I have read it many many times, prayerfully and with due consideration.
Ok.
What I deny my friend is that she is called Mary the Mother of G-d....that is something you have added because of the doctrine you have been taught....anyway you can easily prove me wrong by quoting any Scripture that says Mary is the Mother of G-d.
Historically whenever the Jews would write out the scriptures, they sang the verses and replaced all references to God, as Adonai which means Lord.
Assuming you understand that since you omit the o in God, it is rather along the same lines.
For them it was fear of blasphemy to even say the name, so singing it was impossible and so they replaced God with Lord....and Elizabeth is Jewish, so she said Lord, and not God.
But she was referring to God because she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Do you just make this stuff up as you go along?
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Its not my fault you have a corrupted translation.
The version i use is rather old.
Magnify the Lord with me?
Thats a new one....very new.
Mary was foreknown in the mind and plans of G-d....but she was neither sinless nor pre-saved.
According to the Greek the Greeting from the Angel meant previously graced in a manner unlike us, which has never been used again, she was.
Scholars had to tear apart its actual verb and adjective meaning because the word is too unique.
She had a condition of where she had been a finished product of grace when Gabriel met her. It was unique to her this special priviledge.
And it goes beyond 'highly favored' too...
But thats the best the English can come up with.
See Judges
5:24 "Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
Try reading what has become known as the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. ..................
Really? See above explanation.
The Greeting is unique to Mary and it goes beyond having graces.
It essectially is giving her the graces that save as a past condition, a present condition and a future condition as though Christs death had already merited it to her.
AND you cannot deny it, because Elijah stood in the glorified body , and Moses when Peter, James and John saw them with Jesus.
HOW?
God works out side of time.
Stop putting Him in human boxes.
I don't think any other person that has ever lived could have been given the gift and the responsibility that Mary had....to carry the Saviour in her womb, to give birth to Him, and to have charge over Him in His most vulnerable and formative years....That is truly amazing, that is why every generation should recognize what a blessed woman she was.
She is not some fictional Queen,we don't need to place on her man-made titles to demonstrate her position...Scripture doesn't, the Apostles don't and neither should we.
Your failure to understand the OT - does not negate her
exalted position in Heaven.
All Believers should honour the role that Mary played....but there are real dangers in going beyond the truth and making dishonest claims out of bad and deceptive theology.
I'm all ears....carry on
What I can say, is what the L-rd taught here:-
Luke 14:7 And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. 10 “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. 11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
SO you are accusing her of exalting herself?
You simply dont comprehend the variety of grace God had on Mary and it was not common.
Grace caused her to speak as such.
Even the babe in the womb leapt at her voice.
If she was doing evil by her speaking, there would have been a comment to it.
Its in scriptures and it was said for the purpose of our understanding her exalted position.
She was exalted, and envy of that wont change her position with God.
Yes both she and Joseph were of Royal lineage, in keeping with G-ds promises:-
Acts 13: 21 “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’ 23 “From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus
That is not strictly true....if you were obedient to Scripture you would come under the authority of Scripture, and be persuaded by truth...but you give more honour to the teachings of men and the doctrine of your local Church.
Matt 10: 37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Mary - and i dont think i do much else but waste my time here honestly, was unlike us.
The grace variety she received was unlike ours.
AS the first Christian - she believed in our Savior perfectly and before anyone else and remained faithful.
That in itself shows Christ didnt have to have a problem with His Mother.... because she didnt disbelieve in Him, hence your scripture is out of context.
That verse suggests if you leave Him because of family, then you love them more.
To simplify things.