Revelation
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all
nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:29-32
Simeon is one of my favorite
characters in the Christmas story. His only appearance in the Bible is in Luke’s
Gospel, Luke 2:25-35. Ten short verses
that hold a significant revelation from God.
We don’t know much about Simeon. We don’t know his age, his status, his occupation, if he is married, if he has children – but Luke reveals three very significant things about Simeon. They are all found in verse 25:
- Simeon was righteous and devout.
- He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
- The Holy Spirit was upon him.
Luke reveals Simeon’s character
and relationship with God. To me, this description of Simeon describes an older
man, one who has spent many, many years in the Scriptures understanding God’s
Word and His ways. A man of spiritual maturity who has an understanding of the prophecies
of God given through the prophets that reveal God’s promises for His people. A man
who has endured a life full of pain and suffering and foreign rule, yet his
focus and his hope has been on God’s promise of deliverance for His people - the consolation of Israel. Because of Simeon’s
righteous and devout life and his focus and spiritual maturity, he is a man who
is filled with the Spirit of God.
We see the Holy Spirit’s activity
in Simeon in this passage in verses 26-27:
The Holy Spirit had revealed to
Simeon that he would not die before he saw the “Lord’s Christ”, the long
awaited Messiah. This revelation from the Spirit was a promise from God to
Simeon. Then it is the Holy Spirit that leads Simeon to be at the temple on the
exact day that Jesus’s parents bring him for the consecration service. And
there Simeon hears the child’s name, Jesus – Yeshua which means Deliverer,
Savior.
The long awaited consolation of Israel
has arrived and has been revealed to Simeon and to God’s people. And the Spirit
of God within Simeon moves him to sing and praise God:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”
Simeon’s long life of dedication, obedience and
faith in God has been rewarded. God has fulfilled His promise to Simeon:
“For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all
nations:”
And
although Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, God gives Simeon a revelation for all people.
“A light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Simeon’s
song of praise reveals God’s plan of redemption and salvation for His people,
spoken of through the prophets:
“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:5
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles.” Isaiah 42:6
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the
earth.” Isaiah 49:6
God
reveals His glory in Jesus.
Jesus
is our salvation!
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