The Strong Arm of Deliverance
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.” ’
There is a part of the Passover meal where you hold up your pinky finger and recite some things. It feels funny, like why am I talking about the might of our God while holding my pinky in the air?
It symbolizes the power of God’s right arm. He is so mighty, He could have done the whole Exodus with just His little finger. Those mighty Egyptian gods that held us in slavery for 400 years? Baaah, Yahweh’s little finger can beat all of them. That’s the idea and why they hold it up.
So when Mary appropriates this kind of might into her pregnancy, she’s not just referring to the miracle of her virgin birth. She’s equating this baby with the deliverance from slavery that came through Moses!
If the birth of Jesus is like the deliverance of Moses and the Hebrews out of Egypt after their slavery, then the mighty are going to fall from their thrones and the hungry are going to be fed. On the night of the Passover, it says that they plundered the Egyptians because the Egyptians slave owners wanted the Hebrews out of the country so fast. The Hebrews said “Can we have all of your gold for our journey?” And their (former) masters said “Yes, take it all. Just get out!”
So now, Jesus has come and instead of saying get out, Jesus’ last conversation was GO OUT and tell every nation about this salvation. A historical event on the level of Egypt being vanquished and a million people set free has come about in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. He is helping His servants and He is remembering His mercy to us every day, no matter where we go.
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