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Simeon, the man who 'busily' waited
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word…” Luke 2:29
This snippet continues from a previous one where we considered God’s promise to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luk 2:26). Significantly, Simeon busily waited for this promise to come true – he was not idle. His busyness reflects a number of his attributes that we should also have as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ looking eagerly to that day when one day we shall see him and be like him (1 Jo 3:2). In a previous snippet the first of these was explored, the second is now considered.
Attribute 2: Listen and be a doer of God’s word (Jam 1:25)
Simeon lived up to the meaning of his name – he listened, in particular, he listened to the Lord. Listening to God whose ways are inscrutable (Rom 11:33) is a divine privilege that each of us has. In this era, I believe the sole origin of God’s voice is the scriptures (2 Ti 3:16). This means we need to spend time reading and thinking about them allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth of them (Jn 16:13). We can also hear God’s voice when we listen to others talk about them (Rom 10:15), in these cases, it is good for us to search the scriptures to make sure the things that we have heard are true (Acts 17:11).
The fact that Simeon was in the temple suggests that as well as listening, he acted on what he heard – that is the promise that God gave him (Luk 2:26). Several times in the Old Testament the importance of “doing” as well as “keeping” is explicitly stated, i.e., Lev 20:8, 22:31. In James we are encouraged more than once to be a “doer” as well as a listener (i.e., Jam 1:22,25). At times, being a doer (acting on what we have heard from God) may be very difficult, it will require us to learn patience and faithfulness which I suspect is what Simeon learnt as he waited for God to fulfil his promise. It is a blessing to know that we can be absolutely sure that no matter how difficult the situation may be, or how long we may wait, our God who cannot lie will always deliver on his promises. (Tit1:2, 1 Th 5:24).
A wonderful privilege that each of us has is to “listen” and “do” while we wait on God to deliver on his promises.
To be continued…..
Simeon’s seven attributes
- Meet with like-minded people (Heb 10:25) because God will be found among them (Mat 18:20)
- Listen and be a doer of God’s word (Jam 1:25)
- Righteous, and lived accordingly (1 Jo 3:7)
- Devout 1 Cor 10:31
- Waited Faithfully (1 Th 1:10)
- Lived in the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30)
- Led by the Holy spirit (Rom 8:14)
Simeon, our Lord and the temple
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 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 him 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 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luk 2:22-35
