In the last devotion, we discussed why Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were at the temple. We also met Anna. Now, we will turn to meet Simeon.
Nuggets
- There is a lot of things about Simeon that we don’t know.
- Simeon was described as just and devote.
- Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
- It isn’t/wasn’t going to be all rainbows and unicorns — for us or for Mary.
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I don’t know why we think Simeon was old. Maybe because of the “… he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (Lk. 2: 26 NLT). We generally associate dying with the old, even though we know people can die at any age.
Simeon
“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required” (Lk. 2: 25-27 NLT)
There is a lot of things about Simeon that we don’t know. We don’t know how he was told he was going to live to see the Messiah. We don’t know if he was expecting a baby or if he was just expecting God’s Messiah to show up at God’s temple. We don’t know if he was expecting a military Messiah or a spiritual Messiah.
No, I don’t think Simeon got all of it right — no one can. He was “… eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel …” (Lk. 2: 25 NLT). To me, that says he was waiting for a military Messiah.
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Simeon was described as just and devote. Morris described a just man as “… one who is universally right — right as to his condition, and right as to his character. His faith, his principles, his practice, are all right.” This is what man sees.
Brooke defined devout as living “… always with the consciousness of God’s presence; to walk with Him, as the old Scriptures put it, so that all thoughts and acts are thought and done before Him, and ordered so as to be in tune with His character. It means to live in worship of Him ….” This is what God sees.
If you look at the King James Version, it says, “… was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel …” (Lk. 2: 25 KJV). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines consolation as the act of consoling. To console means to “to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or trouble of.”
Ooo baby. Jesus has and is going to alleviate mankind’s grief when we ask Him to be our Savior. He is going to turn our sadness to joy.
We experienced loss when Adam and Eve committed the first sin. We lost our relationship with God and spiritual life.
We can get that back with Jesus. We have to admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, confess God as Sovereign Lord and demonstrate that commitment by following our job description.
Oh, can we get into trouble! Sin is when we disobey God and break one of His laws and commandments. The trouble may be the punishment for committing the sin or the results of that commission.
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. He wasn’t cleaning house because he knew company was coming. He didn’t do the grocery shopping and cook all he could ahead of time.
We can come to Jesus just as we are. Salvation is through faith, not works (Eph. 2: 8-9).
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“He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people’” (Lk. 2: 28-31 NLT)
Oh, man. Simeon not only got to see Baby Jesus, but he also got to hold Him. How could praise not burst from his lips and heart!
God did what He said He would do. Simeon could die a happy camper. He had seen God’s salvation.
Simeon did a possessive “Your” here. The plan was God’s, designed before the foundation of the universe. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Eph. 1: 4 NLT). He knew He was going to have to save us.
Now, Simeon saw what God had promising. That salvation was Jesus. God knew Jesus was the only One Who was worthy enough to shed His blood to pay the price for our sins.
Salvation does give us peace. We’ve talked about this before. Peace is a contentment that only faith in Jesus can give.
Spurgeon said that Jesus is “not only a Savior, but Salvation itself.” We need no more because he is the only way (Jn. 14: 6).
“He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (Lk. 2: 32 NLT)
Go back to the shepherds for a minute. We talked about the glory of the Lord shining around them. We’ve talked about God’s glory being described as a cloud. It had some aspect of light.
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That all talks about God’s glory. But Jesus had glory, too. “He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light” (Mt. 17: 2 CSB). His glory shown through.
Jesus is not just the Savor of Israel. He is the Savior of all people who have put their faith and trust in Him. “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3: 28 NLT).
Not long ago, we talked about Jesus being referred to as the Light. Jesus is the light that pierces the darkness caused by Satan’s machinations. “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (Jn. 8: 12 NASB).
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Sin and its effects are considered darkness. Jesus shines His Light in us to show us our sin so that we may confess and remove it. It cleanses us from the darkness.
“Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Lk. 2: 33-35 NLT)
It isn’t/wasn’t going to be all rainbows and unicorns — for us or for Mary. That was because Jesus had a job to do. It was an important but challenging job.
As Simeon said, Jesus was to be the Savior of the world. Satan was going to oppose Him in every way he knew how. That was going to make it rough going for Jesus.
But this is Mom that we are talking about. What mother doesn’t hurt when her child hurts?
“… And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Lk. 2: 35 NLT). “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out” (Jn. 19: 34 CSB). Spear; sword — I bet Mary didn’t feel any difference. Her Baby was cut, so she was also in her heart and soul.
Making the Connections
So much is made of there being no room at the inn. That single instance is equated to the world’s rejection of Christ.
Why isn’t Simeon’s encounter with Christ equated to the world’s acceptance of Christ? Can he not stand for us who believe Jesus is the Messiah and Savior? Who are again waiting for Him?
We can say it is coincidence that some things happen. It wasn’t with Simeon. The Holy Spirit got him to the temple that day.
God is going to work things out so things happen within His plan. The problem is that we don’t see all of the behind-the-scene things that God does, so we write them off as coincidences.
Once we have asked Jesus to be our Savior, we don’t have to fear death. True, we may experience physical death and it may be painful. But we are not going to experience spiritual death.
Ooo baby. How could Simeon have bit himself for thinking he was going to see the Savior?
- He was old.
- He was sinful.
- He was a nobody.
But Simeon was just and devout. So despite all of these, God granted that he could see Jesus.
How Do We Apply This?
Waiting is hard! But we are supposed to do some things while we wait.
First of all, if we haven’t ABCDed, we need to get on that. We don’t know how long we have. Once the waiting is over, we won’t get another opportunity to make ourselves right with God.
The ABCDs of Salvation
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Then, we have to seek God. We need to become just and devout.
Searching for and Seeking God
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17 NLT).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3 ESV).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11 NLT).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11 NLT).
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Simeon found Jesus in the temple. “‘… Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. …” (Mal. 3: 1 NLT). We can’t give in to the temptation to blow off attending church services. We have to worship in God’s house.
We can’t become just and devout if we don’t spend time with God. We have to read, study, meditate, and attend.
Also, we need to work out our salvation and do all of our job description. “… For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disgraced” (I Sam. 2: 30 CSB).
We can’t get caught up in the ritual of the temple. We need to get caught up in the beauty of the relationship. That doesn’t mean we cut corporate worship. We need to go worship God with like-minded believers.
Finally, we have to watch. It isn’t just about waiting. It is waiting with an expectation.
Just like Simeon and Anna, we have to watch and wait with expectation. Jesus is coming again.
So much for my thing Anna and Simeon couldn’t teach us anything. They are good role models.
Father. We will wait for Jesus to return. While we wait, we will grow closer to You. Amen.
What do you think?
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