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I am using the YouVersion 49 Week Bible Challenge for these devotions. Today’s readings are Luke 1:39-80; 1 Samuel 2; Ezekiel 24 & 29
Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
1 Samuel 2:1-5
And Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.2 “There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
There certainly are times we wish for a bolt of lightning to come from heaven and smite the evil-doers. We see injustice, unfairness, and corruption and we wish for that swift hand of retribution and vengeance to strike, to set things right, to make the wicked fall and the oppressed rise. I think of human traffickers, embezzlers and swindlers preying on widows, and terrorists launching their missiles against the innocent. I think, also of rich people oppressing the poor. Set it right, O Lord!
Psalm 10:17–18
“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
But that is not the spirit of Hannah’s prayer or of Mary’s Magnificat. Mary sings:
he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And 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.
I think of Amy Grant singing, “El Shaddai, El Shaddai, … your most awesome work was done in the frailty of your Son.” The readings from 1 Samuel and Ezekiel today chronicle not only Hannah’s prayer, but the corruption of Eli’s sons, and their downfall. Ezekiel records how Egypt who was thought to be powerful would be overcome by yet another power. Nebuchadnezzar will overcome Egypt. The result: “On that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will open your lips among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 29:21).
God doesn’t smite people for fun – an overstatement to be sure. His ways are part of a more sweeping story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. The rise and fall of Babylon, Egypt, and Israel are part of the cosmic span of history. The manner of setting things right falls on the shoulders of Jesus, who will take the strike of God’s hand of justice so that we may experience the mercy of God. There will be a day. And on that day we who wait, hope, and trust humbly in God’s faithful and gracious love will rejoice in God’s salvation.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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