Hebrew Highlights 82 MY SOUL EXALTS

 

Shalom.  This is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

LUK 1:46-50 “And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.  "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed.  “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.  "And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.”

In protestant circles, we tend to shy away from attention to Mary, the mother of Yeshua, perhaps as a sort of automatic defense and balance to the Catholic church’s infatuation with her.

Nevertheless, the scripture I just read states clearly that all generations will count her blessed.  I’d like to take a brief look at what Mary, or Miriam in Hebrew, emphasized in her soliloquy here.

Miriam said “My Soul exalts”, or in some translations, magnifies “the Lord”.  In Hebrew it reads “T’romem nafshi et Adonai.”  The word “romem” can mean praise, lift up, glorify, or exalt.  In today’s diluted and Hellenized English, the word “exalt” is not found in daily use.  Perhaps we even sing it mechanically in our hymns, without thinking about it’s true meaning.

In a sense, the definition is found in the next verse of Miriam’s words.  “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave.”  We can understand how God is “exalted”, only if we see ourselves as humble bondslaves.

There is a very sad statement concerning the people of Israel, and I think, which can be true of the church as well, in HOS 11:7.  “So My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call them to the One on high, None at all exalts Him.”

In today’s commercial holiday excitement, the world as a whole, and unfortunately even those of us who are true believers, tend to exalt the “day” and not the “Holy” one.

Most of you have probably already heard that Christmas day, that is to say December 25th, was most likely not the day on which our dear savior, Messiah Yeshua” was actually born.  Most scholars agree that His birthday was actually near either the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Passover.  Nonetheless, on this day the world has chosen to recognize the miracle of God’s sending of His son in the flesh, our attention should be wholly on Him.

I in particular, like to hear the music of the holiday, which contains some of the greatest truths of the scriptures, as well as many of the most anointed melodies ever penned.  I admittedly often find myself swelling up in tears as I realize what a great salvation has been provided for us humble, sinful, even pathetic humans.

I think if Miriam could speak to us today, she might quote PSA 34:3, “O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”

“Chag Molad Sameach”, “Happy Holiday of the birth”.  from Jerusalem.