worthy to be deeply pondered. It is all taken up with what God has done “from generation to generation.” Though Mary had been so wonderfully honored, she does not lose sight of her own low estate; she realizes how she was but a poor girl, living in an obscure and despised village, espoused to a poor working man; and magnifies God be cause He had passed by all the great and noble ladies of the land, all princesses, and selected her for this greatest honor ever be stowed upon woman. She shows that this has always been God’s method (v. 52), and sums up all by saying, “He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” In this we have an anticipation of what her Son, Himself, would say at a later day (Luke 6:20, 21). Wednesday, September 22.. Luke 1:57-63. God’s word proved true to the very let ter (v. 57, cf. v. 13; ch. 2:6, 7; Gen. 21: 2, 3; Num. 23:19). There was also an immediate fulfillment of the promise that
In consequence of our Lord’s being formed John was to be so filled from his very birth : in a supernatural way by the direct power of God, He was to be called “the Son of God” ; the Son of God not in the sensé that all believers are sons of God, but in an entirely unique sense; a sense in whictf no one but He is the Son of God. Sunday, September 19. Luke 1:36-38. . There is a most significant change made by the revisors in verse 37 ; as rendered by them it contains this inspiring and glor ious message : “For no word from God shall be void of power.’' The promise just made was outside of all previous expe rience, it seemed impossible of fulfillment ; but God had uttered the promise, and there fore the promise was sure, “for no word of God shall be void of power,” but will al ways accomplish that which God pleases and promises (cf. Isa. 55:11). The call of Mary to be the mother of the Christ in this supernatural way, while she was still an unmarried maiden, was a call to disgrace in the eyes of men, for men then living would do what wicked men are doing today, attribute the birth to a disgraceful origin;: but Mary joyfully accepts God’s will, and says, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” O, if we all could only learn to respond in that way to God’s word. While the event to which she so joyfully sub mitted brought temporary disgrace, it has brought endless honor to Mary. Monday, September 20. , Luke 1 :39-45. Mary had heard of the joy that had come to her cousin Elizabeth (v. 36), and hurries away to share her own secret with her, but, before she has time to tell Eliza beth a word, God Himself by His Holy Spirit reveals to Elizabeth the great secret which Mary had come to tell. She pro nounces great blessing upon Mary and upon the child that is to come. ' Even the un born babe entered into the joy of that sacred hour. And all of Mary’s wondrous blessing had been obtained by faith : it was
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