Mary's Song, the Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

Introduction Last week we looked at the scene in which the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. The angel told her the name of the One who was to be born. Jesus. The meaning of that name is Saviour. The birth of Jesus can only be properly understood through the lens of salvation. That salvation is not merely personal comfort. It is salvation for sinners full of transgression, like Jacob. It is the complete salvation accomplished once for all as Jesus himself became the sacrifice. It is the unshakeable salvation in which the Son of God, seated upon his throne, keeps his people to the very end. Today we will see how Mary responded when she heard that word. After receiving the annunciation, Mary went with haste to visit her relative Elisabeth. And the moment she entered the house, Elisabeth cried out: "And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43) At that one utterance, Mary's lips opened. Praise broke forth. This is what we know as the Magnificat — Mary's Song. This song is brief, but it is deep. It begins with her own lowliness. But as the praise unfolds, the horizon widens. The story of one woman connects to the history of Israel, and that history reaches all the way back to Abraham. And at last Mary arrives at a single conclusion: "This can only be explained by the covenant with Abraham." Today we will follow this song and consider three things. First, we will see what the Abrahamic covenant is and why it is a covenant of unilateral grace. Second, we will see how that covenant has endured for thousands of years, upheld by three pillars: the holiness, the mercy, and the power of God. Third, we will see how that covenant is fulfilled within Mary's womb. 1. God Swore First — The Abrahamic Covenant Is a Covenant of Unilateral Grace Mary's song begins like this: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:46–47) Mary calls God "my Saviour." To need a Saviour is to be someone who must be saved. Mary knew that she too was a weak sinner in need of salvation. Verse 48 says: "For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden." (Luke 1:48) This low estate is not simply a posture of humility. It is the place the world does not notice. The place of no power, no qualification, no influence. Mary was in that place. And yet God looked upon that place. The gaze of the God who governs the entire universe rested upon the place the world had turned away from. Mary's praise begins precisely here. Now let us go to Genesis 15. God proposes a covenant with Abraham. He instructs him to split animals and lay the pieces opposite one another. In those days, when a covenant was made, both parties would pass between the pieces together. The meaning was this: "If I break this promise, let me become like these animals." But in Genesis 15, something remarkable happens. Abraham has fallen into a deep sleep. Only God passes between the pieces — as a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. Why? Because God was saying: I will bear the responsibility of this covenant alone. Even if Abraham fails, even if Israel fails, the final obligation of this covenant rests upon God. This is the covenant of unilateral grace. And this covenant is ultimately fulfilled at the cross. The oath God swore, God himself fulfils. The consequence of humanity's breaking of the covenant, God himself bears. As Jesus was torn, the oath of Genesis 15 was accomplished at Calvary. That is why Mary could sing "my Saviour." 2. God Will Surely Fulfil It — His Holiness, Mercy, and Power Sustain the Covenant Mary's gaze now turns from herself to God. "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation." (Luke 1:49–50) Mary sings of three things. His holiness. His mercy. His power. First, his holiness. Holiness means that God is altogether different from us. We change our promises according to circumstance; we abandon them when they cost us too much. But God is not like this. The holy God does not treat his word lightly. He cannot call sin something other than sin. From his holiness flows his justice. Therefore God does not compromise the covenant. The history of Israel is the repetition of one question: "Will God give up this time?" In the wilderness, Israel made a golden calf. God said he would destroy them. But he did not. Because mercy remembered. In Canaan, Israel bowed the knee to Baal. Not once, but again and again. Yet God continued to send prophets. Because the covenant was still alive. In Babylon, the temple was burned. The people were led away in chains. It appeared that everything was over. But seventy years later, God moved the mightiest empire in the world and brought his people home. Three times. The same answer. God did not give up. Why? Because his holiness would not let him compromise the covenant. His mercy would not let him abandon it. And his power drove it unfailingly to completion. Because these three stand together, the Abrahamic covenant has endured for thousands of years. 3. He Has Come at Last — Jesus as the Fulfilment of the Abrahamic Covenant Mary's song reaches its decisive turning point at the end. At first she sang of "my Saviour." But now she sings of the Saviour of Israel. "He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy." (Luke 1:54) Mary begins to understand. The child in my womb is not merely my Saviour. He is the Saviour of Israel. And in verse 55 she gives the reason: "As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever." (Luke 1:55) There is only one answer. The Abrahamic covenant. The covenant God swore alone in Genesis 15. The covenant he upheld for thousands of years through his holiness, his mercy, and his power. That covenant has now come in flesh. Galatians says: "He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16) The seed promised to Abraham is now in Mary's womb. Within the womb of the woman singing the song was the fulfilment of the song. The coming of Jesus is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant. Application — Mary's Song Is My Song We are no different from Mary. The place the world does not notice. The place of no qualification. The place of sin and transgression. The place where we have prayed long and nothing has changed. The place where we have fallen into the same sin again. The place where we think even God will no longer use us. The place where Mary stood is that very place. And yet God looked upon us. Our salvation cannot be explained. Our calling cannot be explained. His use of us cannot be explained. There is only one explanation. The Abrahamic covenant. When God looks upon us, he does not look first at our qualifications. He looks at the covenant. The God who passed through alone on that deep night in Genesis 15. The God who upheld the covenant for thousands of years through his holiness, his mercy, and his power. The God who fulfilled the covenant by sending his Son. That fulfilment was the cross. The oath sworn on that night when God walked alone was carried out in blood at Calvary. That same God holds us still today. The last word of Mary's song is "for ever." The covenant that began with Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus and continues even now. We are in that everlasting covenant today. Therefore Mary's song is my song.