Simeon

AT PEACE WITH GOD

Scripture:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation..." (Luke 2:25-30)

Observation:

Simeon was a man who knew exactly who Jesus was, and what he came to do. He had the rare privilege of holding Jesus in his arms. Think about it for a second, this old man is holding God, in his arms! He is holding Alpha and Omega, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. The part that really gets me is this: now that he has seen the Lord, he is ready to die. He says that now he is ready to depart in peace, because he has seen the Lord's salvation. This whole scene was orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, nobody will be able to see Jesus for who he is, because the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth.

(John 16:13)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth...

Application:

Before each one of us die, we all need to become a Simeon. We all need to see Jesus, and we all need to see the Lord's salvation for ourselves. This scripture is an awesome picture of being born again. A person is led by the Holy Spirit to see the glory of the Lord's salvation in Jesus Christ. Once we have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are at peace with God because the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. That is when we are ready to die, because we become justified in the sight of God. Without the holiness of the Holy Spirit, none of us would be able to come into the presence of a holy God.

(Hebrews 12:14b)

... and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to me. Thank you for showing me your salvation, and making me a partaker of it. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for allowing me to understand your holy Word. In Jesus name, Amen!