Luke 1:39-45
"And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord," Luke 1:39-45.
At the salutation of Mary, Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. Please keep in mind that it had been four hundred years since this had happened. The babe is filled with the Holy Ghost, as is the mom and the dad (Luke 1:67). What they said was by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and what they said is part of the canon of Scripture, as all Holy Spirit prophecies are. Stop and let that sink in. These were direct messages from God for people, and they were recorded for us in Scripture. God does not give direct messages from prophets today because He has given us the Holy Scriptures, and in the Holy Scriptures God has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (II Peter 1:3). We have had no need for direct revelations from God ever since He has given to us His completed Word.
In Luke 1 we are still in the economy of the Old Testament. John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come and go empowering the prophets to speak as He gave them utterance. You and I live in the economy of the New Testament. We have the completed Word of God, and it tells us what it means for us to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Turn to Ephesians 5:15-20. "Filled" is the Greek word "pletho" and simply means to be influenced. From Ephesians 5:15 to the end of the epistle, we see how a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit is to live. Simply put, we live in submission to Scripture. John the Baptist, Zacharias, and Elisabeth were part of the Old Testament economy, and what they spoke was actually part of Scripture, and it lined up with the rest of the Scriptures.
We can be sure that Zacharias made sure that Elisabeth knew everything that the angel Gabriel had told him. He better have a good reason for coming home from work and not being able to talk. Elisabeth knew her son would be the forerunner of the Messiah, but she did not know who the Messiah would be, nor did she know her cousin Mary would be the one God would choose to use to bring His only begotten Son into this world. It is obvious when she was filled with the Holy Ghost that He revealed these things to her. This filling by the Holy Ghost produced a hymn of praise.
"And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord," Luke 1:42-45. Elisabeth proclaims that Mary and her child are blessed. Mary is blessed in that no one else, ever, will carry the Son of God in their womb. Mary is blessed among women, not above women. She is not to be worshipped.
Notice Elisabeth's humility in verse 43. Note that Elisabeth said "the mother of my Lord." This again refers to the Hypostatic Union; Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Mary was excited to go visit with Elisabeth, but Elisabeth is more excited now knowing the Messiah would soon be in the world. The One who was promised to come, is about to make His entrance into the world, from the womb of Mary. Elisabeth was a humble lady. Those who are walking righteous before God are usually humble. They understand who they are, and what they deserve. Elisabeth's life is not where she thought it would be six months prior to this, and more than likely it is not where she thought it would be sixty years prior to this day. She was truly in awe that God would bless her in using her in this way. You and I make plans, but God directs our steps. Our lives do not always go how we plan for them to go, but we can be rest assured that our God is Sovereign.
In verse 44 Elisabeth re-iterates what we learned in verse 41, and in verse 45 Elisabeth focuses on Mary's faith. Mary believed what the angel Gabriel said. When she saw Elisabeth six months pregnant this furthered her faith, and then Mary's faith is concreted with the promise that what God, He would surely do.
When looking around at all that was going on, none of it was humanly possible. This was truly a working of God in all of their lives. This was something that only God could do. "For with God, nothing shall be impossible," Luke 1:37. We trust God to do what He said He would and will do. Our eyes are to be continually on the Lord, not on ourselves, and not on our circumstances. Look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us," II Corinthians 1:20. Our God is good and faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us. It is truly amazing to know that God would save us through His eternal Son Jesus Christ. He has also given us the assurance of salvation through His Word. This is why it is so important that we know the Lord has saved us according to the Scriptures. Our feelings, emotions, and experiences change, but God's Word never changes. Look unto Jesus, the Saviour of all men.
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
