25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
Mary and Joseph went to the temple, the place of God’s presence, the most holy place for the Jews. They made this journey possibly from Bethlehem rather than travel to Nazareth for very good reasons. A woman was considered unclean for seven days and must remain in the house for another 33 days after the birth of a male child. So perhaps on the 40th day since it was their custom to present a purification sacrifice. They make the five-mile journey from Bethlehem to Jerusalem with Jesus, to go through two ceremonies. The first was Mary's purification rite following childbirth, which is described in the Old Testament in Leviticus 12. There, a sacrifice was to be made. Often a lamb was sacrificed, but if the individual could not afford a sheep, two doves or pigeons could be offered instead. Apparently because they didn't have much money, Mary and Joseph brought two birds. The second reason for coming to the temple was to consecrate, dedicate, their firstborn son to God, just as had been done in Exodus 13, and much like we do in our church today when we dedicate a baby to the Lord.
While they were in the temple in Jerusalem Luke wrote, there was a righteous and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him. Simeon was the kind of man who had experienced over the years the close walk with God that our Lord desires. There is something extremely blessed with an older person who knows the Lord and seeks Him with all their heart to obey and love and grow in grace.
A lady wrote her testimony sharing about a newness to her faith even after retirement. She was enjoying her times in prayer and Scripture reading, taking time with God she didn't have before because of work responsibilities. She wrote, "When I said I felt closer to God what I meant is that as I am free from responsibilities now of work and family. He has been especially close to me. We spend time together throughout the day talking about everything and everyone. His word seems to come alive in a greater way than before. When he takes up my memory, I think of people that I should pray for, write, or visit. So often it is just at a time when they need it. Yes, I have a newness spiritually that I have not known before, and to God be the glory."
That was the experience of Simeon. His communion with the Lord wasn't just a verse a day and a recited prayer. With New Testament faith, we have even a greater privilege than what Simeon could experience. We have Christ in us by the Holy Spirit always. Notice the Holy Spirit was in his life too. I don't think in the same way, because the text says, “upon him”, it didn't say in him. Many times, in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon someone or filled someone for special tasks or for wisdom, insight, or battle.
Simeon had a relationship with God that was fulfilling and close. There was one thing in his heart that he desired - to see the Messiah. To see the promise of God come about for the nation Israel. By God's grace that promise was given to him, that he would not die until he could see, with his own eyes, the one sent from God, Jesus Christ.
Notice angels gave message to Mary, angels spoke to Zechariah, an angel spoke to Joseph and the shepherds, but notice no angel spoke to Simeon. It was God's own Holy Spirit that came upon him.
Application: Do you have in fact God's Spirit living within you? Simeon waited for the promise. Waiting is hard, particularly in an impatient society, but he trusted and believed. God was gracious in His promise to His servant.
Prayer: We praise You, God, for You are gracious in Your promise to Your servants.
Dale
