Luke 1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:49-50

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. In this strophe, the second division of the hymn of praise, she glorifies three of the principal Divine attributes—God's power, his holiness, and his mercy. His power or might, alluding to the words of the angel (verse 85), "The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee." Surely in all the records of the Lord's works since the world's creation,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:49-55

God revealed in Jesus Christ. We see much more in Mary's words than the thoughts which were present to her mind at the time of utterance; for we stand well within that kingdom of God of which she stood on the threshold. To the holy confidence she entertained in God's goodness to all Israel, and especially to herself up to that hour, there was added a reverent wonder as to this new manifestation of Divine mercy. So she sang of the power and the holiness, the mercy and the faithfulness, of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:51-53

He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath soattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away . From adoration, Mary's hymn proceeds to celebrate the mighty results effected by the Divine pity. As so often in thee prophetic strains, the speaker or writer speaks or writes as though the future had become the past; so Mary here... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:54-55

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Her hymn dies down into a strain of gratitude for the eternal faithfulness to the cause of the chosen people. Had not God in very truth remembered his ancient promise? From one of their daughters, still speaking of the future as of the past, Messiah had been born—a greater Deliverer, too, than the most sanguine Hebrew patriot had ever dreamed of. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:57-80

John, afterwards called the Baptist, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, is born. The Benedictus . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:57-80

The birth and development of the Baptist. We now pass from the inspirations of the holy women to the birth of the Baptist. We have before us what one has well denominated "a pious family in their good fortune." £ As this preacher observes, we have here "the mother in her joy, the father with his song of praise, and the little child and his development." We cannot do better than allow our thoughts to group themselves round these three persons in this order. I. CONTEMPLATE THE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:58

How the Lord had showed great mercy upon her . No doubt the vision of Zacharias in the temple, and his subsequent dumbness, had excited no little inquiry. That the reproach of Elisabeth should be taken away, no doubt few really believed. The birth of her son, however, set a seal upon the reality of the priest's vision. The rejoicings of her family were due to more than the birth of her boy. The story of the angel's message, coupled with the unnsual birth, set men thinking and asking what... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:58-67

Joy and awe at a human birth. When John was born his mother's heart was filled with great joy, and her neighbors rejoiced with her. And when the little child, a week old, was introduced into the Jewish commonwealth, a feeling of awe filled the hearts of those present, and there was much wonderment concerning him. "Fear came on them all," and every one was asking, "What manner of child shall this be?" No doubt the exceptional character of the circumstances attending his birth and his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:59

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child . This was always, among the Hebrew people, a solemn day of rejoicing; it resembled in some particulars our baptismal gatherings. Relatives were invited to be present, as witnesses that the child had been formally incorporated into the covenant. It was, too, the time when the name which the newly born was to bear through life was given him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:59-80

The name-giving, and what followed it. There is a quiet, gentle beauty in the picture of the home life given in Luke 1:58 . The touches of nature in it make us feel our kinship with all the ages. We are told of the flood of congratulations and kind messages which surges towards the happy mother; how the cousins of the priestly families in and around Hebron, and the neighbors scattered over that part of northern Judea, hastened to express their gladness to Zacharias and Elisabeth. The... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:49-50

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:49-55

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:51-53

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:54-55

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:57-80

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:57-80

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:58

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:58-67

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:59

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 1:59-80

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