You’ve heard the song. You’ve felt the angst. What did Mary know when she gave birth to Jesus Christ?

Well, we have Mary’s song, the Magnificat, in Luke 1:46-55. In it, she reveals what she knew. The depth of her understanding as a teen-aged girl in the first century surpasses all expectations.

1. Mary Knew the Word of God

Undoubtedly, Mary grew up without a personal copy of the Old Testament. People rarely owned their own books in the centuries before the printing press. If they lived in a rural Galilean village, the likeliness of owning a Bible decreases even further.

Yet, Mary knew the Old Testament. She probably heard it taught in the synagogue (Acts 17:4, 12). She had evidently memorized quite a few verses since she quotes or alludes to many passages including Psalm 103:17/Luke 1:50; Psalm 107:9/Luke 1:53; Isaiah 41:8-9; Psalm 98:3; and Micah 7:20/Luke 1:54–55. Mary’s song parallels Hannah’s hymn of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. Clearly, Mary knew the Word of God.

2. Mary Knew the Abrahamic Covenant

Mary also knew the importance of the Abrahamic Covenant. She finishes her song with a reminder of God’s promises to the founder of the Hebrew people: “As He [God] spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever” (Luke 1:55). The eternal, unconditional promises of God to the descendants of Abraham form the basis of Mary’s hope in a Savior. God promised Abraham and his seed a people (the nation of Israel), a land (the Promised Land in the Middle East), and a blessing (a Savior that would bless all families of the earth). That blessing of Abraham to all the peoples of the world would come through Jesus, Mary’s son (Matthew 1:21).

3. Mary Knew the Davidic Covenant

Before her song of praise, Mary listened as the angel Gabriel announced the coming birth of her son: “You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33).

Mary was not surprised that One was coming who would reign on throne of David. What surprised Mary was that she would bring Him into the world. Her question for the angel revealed that she knew the covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Psalm 89). She only needed to know how God would make it happen through her (Luke 1:34). Her response shows her faith in the promises of God to David and to her: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38, 45).

4. Mary Knew the Character of God

Mary knew God’s love–she was highly favored (Luke 1:28). She knew God’s power–“with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). The godly teenager knew God’s faithfulness because she knew His Word (Luke 1:33, 55). She knew what God had done in the past and what He promised to do in the future. Since God kept His promises in the past (Luke 1:54), Mary expected Him to keep them in the future (Luke 1:38). She acted on what she believed, willing to serve and suffer, if need be, because she knew the character of God.

5. Mary Knew She Needed a Savior

Mary knew the condition of her own soul. Like everyone else, Mary sinned (Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20). Like everyone else, Mary needed a Savior. She says so in the very first lines of her hymn: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46–47). Like everyone else, Mary needed to believe in Jesus, and she did (Luke 1:45; Acts 1:14). God is Mary’s Savior, and He used her to bring the Savior into the world (1 John 4:14).

Did Mary Know More Than You Know?

Do you know God’s Word like Mary knew it? How familiar are you with the different covenants of the Old Testament? These biblical covenants include the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12, 15, 17), Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:5-6; 20:1–20), Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 29–30), Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16), and New Covenant (Jeremiah 30-31). These covenants between God and His people are key to understanding what God did throughout Scripture and what He will do in the future. Did Mary know more than you know?

Do you know God’s character like Mary knew it? Do you know what He did in the past? Do you expect God to keep His Word in the future based on His past acts and present promises? Have you experienced God’s love, power, and faithfulness?

Have you admitted your need for a Savior? Like Mary, you are a sinner. You cannot save yourself (Ephesians 2:8–9). No one measures up to God’s standard (Romans 3:23). Not Mary. Not you. Like Mary, you can only be saved through faith in Jesus who died in your place and rose again for your salvation.

What did Mary know? Maybe more than most of us. But it need not stay that way. Let Mary inspire you to know God and His Word better.