HOLDING ONTO THE PROMISE

”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, Simeon was there. 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. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭25‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is my new grandson, Samuel. He was about 40 days old in this picture. Samuel’s name means “God has heard.” His biblical name comes from the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament.

”And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”“
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
I have no idea what our little Samuel’s future looks like. We pray one day he will also say, “Speak Lord Your servant is listening.” But for now all I can tell you is Samuel is a happy baby. He loves the sound of his siblings, and he likes to watch his older brothers play basketball. And that is pretty much all people can say about babies, just who they are in the here and now.

So how did Simeon know? Jesus was 40 days old when Mary and Joseph presented Him in the Temple on this day. There were no identifiers, “Hey Israel, here is your long awaited Messiah.” Jesus’ earthly parents did not come in wearing royal robes as if they carried the King of the World. They were peasants presenting the offering of the poor. Yet somehow, Simeon knew… THIS CHILD… “THIS CHILD is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but He will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. As a result, the deepest thought of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” Luke 2:34-35.

What unseen sigh did Simeon see? How did he see it when no one else in the Temple did?

Where did he hear the words to speak? He spoke these words to Mary, a mother, Jesus’ mother. Did those words pierce her mother’s heart that very moment? And the audacity of this man. Joseph and Mary didn’t even know Simeon. And still… “He took the child in his arms.” Pretty bold moves from a man they never met.

What drove this man? He meant no harm in his boldness, but bold he was. And passionate. Nothing could hold Simeon back from approaching this couple who was holding his Messiah. No one else approached. No one else in the Temple that day had the recognition Simeon had. (except for another prophetess named Anna but that is for a later post.)

Simeon’s boldness and passion compelled and propelled him forward. At some point in his life he had received a promise from God. Simeon would not taste death until he saw the Lord’s salvation. For all his life up to this point Simeon had held onto that promise, not letting it leave his heart. And he was sensitive to the Ruach Hokedesh, the wind and the breath of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of the Living God moved Simeon to the Temple on this day at that hour, the same time frame that Mary and Joseph were presenting their offerings. There is no coincidence in the Kingdom of God.

According to Strong’s Bible Dictionary a spiritual life is a life animated by the Holy Spirit. It is a life brought to activity by the Holy Spirit of God. That was Simeon. Simeon looked past the physical form of Jesus and saw more than a baby. He saw his promise fulfilled. He looked, he really looked into THE BABY’S eyes and saw love and mercy. He saw the light, the true light that would reveal God’s true identity to the nations. Simeon saw in Jesus the glory of Israel.

Simeon took “The Promise” in his arms and he knew. This BABY was God’s only Son, the salvation of Israel, the salvation of the world. This BABY was about to change religion, governments and the hearts of all people.

So many lessons to glean from Simeon out of these few verses, but the one I want to dwell on….

DON’T LET THE PROMISES OF GOD ESCAPE YOUR HEART! NO MATTER HOW LONG THEY MAY TAKE TO COME TO PASS, HOLD ON. ONE DAY YOU WILL HOLD YOUR PROMISE FROM GOD IN YOUR ARMS!

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