The Faith of Simeon
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25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
In peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Simeon and Anna, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, were a part of the faithful Jewish remnant that eagerly looked for their Messiah (Mal. 3:16).
“The consolation of Israel” means the messianic hope. One of the traditional Jewish prayers is, “May I see the consolation of Israel!” That prayer was answered for Simeon when he saw Jesus in the temple. He was a man who was led by the Spirit of God, taught by the Word of God, and obedient to the will of God; and therefore he was privileged to see the salvation of God. It is important for people to see God’s salvation, Jesus Christ, before they see death. Simeon had waited expectantly for that very promise.
In Luke 2:29–32 we see Simeon’s response to seeing Jesus. This is the fifth and last of the “Christmas songs” in Luke. It is a worship hymn as he blesses God for keeping His promise and sending the Messiah. He joyfully praises God that he has been privileged to see the Lord’s Christ. This should be out response as well. We should be praising God for His promise being fulfilled in our lives.
Simeon’s song is also a salvation hymn: “For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation” (Luke 2:30).
Now he is ready to die! The word depart in the Greek has several meanings, and each of them tells us something about the death of a Christian. It means to release a prisoner, to untie a ship and set sail, to take down a tent, and to unyoke a beast of burden. God’s people are not afraid of death because it only frees us from the burdens of this life and leads into the blessings of the next life.
While Simeon is just a small part of the Gospel, The Lord included him for this reason:
We see God’s promise and hope fulfilled in Simeon’s life.
We see God’s faithfulness and how we can have the same patience as we wait in anticipation for Jesus’ return.
We can see the power of the Holy Spirit in Simeon’s life. If we too are led by the Holy Spirit (meaning we must be saved), are in the Word of God daily, and are obedient to the will of God, we will see the Lord’s promises manifested in our lives.