{"id":14258,"date":"2025-12-14T22:13:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T02:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=14258"},"modified":"2025-12-14T22:15:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T02:15:17","slug":"marys-magnificat-as-a-messianic-psalm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=14258","title":{"rendered":"Mary’s Magnificat as a Messianic Psalm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Happy Third Sunday of Advent!<\/p>\n

Today I got to sing in our church’s annual Christmas cantata. Over a hundred performers in choir, orchestra, children’s choir, handbell choir, narrators, and even a dancer made it happen. I told people that since I was only one-hundredth of the performance, it’s not bragging for me to say it was spectacular. I truly believe that we who got to participate were even more blessed than those who witnessed it. Each one of us doing our bit came together to make something stunningly beautiful – all following the careful instruction and coordination of the Director. How like what a church should be!<\/p>\n

But one of our songs was a setting of Mary’s Magnificat, found in Luke 1:46-55. She prays it after the angel announces that she will become pregnant and she goes to Elizabeth, who also has a miraculous pregnancy. And since I’m thinking about Psalms lately, I noticed that Mary’s Magnificat is a Messianic Psalm.<\/p>\n

First, I contend that it’s a Psalm because it’s full of parallelism. The verses are in two line sets, saying similar things in another way. (And of course Mary would express herself in this Hebrew poetry form, certainly what she was used to.)<\/p>\n

But look at the Key Concepts I have found in Messianic Psalms. And then let’s look at how most of them show up in Mary’s Magnificat:<\/p>\n

Messianic Psalms Key Concepts<\/strong><\/p>\n

  • God’s Rule<\/li>\n
  • Coming Justice<\/li>\n
  • Certain Victory<\/li>\n
  • Eternal Scope<\/li>\n

    Now let’s look for them in Mary’s prayer:<\/p>\n

    My soul glorifies the Lord
    \nand my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    \nfor he has been mindful
    \nof the humble state of his servant.
    \nFrom now on all generations will call me blessed, [Eternal Scope]
    \nfor the Mighty One has done great things for me – [Certain Victory]
    \nholy is his name.
    \nHis mercy extends to those who fear him [God’s Rule]
    \nfrom generation to generation. [Eternal Scope]
    \nHe has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    \nhe has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. [Coming Justice]
    \nHe has brought down rulers from their thrones
    \nbut has lifted up the humble. [God’s Rule]
    \nHe has filled the hungry with good things
    \nbut has sent the rich away empty. [Coming Justice]
    \nHe has helped his servant Israel,
    \nremembering to be merciful [Certain Victory]
    \nto Abraham and his descendants forever,
    \njust as he promised our ancestors. [Eternal Scope]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Okay, other people might assign those concepts differently. But compare with the Messianic Psalms in Psalms – Psalms 2, 45, 72, 110, and 132 – and see if you don’t think Mary’s Magnificat has similar themes.<\/p>\n

    Over the years, I’d often wondered why Mary starts talking about bringing rulers from their thrones and lifting up the humble – but it fits with the news that she’s been told she will be mother of the Messiah, the Anointed One, the one who brings justice!<\/p>\n

    And with the Christmas promise of “peace on earth, good will toward men,” doesn’t Advent seem like the time to long for justice, to cry out for peace?<\/p>\n

    Today we also sang “Joy to the World.” It’s another song about how things will be some day.<\/p>\n

    He rules the world
    \nwith truth and grace.
    \nAnd makes the nations prove
    \nthe glories of his righteousness
    \nand wonders of his love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    And as in Psalms, we sing and rejoice in the assurance that what we long for will actually happen. Some day.<\/p>\n

    And as I keep saying, Mary’s example and the entire book of Psalms tells us we can also pray this way.<\/p>\n

    So let me write a short example Messianic psalm (Happy Ending psalm). Please try it yourself and paste yours into the comments.<\/p>\n

    An Advent Psalm<\/p>\n

    Joy to the world!
    \nLord, you came as a tiny baby,
    \nand you’re coming again to make all things right.
    \nYour beginnings were humble
    \nand you are one of us –
    \neven though you came from power
    \nyou did not identify with the powerful,
    \nbut began your life in a bed of straw,
    \ndependent on your mother for sustenance,
    \neven you who sustain the hungry.
    \nOur joy is because
    \nthe injustices of the world are not forever.
    \nYou stepped into human history
    \nshowing us a way of love.
    \nAnd yes, you’re toppling the hierarchy
    \nand lifting up the lowly.
    \nYou’re filling the hungry with good things
    \nand coming near the desolate.<\/p>\n

    The story of your first coming
    \nis a story of God showing up where least expected.
    \n(Yes, you<\/em> were long-expected,
    \nbut not in a manger!)
    \nAnd I’m sure your second coming
    \nwill also be full of surprises.
    \nEven so come, Lord Jesus!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Happy Third Sunday of Advent! Today I got to sing in our church’s annual Christmas cantata. Over a hundred performers in choir, orchestra, children’s choir, handbell choir, narrators, and even a dancer made it happen. I told people that since I was only one-hundredth of the performance, it’s not bragging for me to say it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messianic-psalms","category-praying-with-the-psalmists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14260,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14258\/revisions\/14260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}