PT -1Intro to “Mary’s Praise” Luke 1:46-55)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/12/2026 10:11 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus: PT -1Intro to “Mary’s Praise”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 1:46-55

            Message of the verses:  “46  And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49  for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55  as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.’” (ESV)

            In today’s morning SD I will begin to quote from John MacArthur’s introduction to the verses above, and as I looked at this introduction I believe that it will take at least two SD’s to complete the introduction.

            “Here is a rich offering of praise from Mary.  It is remarkable for its theology and use of the Old Testament.  She was a young girl, perhaps about thirteen years old who, like all the people of her day, had no personal copy of the Scriptures.  Her familiarity with the Word of God must have come from hearing it read regularly in the synagogue (cf. 4:16). “16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”  “It settled in her heart and was readily on her mind when she opened her mouth in worshipful praise.  What a benediction it would be for the church today if the young could be so biblically literate and devout.

            “The New Testament ultimately stresses the priority of worship.  To Satan’s blasphemous temptation to worship him, Jesus replied, ‘God Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’’ (Matt. 4:10).  Hebrews 10:24-25 urges believers to come together to ‘stimulate one another to love and good deeds,’ since they, ‘as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 2:5).’

            Because God created them to worship Him, all people are inherently worshipers.  The object of one’s worship determines his or her eternal destiny.  The Old Testament condemns idolatry, that is, the worship of anyone other than the true God (e.g., Ex. 20:3, 23; 34:14; Pss. 81:9; 106:35-36), and makes it clear that it was Israel’s persistent idolatry (e.g., Judges 2:12-13, 17, 19; 3:5-7; 10:6; 1 Kings 15:12; 16:13; 21:25-26) that eventually led to the nation’s destruction and captivity (cf. 2 Kings 17:6-12; 21:11-14).  The New Testament reveals idolatry to be the inevitable response of those who deny the true God (Rom. 1:18-23).  But the worship of false deities is not the only form of idolatry.  There are idols in the heart of even the most hardened atheist, such as acceptance, fame, health, power, prestige, and wealth among many others.

            “Idolatry, however is not limited to the worship of false gods; it also encompasses attempting to worship the true God in an unacceptable manner.  Moses’s receiving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai was interrupted by a shocking display of idolatry:

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down at once, for your people whom you brought up from Egypt, have corrupted themselves.  They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’’(Ex. 32:7-8). (NASB)

“The Israelites were not worshiping a pagan deity, but had reduced the true God to an image—something God strictly forbids (Deut. 4:14-18).  The result was a threat of deadly judgment (Ex. 32:10) and its execution (vv. 28-35).

            “Instead of following the prescribed regulations for worship, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu (probably while drunk; cf. Lev. 10:9) offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them’ (Lev. 10:1).  God was not pleased with their innovative worship, ‘and fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord’ (v.2).

            After anxiously watching the Philistine forces mustering for battle while his own men were deserting him, Saul finally took matters into his own hands.  Samuel had instructed the king to wait seven days, until he came to offer sacrifices (1 Samuel 10:8).  But when the seven days were up and Samuel had not appeared, Saul rationalized that the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’  Therefore, usurping the role of a priest, Saul ‘forced [himself] and offered the burn offering’ (1 Samuel 13:2).  That willful failure to worship God properly was to cost Saul everything:

“Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment for the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not endure.  The  Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you’ (vv. 13-14). (NASB)

            “Twenty years after the Philistines returned the ark of the covenant to Israel (1 Sam. 7:1), David decided to transport it to Jerusalem. Ignoring God’s instructions on how to carry the ark (it was to be carried on poles; cf. Num. 4:5-6), the people placed it on an ox cart (2 Samuel 6:3) and celebrated as the ark set out for Jerusalem (v. 5).  But the joyous mood was abruptly shattered when Uzzah ‘reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it.  And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down therefor his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God’ (vv. 6-7).  Uzzah’s seeming reverence for the Lord was actually a direct violation of His command not to touch the ark on pain of death (Num 4:15).  The drastic consequence of Uzzah’s disobedience graphically illustrates that God does not accept any variant or self-styled alteration of His instructions for worship (cf. Isaiah 1:11-20; Amos 5:21-27; Hos. 6:4-7; Mal. 1:6-14; Matt. 15:1-9; 23:23-28; Mark 7:6-7).

            “The redeemed, on the other hand, manifest acceptable worship.  They are, according to Philippians 3:3, those who ‘worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh’ (cf. John 4:23).  Worship that is acceptable to God has many elements.  In Romans 15:16, Paul used the language of worship to describe his evangelistic ministry to the lost, calling himself ‘a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that [his] offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.’  Leading a ‘tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity’ (1 Tim. 2:2) is also an act of worship, since it is ‘good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior’ (v. 3).”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  Idolatry is something that keeps you from worshiping the Lord in a true sense, and idolatry is something that can be done far to easily for even true believers, so this is something that needs to be confessed when it happens.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to steer me away from anything that can cause me to commit spiritual adultery.

3/12/2026 11:18 AM

 

PT-2 “Prophetic Confirmation” (Luke 1:41b-43, 45)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/11/2026 8:09 PM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  PT-2 “Prophetic Confirmation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                         Reference: Luke 1:141b-43, 45

            Message of the verses:  “and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?...And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

            I want to pick up where I left off in this morning’s SD.  The phrase blessed are you among women is a Hebrew superlative expression that describes Mary as the most blessed of all women.  Judges 5:24 states “24 ¶  "Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed.”  In the Hebrew culture, a woman’s status was based to a great extent on her children; her significance was directly tied to their significance.  Thus, when a woman wanted to honor Mary, she called out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed” (Luke 11:27).  Now Elizabeth’s point was that Mary was the most blessed woman of all because she would bear the greatest child ever to be born, Jesus Christ.  Although Gabriel had informed Zacharias that their own son, John, would be great, Elizabeth humbly  acknowledged that Mary’s would be greater.  Elizabeth’s child would be Messiah’s forerunner, but Mary’s was the Messiah.  So Elizabeth acknowledged that Mary had received the greater privilege and the greater honor.  Being a righteous woman (1:6), she was thrilled not on at the privilege of bearing Messiah’s forerunner, but even more so that Messiah was coming, and the Jews had been looking forward for that for a very, very long time.  “6  And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” (Luke 1:6).

            MacArthur writes “Elizabeth then blessed Mary’s Son, crying out, Blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  That familiar Old Testament phrase (cf. Gen 30:2; Deut. 7:13; Ps. 127:3; Isa. 13:18), used only here in the New Testament, refers to the holy Child that Mary would bear.”

(cf. Gen 30:2; Deut. 7:13; Ps. 127:3; Isa. 13:18)

“2  Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

“13  He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.”

“3  Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

“18  Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.”

“He is the Messiah (John 4:25-26); the Savior of the world (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14); the recipient of all of heaven’s praise (Heb. 1:6); the one who is ‘holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens (Heb. 7:26); the one whom ‘God highly exalted…and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name’ (Phil. 2:9); the one who will inherit all that the Father possesses (John 15:15; 17:19); the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2:8).

            “Elizabeth’s exclamation of wonder and awe, ‘And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?” is in effect a pronouncement of blessing of herself.  In her true humility, she felt unworthy to be in the presence of such an honored person (Luke 5:8).” “8  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’”  “That Elizabeth, still speaking under the control of the Holy Spirit, referred to Mary’s Son as my Lord attests to His deity.  Lord is a divine title, used more than two dozen times in the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel to refer to God.  Therefore, to call Jesus Lord is first to call Him God (cf. John 20:28).” “28  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!’” “Later the emphasis will include the consequent total submission to His sovereign lordship (6:45). “46  "Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

            John MacArthur then writes “Despite the teaching and liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, the New Testament nowhere gives Mary the title ‘mother of God.’  God, being eternal (Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 40:28; Hab. 1:12; Rom. 16:26), was never conceived or born, but has always existed.  Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not His eternal divine nature.”

(Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 40:28; Hab. 1:12; Rom. 16:26)

“33 ¶  Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.”

“27  The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’”

“2  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

“28  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”

“12 ¶  Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.”

“26  but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith”

            Now once again let us look at Elizabeth’s closing statement, ‘blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord,” supplements her earlier blessing of Mary.  Mary was blessed not only because of her privilege in being the mother of the Messiah, but also because of her faith in believing that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.  But “Elizabeth’s use of the third person pronoun” writes MacArthur “she broadens the blessing beyond Mary to encompass all who believe that God fulfills His promises.”

            MacArthur concludes:  “Mary is not the mother of God, or the queen of heaven.  She plays no role in the redemption of sinners, and does not intercede for them or hear their prayers.  But she is a model of faith, humility, and submission to God’s will.  She is an example to all believers of how to respond obediently, joyfully, and worshipfully to the Word of God.  Therein lies her true greatness.”

            Let me just say that even though Mary was the mother of the Messiah she to was a sinner and needed to be like all sinners whose desire to be in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ, must confess their sins, believe in their heart that God will save them through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There has never been a person who accepts the forgiveness that God offers through Jesus Christ will then wish that they did that.

3/11/2026 8:53 PM

 

PT-1 “Prophetic Confirmation” (Luke 1:41b-43, 45)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/11/2026 10:21 AM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  PT-1 “Prophetic Confirmation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                          Reference: Luke 1:141b-43, 45

            Message of the verses:  “and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?...And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

            In yesterday’s SD we learned that John the Baptist, the son of Elizabeth who was in her womb was filled with the Holy Spirit and now we see that Elizabeth is also filled with the Holy Spirit.  MacArthur writes, “As mentioned earlier, such filling was often connected to speaking a message from God.  In 2 Samuel 23A:2, David declared, ‘The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.’  After John’s birth ‘Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied’ (1:67; cf. vv. 68-69).  ‘Simeon

27  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29  "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30  for my eyes have seen your salvation 31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’”

“Acts 2:4 records that on the day of Pentecost the believers ‘were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [recognized foreign languages; vv. 8-11], as the Spirit was giving them utterance.’ Later in Acts,

“8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, 9  if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10  let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11  This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’’ (Acts 4:8-12) ESV

After Peter and John were threatened and released by the Sanhedrin, the believers ‘were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness’ (Acts 4:31).  The writers of Scripture were ‘men moved by the Holy Spirit [who] spoke from God’ (2 Peter 1:21).

            MacArthur then goes on “After being filled with the Spirit Elizabeth cried out with a loud (a term associated with the speaking of divine truth in such passages as John 1:15; 7:28; 37; Rom. 9:27) voice.” 

(John 1:15; 7:28; 37; Rom. 9:27)

“15 ¶  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

“28  So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.”

“  37 ¶  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

“27  And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,”

“She literally shouted out the message  God gave her, both from excitement over its content, and to emphasize its authority.  What followed was a hymn of praise, the first of five associated with Christ’s birth that Luke records (cf. 1:46-55, 67-79; 2:14, 25-32).  This hymn of praise pronounced blessing on Mary, her child, Elizabeth herself, and ultimately everyone who believes God’s word.”

(cf. 1:46-55, 67-79; 2:14, 25-32)

46  And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49  for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55  as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.’”

“67 ¶  And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69  and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70  as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71  that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72  to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73  the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74  that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75  in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77  to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78  because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’”

“14  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

“25 ¶  Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29  "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30  for my eyes have seen your salvation 31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’”

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  The more that I study the gospel of Luke the more I understand the importance of the things that he puts into his writing about the life of Christ, how it began, which is seen in this first long chapter.  He weaves the story so that one can understand how important every detail that God planned for His Son in order to be born on planet earth, including the mention of the forerunner, John the Baptist.  It is easy to overlook these details, but that is not what I am doing as I look once again about the early stages of Christ before He was even born, and then while He was actually in the womb of His mother Mary.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to learn more of the early life of Jesus Christ and how it was that God the Father, and the Holy Spirit were involved in the birth of Jesus Christ.  I know that there is still some mystery about it, but what I know I certainly can praise the Lord for.

3/11/2026 11:29 AM

 

“Personal Confirmation” (Luke 1:41a,44)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/10/2026 8:40 PM

My Worship Time                                                                       Focus:  “Personal Confirmation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Focus:  Luke 1:41a,44

 Message of the verses:  “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb;…For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.” (NASB)

            We begin this evening’s SD by talking about the confirmation that Mary received from talking with Elizabeth was reinforced in a wondrous manner.  It was at some point in the lengthy conversation that comprised the greeting (no doubt after Mary recounted Gabriel’s words to her), that Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb.  We can be assured that this was not merely the normal movement of the baby in her womb that she felt frequently.  Elizabeth then said to Mary, “When the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy” and this clearly reveals that her baby’s movement was not the familiar kind, but one she identified with joy at Messiah’s anticipated coming.

            John MacArthur writes “This life would be born to be the forerunner (1:17) and herald (3:4-6) of the Messiah, and this silent prophecy was His first announcement.” 

(1:17)

“17  and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.’”

(3:4-6)

“4  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’’’

“It was to enable Him to make this involuntary supernatural prophecy that John was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb’ (v. 15).  As will be seen later, the filling of the Spirit (an expression describing the power of the Holy Spirit taking control and effecting service to God by word or deed) is often connected with prophecy.

            “This was not the first time that movement in a pregnant woman’s womb had prophetic significance.  Centuries earlier during Rebekah’s pregnancy, there was an incident with far-reaching implications:

“21  And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22  The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23  And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’” (Gen. 25:21-24 ESV)

“The children were Jacob and Esau, whose descendants, Israel and the Arabs, have been in conflict for millennia.

            “The joy that began in his mother’s womb would set the tone for John’s entire life and ministry.  In John 3:29, he declared, ‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.  So this joy of mine has been made full.’

            “The baby’s leap for joy provided the fulfillment of the promised confirmation to Mary.  But unlike her unborn son, Elizabeth could speak, and she added her voice to the unspoken prophecy.”

3/10/2026 9:00 PM

 

 

“Personal Confirmation” (Luke 1:39-40)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/10/2026 10:24 AM

My Worship Time                                                                       Focus:  “Personal Confirmation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                        Focus:  Luke 1:39-40

            Message of the verses:  “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.”

            I can see that Mary seems to be in a hurry as the verse states, and the reason was she wanted to find out more information, and the Angel had told her that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age.  It looks like that as Mary would stay with Elizabeth for three months and that would mean that Mary must have left right before the birth of John the Baptist.

            Mary did not have the modern convenience of driving to Jerusalem so she had to walk which probably would have taken three to four days.  MacArthur adds “Such a journey by a girl of Mary’s age was highly unusual in the culture where young girls were carefully shielded and protected.  In addition, though the Bible nowhere mentions the exact moment of her conception, Mary no doubt was already pregnant when she made the trip.  Some have even suggested that the reason show went was to hide her pregnancy.  But her pregnancy would not have been evident that soon after conception.  And if that were Mary’s intent, she would hardly have returned home  three months later when her condition would have been obvious to all. It is doubtful that Joeseph was aware that Mary was pregnant.  The account of Joseph’s awareness of Mary’s pregnancy, his response, the next angelic visit is given by Matthew (1:18-25).”

            MacArthur goes on to write about the city where Elizabeth and her husband were living.  “The exact location of the city (village) of Judah where Zacharias and Elizabeth lived is unknown, although a sixth-century tradition places it about five miles from Jerusalem.  After arriving there Mary entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth (cf. vv. 41, 44).  Unlike the brief, casual even flippant greetings common today, a greeting in the Ancient Near East was an extended social event, involving a lengthy dialogue.  Moses’ encounter with his father-in-law, Jethro, illustrates such a greeting:

“7 ¶  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8  Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. 9  And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. (Exodus 18:7-9) ESV)

            I think that I would have liked to have been around when Mary first entered Zacharias and Elizabeth’s home and listened to the conversation.  Imagine who would have been living in the wombs of Mary and Elizebeth, and as one fast forward about thirty years John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ would be seen together as John would be baptizing Jesus so that He could begin His ministry. 

            MacArthur concludes this section by writing “Mary would share her wonderful news with Elizabeth, confident that she was the one person Mary could count on to believe her story.  Others might have viewed her account as far-fetched attempt to cover up her sexual immorality and resulting pregnancy.  Even Joseph, who knew her well, did not believe Mary’s account, and intended to divorce her (Matt. 1:19).  It was not until he heard the truth from an angel (vv. 20-21, 24-25) that he accepted what had really happened.  Therefore, the text does not reveal what, if anything Mary said to him, her family, or her friends; it says only that she told Ezlisabeth, since she too had experienced a miraculous conception.  Hearing Elizabeth’s account, and even more seeing her condition, also confirmed to Mary that God would keep His word to her.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  I want to go back to look at what may have happened when Mary walked into the house of Elizabeth and Zacharias.  In the grand Skeem of things this was a very, very big deal, but if you don’t stop and think about it you may miss that.  In that house in the wombs of these two women began the greatest miracle ever to happen on the face of this earth.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I desire to trust the Lord to show me what could be called “little things” as I go about my day today, to not miss anything that the Lord desires me to see.

3/10/2026 11:22 AM

 

PT-2 “Mary and Elizabeth: Confirming Angelic Prophecy” (Luke 1:39-45)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/9/2026 7:25 PM

My Worship Time                   Focus PT-2 “Mary and Elizabeth: Confirming Angelic Prophecy”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 1:39-45

            Message of the verses:    39 ¶  In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40  and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41  And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42  and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’” (ESV)

            “Afflicted with a terminal illness, the godly king Hezekiah ‘prayed to the Lord, saying, ‘Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight’’ (2 Kings 20:2-3).  In answer to Hezekiah’s prayer, God sent Isaiah the prophet to him with the good news that his prayer had been answered, ‘Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord the third day?’’ (V-8).  As He had with Moses and Gideon, God granted Hezekiah a sign that what He had promised would come to pass:

“9  And Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?" 10  And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps." 11  And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.” (2 Kings 20:9-11) (ESV)

“Even John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah and the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time (Matt. 11:11), struggled with doubt:

“2  Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3  and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4  And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.’” (Matt. 11:2-6) (ESV)

            MacArthur goes on to write:  “As this passage opens, Mary had just received from the angel Gabriel the most astonishing, unimaginable, incomprehensible announcement any human has ever heard.  Incredibly, his message to her was that she was to be the mother of the Messiah; the Son of God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Mary had responded in humble, obedient, submissive faith (1:38), trusting that God would do as He had said.

            “Although Mary did not ask for a sign, God, knowing how startling and unsetting His message to her was, gave her one anyway.  The sign, involving her older relative, Elizabeth.  Luke’s  gospel record opens with the stories of these two miracles, one involving a barren, older woman past childbearing age, and the other a young, unmarried virgin in her early teens.  The child of the first would be the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist; the second would be the Messiah Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            “Until this point, the two narratives had been separate. Elizabeth lived in the hill country of Judah, in the vicinity of Jerusalem, while Mary lived in the small Galilean village of Nazareth, approximately sixty miles to the north.  But in this passage the two stories come together, as Mary visits Elizabeth.  The two incidents, though separate in time and location, nonetheless contain many striking parallels.

            “For example, both accounts began by introducing the parents, or in Mary’s case, parent (1:5-6, 26-27).  Second, both accounts stated the obstacles to childbearing (Elizabeth’s barrenness [1:7]; Mary’s virginity [1:34]).  Third, Gabriel arrived (1:11, 26), and his appearing frightened the one to whom he appeared (1:12, 29).  Fourth, Gabriel reassured the one to whom he appeared (1:13, 30).  Fifth, Gabriel promised a son (1:13, 31).  Sixth Gabriel gave the son’s name (1:13, 31), and described his greatness (1:15-17, 32-33).  Seventh, there was an objection (Zachariahs’s unbelief [1:18]; Mary’ lack of understanding [1:34]).  Finally, Gabriel gave a sign that what he had spoken would come true (1:19-20, 35-36).

            “Luke’s brief description of Mary’s meeting with Elizbeth emphasizes God’s confirmation of His promise to Mary that she would conceive a Son while still a virgin.  The account reveals three aspects of that confirmation:  personal confirmation, physical confirmation, and prophetic confirmation.”

3/9/2026 7:51 PM

 

PT-1 “Mary and Elizabeth: Confirming Angelic Prophecy” (Luke 1:39-45)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/9/2026 8:09 AM

My Worship Time                   Focus PT-1 “Mary and Elizabeth: Confirming Angelic Prophecy”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 1:39-45

            Message of the verses:    39 ¶  In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40  and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41  And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42  and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’” (ESV)

            This morning I will begin to quote from John MacArthur’s introduction to the sixth chapter in his first commentary on the gospel of Luke the title of this chapter is written above in the focus part of this SD.

            “Faith is the essence of the Christian life.  At the outset, believers are ‘Justified by faith apart from works of the Law’ (Rom. 3:28); cf. 5:1; Gal. 2:16) and thus are ‘sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus’ (Gal. 3:26).  Paul wrote of living the Christian life, ‘the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God’ (Gal. 2:20).  In John 20:29 Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed’ (cf. 1 Peter 1:8). ‘Faith,” notes the writer of Hebrews ‘is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Heb. 11:1; cf. 2 Cor. 4:18; Rom. 8:25), apart from which it is impossible to please God (v.6).

            “But as still fallen people, though ‘we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), even those whose faith is strongest experience doubts and discouragement.  The Bible makes it clear that all through redemptive history God has been the encourager of His people, confirming and strengthening their faith.

            “Tasked with the daunting responsibility of leading the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, ‘Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’’(Ex. 3:11).  God encouraged him: ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you:  when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain’ (v. 12).  Despite God’s reassurance, Moses’s faith still wavered.  ‘What if they [the Israelites] will not believe me or listen to what I say?’  he demanded, ‘For they may say ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’’(Ex. 4:1).  Again God reassured His struggling servant:

“2  The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." 3  And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4  But the LORD said to Moses, "Put out your hand and catch it by the tail"— so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5  "that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." 6  Again, the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7  Then God said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8  "If they will not believe you," God said, "or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9  If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.’” (Ex. 4:2-9) ESV

            Gideon, the Judge who delivered Israel from the oppression of the Midianites, also found his faith was not up to task.  Judges 6:16-23 relates Gideon’s encounter with the Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ), who charged him to deliver Israel:

16  And the LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." 17  And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18  Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay till you return." 19  So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20  And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them." And he did so. 21  Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22  Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." 23  But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die. (Judges 6:16-23) ESV

            “As the Midianite army approached, Gideon sought further reassurance that God would do as He promised.  Seeking to bolster his sagging faith, Gideon made the request for which he is most famous:

“36  Then Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37  behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said." 38  And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39  Then Gideon said to God, "Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew." 40  And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.” (Judges 6:36-40) ESV

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  These are difficult times that I am living in, difficult because of what is going on with my wife as she continues to struggle with cancer, although we have gotten some better reports lately.  Difficult because of how our country is handling the war going on in Iran, one that had to be fought or risk Israel and US to see Iran’s Nuclear bombs.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  “16  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)

3/9/2026 8:53 AM