Saturated
[sach-uh-rey-tid]
soaked,
impregnated, or imbued thoroughly; charged thoroughly or completely; brought to
a state of saturation.
One of the most formidable
challenges of biblical preaching is to condense 20+ hours of study material
into a 40-minute sermon. Do the math. That’s a one-minute summary for every 30
minutes of study. This being the case, there is always more I want to say in
the course of a sermon but can’t, due to time constraints.
While preaching through
Mary’s song of praise (Magnificat) in Luke 1:46-55, I noticed something that I
didn’t share in my sermon, and that was this: Mary’s prayer is replete with
Scripture. While commentators are quick
to point out similarities between Mary’s prayer and that of Hannah in 1 Samuel
2:1-10, most of them neglect to point out other Scripture passages that Mary
utilized. Here is a comparison of Mary's Magnificat with other Scripture passages, as noted by William Hendriksen in his commentary:
- Luke 1:46-47 with Ps. 103:1
- Luke 1:48 with 1 Sam. 1:11
- Luke 1:49 with Ps. 22:3; 71:22; 89:18; 99:3; 103:1
- Luke 1:50 with Ps. 103:17
- Luke 1:51 with Ps. 44:3; 98:1; Isa. 53:1; Ps. 89:10; Job 12:19
- Luke 1:52 with 2 Sam. 22:28; 22:18; Job 5:11
- Luke 1:53 with Ps. 103:5; 107:9
- Luke 1:54 with Ps. 98:3; 147:2, 19; 25:6; 98:3; 136 (second part of each verse)
- Luke 1:55 with Gen. 12:2-3; 17:7; 22:15-18; Exod. 2:24; 2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 105:6-10; Micah 7:20
Hendricksen notes, "The system of education in Israel was such that from early childhood children were taught 'the sacred writings' (II Tim. 3:15)." Because Mary's mind was saturated with Scripture, it was natural for her to express her praise in biblical language.
Both the Old Testament and New Testament make it clear that the person who meditates on God's Word day and night is blessed as he believes and obeys it (Ps. 1; John 13:17; James 1:25). Parents have the privilege and responsibility to teach the Scriptures diligently to their children (Deut. 6:5-9; cf. Eph. 6:4).
How are we doing when it comes to knowing God's Word? Are our minds saturated with Scripture? What about the minds of our children?
As I was wrapping up my study of Mary's Magnificat and thinking along these lines, I took part in a weekend consultation seminar on Christian education. I was reminded of the invaluable role that Christian education plays in the discipleship ministry of the church. The mission statement of our own Christian school is to "assist parents in their God-given responsibility to provide a Christ-centered education for their children that meets or exceeds standard of academic excellence."
What a glorious mission! I pray that our students would graduate with minds saturated with the truth of God and a heart committed to serving him. Just like Mary.
After I preached on Mary's Magnificat, a member of our music team sent me the following song which is based almost word-for-word on the text (Luke 1:46-55). You can ignore the video graphics. Simply close your eyes, listen, and lift your heart to the Lord. May our minds and hearts be increasingly saturated with his truth. May God's own words be the language of our praise.
After I preached on Mary's Magnificat, a member of our music team sent me the following song which is based almost word-for-word on the text (Luke 1:46-55). You can ignore the video graphics. Simply close your eyes, listen, and lift your heart to the Lord. May our minds and hearts be increasingly saturated with his truth. May God's own words be the language of our praise.