A Proper Fear in an Anxious World

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41 ESV).

Although we are not told explicitly that the disciples were afraid during the storm on the lake, their actions tell us something. They woke Jesus, asking, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” Could they really wonder whether Jesus cared?! But their response to his care is what really astounds us as readers of this event. After calming the storm in their midst we read, they “were filled with great fear.” That was an appropriate response. They were at the very beginning of starting to “get it.”

The Proverbs were starting to take shape in their lives. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (9:10). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7). They still had a long way to go, but they were on the right track. John would later write in his gospel, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (1:3). The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (1:3a). And Paul to the church in Rome, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” 11:33). The fear of the Lord was the right response to such a display of his mighty power.

One particular teaching moment with Jesus is quite striking regarding his discussion of fear. “So have no fear of them [that is, people who hate you for your faith in Christ], for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:26-33). Do not fear man, for that is a snare (see Prov. 29:25). Do not fear the devil, resist him (see James 4:7). The fear of the Lord is what matters. Because in that fear is revealed an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Friends, if you have a healthy fear of the LORD, then you have nothing else to fear. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

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Doctrine Is for Life

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

On Resurrection Morning, incognito Jesus met up with Cleopas and Co. They were “talking and discussing” the remarkable happenings concerning Jesus of Nazareth. They “had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” When Jesus had heard enough he responded. And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27 ESV)

One particular branch of theology likes to look to this unique encounter between Jesus and these disciples as expressing the validity of its specialty. I tend to think that every area of theology benefits from pondering Jesus’ teaching that first Lord’s Day morning.

Let me briefly explain these theological areas to which I am referring. First, there is Exegetical Theology. This is the science of drawing out the meaning and interpretation of a passage of Scripture given the text’s language, context and historical background. We really do this every time we read the Bible. It is also what we usually do in Sunday School class.

Next is Systematic Theology. This area of theology seeks to discern what the Bible as a whole says about a particular topic. You may recall our sermon series considering the catechism answer to What is God? “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” This was essentially an exercise in systematic theology considering the Doctrine of God. Other topics include Christology, Doctrine of the Spirit, the Doctrine of Scripture, the Doctrine of Salvation, etc.

Then we have Biblical Theology. New seminary students (including yours truly, back in the day) become quickly enamored with this one because it is often so new and interesting. This field is the study of tracing the history of redemption and the promises of God and their progressive fulfillment from Genesis to Revelation. It helps us see how the whole Bible fits together and centers on Christ.

Historical Theology traces the development of doctrine from the time of the apostles to the present. This includes tracing God’s providence in the lives of his people (Church History). This is important because much of our development of doctrine has come in the face of obvious and sometimes insidious wrong doctrines. Many of our forbears gave their lives in the defense of the truth of Scripture. They followed the Apostle’s admonition to Timothy: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

Finally there is Practical Theology. While all theology is ultimately practical, this specific branch of study explores the application of theology in everyday life. We should always seek to do this appropriately through preaching, teaching, group, and private Bible study. After all, we do not just read the Scripture for information, but even more for transformation—into the image of Christ!

The verses listed above from Luke 24 are often used by those in the field of Biblical Theology as their marching orders. That is certainly true. Can you imagine what it was like to listen to the Son of God himself trace the unfolding teaching of the Messiah from the books of Moses all the through the prophets and up to the actual day of Christ’s resurrection? What a Bible study that must have been!

But I believe Jesus was also doing Systematic Theology with his disciples that day. I believe he taught them quite a bit about Christology and Scripture and the Church. And he was engaging in Exegetical Theology as he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures. Further, he was engaging in Historical Theology and Old Testament Church History as he unfolded for them the development of the doctrine of the promised deliverer throughout redemptive history. Finally, I think it was also an exercise in Practical Theology. What is more practical than seeing how the Scripture is “all about Jesus”!

Jesus invites and commands us to join him through the power of the Holy Spirit and under the calling of the Father to engage in all these theological disciplines ourselves. Yes, that means you and me. After all, how else can follow our teaching from a couple of weeks ago: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9 ESV). Let’s get to proclaiming! Happy studying.

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Martin Luther (10 Nov. 1483 – 18 Feb. 1546)

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Martin Luther & Sola Scriptura

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany.  The son of a miner, he turned from a profession in law to the monastery. In 1505, in the midst of a frightening thunderstorm and nearby lightning strike that threw him to the ground, he screamed, “Help me, St. Anne. I will become a monk.” Making a deal with God through his belief at the time in the intercession of St. Anne, patron saint of miners, Martin survived and kept his end of the bargain.

Luther’s spiritual distress continued in the monastery. He knew he was a sinner. He knew God was holy. He could never get past the sense that the judgement of God always lay before him. His mentors in the monastery tried to solve his problem first by sending him to seminary and then to a teaching position at the newly formed University of Wittenberg. He taught theology and Bible.

In 1516, during the time of Enlightenment and a “return to the sources,” the Dutch Christian humanist, Erasmus of Rotterdam, published his monumental scholarly edition of the Greek New Testament. Prior to this, teachers and scholars only had access to Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate. The return to the original Greek text would truly change the world.

In God’s providence, Luther was assigned to teach the Psalms, Galatians, Romans, and Hebrews. When the new Greek text became available, he began reading the NT in its original language. His spiritual distress would soon find relief. The Greek word properly translated as “repent” or “repentance,” metanoia, was translated differently in the Latin Bible. It was translated as “do penance.” Think about this. Both Jesus and John preached, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” That is, turn away from your sins and to God in faith. Do penance means: do acts of contrition, confess to a priest, accept punishments for your sin, and finally, seek absolution. Spiritual distress indeed!

Luther’s study of the Bible eventually led to one of the “solas” of the Reformation: Scripture Alone. It also led to his own spiritual breakthrough. When he realized we are justified by grace through faith he said it was as if the gates of paradise were opened and he walked through!

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther famously nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the church door (i.e., public bulletin board) in Wittenberg. Remember metanoia? Here are the first three theses:

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” [Matthew 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. 2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. 3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh.

Luther helped get these ideas back into the right order. The change in our lives grows out of the new birth and new life we have in Christ. We might say, “We are justified by faith alone. But the faith that justifies is not alone.” God delivers us from the power and guilt of sin through our faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit now dwells within us. Having been born from above, “I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16 CSB). After all, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (2:20). Amen.

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The Fear of the LORD

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

The fear of the Lord is a Biblical concept in short supply today. Let us think about this neglected doctrine together here. We will begin with a contrast. Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10 CSB). We must know God in order to fear Him. Further, wisdom, or skillful living, is one of our greatest needs. On the other hand, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (29:25 ESV). These verses make the issue clear as to whom we should fear.

The wise man contrasts a prevailing way of life with the fear of God as its foundation with the daily temptation to fear mortal man. Wisdom and understanding, as we walk the narrow road, are contrasted with the traps all around us that would lure and entangle us away from the path of righteousness. Jesus crystalized the contrast above: “I say to you, my friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the one to fear: Fear him who has the authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear!” (Luke 12:4-5 CSB). Jesus is too kind to beat around the bush.   

I believe that a healthy dose of the fear of the Lord will not only fortify us to stand firm against the call of this world, but will also give us confidence and joy in how we live with our families and our neighbors and even our enemies.

Having been told by the angel she would give birth to the Son of God, Mary composed a prayer. In it she said, “His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him” (Luke 1:50). As a faithful young lady she knew that the prevailing piety, or spiritual characteristic, of God’s faithful people is a reverence for him.

The Apostle loved to rehearse the Old Testament promises. After doing so in one letter he concluded: “So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). The capstone of our sanctification—our growth in God’s grace—is our fear of the Lord.

In one of his remarkable summary statements concerning the early church, Luke wrote, “So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers” (Acts 9:31). You see, fear of the Lord is here seen as one side of a coin. On one side is the constant sense that we serve a holy and righteous God who will not be trifled with. On the other side, it is the very Spirit of the living God dwelling within the believer walking alongside us as our Comforter and Keeper.

Finally, Isaiah told us about our Savior who would come from the line of David. He described the Messiah’s character in detail: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, A Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight will be in the fear of the LORD” (Isa. 11:2-3a). John Murray commented here—it is wordy, read it slowly—on why the fear of the Lord is so important in our relationship with Christ. “If he who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners was endued with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord, how can thought or feeling that is not conditioned by God’s fear have any kinship with him who is the captain of our salvation and who has given us an example that we should follow in his steps?”

As God’s people, we have been given the Spirit of Christ. And the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. So like the church in Acts, let us walk together in that glorious fear.

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God-given Instruments for Living and Shining

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. (Philippians 2:14-16 CSB).

We live in the midst of a generation similar to the one of the first believers in Christ. The Reformation Study Bible defines this crookled generation as “those who resist God’s Word in unbelief and defiant rebellion” (cf. Acts 2:40-41). The Apostle Paul warns the church members at Philippi not to fall into the unbelief of our spiritual ancestors whom Moses led out of bondage. He warns them—and us—rather to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we best follow and obey his admonition during these times in which we live today? I suggest we go to Acts 2:42 and Luke’s description of the early church:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

The early Christians were consistent participants in what we often call “the means of grace.” These are instruments God provides through which God offers himself to us to be received by faith. God accomplishes his ends for us and in us through the Bible, the sacraments (or ordinances), prayer, and the body of Christ (or the church). Let’s consider each briefly in the order Luke lists them.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. The apostles were essentially explaining and applying the Old Testament Scriptures and also, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, composing the New Testament. So our earliest Christian ancestors were devoting themselves to the study of God’s Word. If we are to give an answer for the hope we have within us; if we are to look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others; if we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, then we must know God’s Word and have it inscribed upon our hearts. Consider two passages in the Bible about the Bible. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Let’s stay in the Word together! It is our lamp and our light.

They devoted themselves to the fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship here is koinonia. It is a rich and robust word describing how Christians live with and treat one another. It means a true and sincere sharing of life together. It includes celebrating together, mourning together, working together, and witnessing together of God’s work in our lives. In participating in koinonia we bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (see Gal. 6:2).

They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. The early church shared meals together often, even as we do on the third Sundays. But here the breaking of bread likely refers more specifically to the Lord’s Supper. As you know, we partake of this Sacrament together. We demonstrate our communion together as God’s people. We acknowledge the necessity of personal conversion to Christ. We profess the Lord’s death until he comes. And we are spiritually strengthened for the journey in this life.

They devoted themselves to prayer. The Larger Catechism 178 answers the question, What is prayer? Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies. May God give us the grace to be those who indeed live with a constant and consistent spirit of prayer. And let us thank God for these means of grace through which we come to know him better and shine like stars in this world he has made.

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Final Authority

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Perhaps we are living in the midst of a crisis of authority. Who or what is our authority? How do we know what is real and good and true? Jesus will help us answer this question. The gospels make it clear in their description of his life and words.

Jesus first shows us during his temptations from the devil in the wilderness. Satan tempted the hungry Jesus to turn stones to bread, to test God by jumping from the pinnacle of the temple, and finally to fall down and worship him (see Mt. 4:1-11). In all three cases Jesus answered, “It is written…” and each time quoted from Deuteronomy: 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13. Men and women are to live on the life-giving words of God, to never test God, and to worship God alone. Jesus, our Savior and our example, obeyed the law of God.

Jesus was often tested by the Pharisees. They once did so, referring to the law of Moses, “by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’” (see Mt. 19:1-12). Note his response. “He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate’” (Mt. 19:4-6 ESV). In this case Jesus referred to Genesis and his belief in our first parents, Adam and Eve. He looked to the Old Testament narratives for his understanding of the created order and how we are to live within it.

Toward the end of his earthly life Jesus spoke of his second coming. He wanted us to realize how it will come suddenly. He said, “’For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man’” (Mt. 24:37-39). Jesus recounted the judgement on all living creatures other than those within the ark as he prepares us for the judgement at the end of time as we know it. Old Testament events served as types for the events of Jesus’ life and even the future judgment of the living and the dead.

Finally, on another occasion Jesus was asked by both the scribes and the Pharisees for a sign to authenticate his words (see Mt. 12:38-42). Jesus, however, did not do signs on command. Therefore, not unlike his reference to Noah above, “he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of earth’” (Mt. 12:39, 40). Jesus believed in the miracles his Father performed throughout the Old Testament as well as his own fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

So what was Jesus’ authority? The infallible and inerrant Bible, the word of God (at that time made up of the 39 books of the Old Testament). God’s word is the first word and the final word. As Jesus said, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass away from the Law until all is accomplished” (Mt. 5:18). And he added, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35b).

Our Westminster Standards remind us clearly. Our only authority for glorifying and enjoying God as well as our only authority for faith and practice, is the word of God, the Bible, which is made up of the Old and New Testaments. (See WLC questions 1-4.) Thank God for the Bible. Let us continue to read it, study it, preach it, meditate on it, and obey it.

Pastor Josh

  • The above is my church newsletter article for Feb. 2024
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Luke 15 and the Proper Interpretation & Application of Scripture

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

By the staff at Ligonier Ministries and concerning recent discussions of important issues of our day:

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/true-compassion-lgbtq-weddings

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Standing Fast in 2024

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Dear Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Happy New Year! As we begin this new year, please remember that we are in God’s good and strong hands. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3 ESV). As I pondered writing this article and started twice, I am now in my third try on New Year’s Eve. I have chosen to focus on our men of all ages, 2 to 102. All believers can always learn from every passage of the Bible by extension and application, but some passages focus on us in specific and crucial ways. So I believe it is in the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the church in Corinth just before he closes his first letter to them.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:13-14). Friends, we live in challenging times. Not only God, but reality itself, is under attack. Let us be prepared to stand fast even as the opposition to our God, his holy and inerrant Word, and us his people, only grows more and more stubborn and belligerent. Richard Pratt says it clearly, “God calls us to a way of life that incites opposition from the world.” Therefore, listen to General Paul as he gives short orders to his soldiers in the army of the Lord.

Be watchful. In his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death. His resurrection guarantees ours. Further, he is coming again. So be prepared. Jesus taught extensively on this theme in his final parables in the gospels. Paul already warned all believers: “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). So brothers and fathers, as you vigilantly await Christ’s return in glory, live holy lives in conduct and in service to Christ in all things. Be prepared to thwart the spiritual forces of darkness. Live with Jesus’ final victory in mind.

Stand firm in the faith. Do not deviate to the right or to the left. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Prov. 14:12). God does not change with the times. (What a relief!) God’s Word does not change. “The early church faced many challenges that tested believers’ faithfulness to Christ” (R. Pratt). So it is with us today. Be committed to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the life that flows from such a call and commitment. Rely on the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Act like men. Be strong. I am currently reading a marvelous book that its author says should never have needed to be written, but, alas, the times call for it: No Apologies: Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men by Anthony Esolen. The KJV translates the phrase Acquit you like men. That is, men, conduct yourselves according to the way God made you, in his image and according to his instructions. There is such a thing, a person actually, as a man and specifically a Christian gentleman. That is who we are called to be.

After instructing us to meditate on God’s law day and night, Joshua said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Our world certainly resembles Canaan today. Let us take heed of Joshua’s words. Joab once told King David, “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him” (2 Sam. 10:12). I say, “Amen!” And the late Dr. Simon Kistemaker warned us, “No soldier in the army of Jesus Christ may be fainthearted; in his presence, there is no place for cowards and weaklings.” Men of Christ, Acquit yourselves like men. Our victory is sure in Jesus Christ, who offered us peace in him, adding, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).

Let all that you do be done in love. Without the Christian virtue of love, we could appear loud and obnoxious to the world. May it never be! Clothed in love and humility we will live godly and orderly lives. And we will be ready to respond to the fiery darts of the devil. Love for God first and secondly for our neighbor is the motivation and the guiding principle for everything a Christian does. After all, “God is love” (1 John 4:8b).

Dear brothers and sisters, as we begin 2024, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

Pastor Josh

*The above is my church newsletter article for Jan. 2024

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A Call to Repentance

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Anne Steele’s Hymns in Response to War

I am privileged to be featured in the inaugural issue of the Birmingham Theological Journal

https://www.btswritingcenter.net/_files/ugd/98b6b2_d70b36e9b9ba4af1ba3d377dcb44d920.pdf

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A Christmas Classic

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

My December newsletter article:

St. Luke records four Christmas classics in his gospel. Let’s take a lyric from the first one to meditate on this Christmas season.


“Magnificat” (sung by Mary, Luke 1:46-55)


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 (50- 53).


Mary was a young lady of modest means betrothed to Joseph, a simple craftsman in Israel. They lived in the region of Galilee in a city called Nazareth. Israel was ruled by Rome at this time under Caesar Augustus. A virgin and a pious Jew of her day, Mary had been visited by an angel and told she would carry the promised Savior—the son of God. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit. It happened just as she was told. Yet even before this, the angel had visited her older cousin’s husband, Zechariah, and told him that his barren wife would give birth to the Messiah’s forerunner. It happened. We are even told that the elderly lady “for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people’” (Lk. 1:24b-25). Reproach? She was barren, childless. But not anymore! He opened her womb. God had visited her and also her young cousin.
So, Mary, having been told by the angel that Elizabeth was in the sixth month of her miraculous pregnancy “arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘… Behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord’” (Lk. 1:39-45). Mary responded with a song of praise.


What a story! Two obscure women of rural first century Israel. Both visited by the Lord of heaven and earth. One barren, the other a virgin. The older woman carrying the one prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi to come in the spirit of Elijah and blaze the trail of the coming kingdom of God (see Is. 40 and Mal. 3-4). The young lady carrying the promised Suffering Servant, a light to the Gentiled, a faithful disciple, and a perfect substitute for the sins of his people (see Is. 42, 49, 50, 52-53). What else could Mary do but sing!


Let’s consider three important themes in the excerpt above: the fear of the Lord, humility, and divine provision.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Mary sings of the mercy of the Lord that comes to those who fear him. The wise man told us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the psalmists add that the friendship of the LORD, compassion, and steadfast love are for those who fear him (see Pr. 9:10; Ps. 25:14; 103:11, 13). Mary knew her Bible and she knew her God. Let us approach our great God with reverence, awe, and wonder. Receive mercy, wisdom, friendship, and love—from the Lord!

He has scattered the proud … he has brought down the mighty. If there is one pair contrasting traits we see from the beginning of the Scripture to its end, it is pride and humility. God hates one and loves the other (cf. Pr. 6:16-19). Mary knew this and she sings about it. Two proverbs prove her point clearly. “It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.” “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.” (Pr. 16:19; 21:4) Mary knew this truth in her youth and would experience it throughout her life. Let us take her words to heart—to both humble us and give us hope for the present and the future!

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. She anticipates the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ “upside down kingdom.” The first will be last and the last first. The sad will be comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. The Shepherd will indeed provide for his needy flock. We pray, give us this day our daily bread. The Good Shepherd would not only fill us with good things, but would know our names and would lay down his life for the sheep. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? If you do, Jesus said you will be filled.


Mary’s hit tune is just what we need this Christmas. In a world and nation that is forsaking the God who brought us into existence, she reminds us—exhorts us—to fear the Lord. In a culture that is fueled by the highest octane of pride on the market, we are extolled to seek the gift of humility. After all, Jesus said of himself that he was gentle and humble in heart and that in him we could find rest for our souls (see Mt. 11:28-30). Finally, as you may perhaps struggle to afford the Christmas gifts you would like to give to your loved ones this Christmas, we have a promise stated in the present tense: he has filled the hungry with good things. And what is the best thing? Jesus prayed it for us the night before he died for sinners. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3).

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