Counsel Magazine

The study of the ‘Marys’ of the New Testament is a delightful one. According to Robert Young’s Analytical Concordance there were seven of them. Probably, all were believers devoted to our Lord Jesus. Much more is written about some of them than others: notably, Mary the mother of the Lord; Mary Magdalene; and Mary of Bethany, who is the subject of this article. The latter is in many ways the loveliest character of them all.

In a previous article “Two Men and You” we saw that we are either represented by Adam and what he did in Eden (sin) and what he in consequence became (a sinner), or by Christ and what He passed through in His death and resurrection. The multiple benefits of the Saviour’s work on behalf of those who have faith in Him are the subject of large sections of the New Testament. Believers are taught there to see themselves as “in Christ” for He fully represents what they now are before God. They should never consider themselves apart from that fact, it is one that puts them —

I have learned the blessed secret

Of the soul that’s satisfied,

Since the Saviour dwells within me,

And in Him I now abide.

I have learned the joy of trusting

In the sureness of His Word,

Knowing that each promise spoken,

Will be honoured by my Lord.

In this first stanza, God speaks about how His servant will be exalted and, in doing so, He makes three predictions concerning the Lord Jesus.

1. He will deal prudently: 52:13

“Behold, My servant will deal prudently.” Four times in 1 Samuel 18 the NKJV translates “deal prudently”as“behave wisely”.After his victory over Goliath, “David behaved wisely.” Saul promoted him over all the men of war but then became jealous of him, removed him from his position and made him a captain, but “David behaved wisely in all his ways… when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.” Saul continued to provoke David and again sought to kill him but “David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed” (1 Samuel 18:5, 14-15, 30). Whatever the circumstances in which he found himself, David did the right thing: he behaved wisely.