Isaiah 49:1-9 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother, He has made mention of My name.
And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand, He has hidden Me,
And made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.”
“And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, and my work with my God.’”
“And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength), Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”
Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
Luke 2:25-35 Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just 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. So, he came by 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 which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Reading the verses from Isaiah, we might wonder if Isaiah is really speaking about the Messiah or about himself. Although Isaiah was from a priestly family, this did not guarantee instant popularity; in fact, tradition says that eventually Isaiah was slaughtered by wicked King Manasseh, the son of righteous King Hezekiah. But we must remember that God’s Word always works on many different levels, so this can be a “both/and” situation, not an “either/or.”
What must Joseph and Mary have thought when this wise old man suddenly walked up to them in the temple and began prophesying over their infant son? All Joseph and Mary wanted to do was to present Jesus as the Mosaic Law demanded. This little family had already suffered a great deal by delivering the baby in a stable in Bethlehem; now all they wanted to do was to get out and have peace. We can’t be certain how old Jesus was when Herod decided to murder all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were two years or less, but Joseph was undoubtedly concerned. By this point, the shepherds had spread their stories all over Bethlehem, and Joseph wanted to maintain as low a profile as possible.
How well known was Simeon? Obviously, Simeon was a fixture in the temple, worshiping sincerely and regularly. Perhaps Simeon had very little money; that would certainly prevent the Scribes and Pharisees from noticing him. Perhaps Simeon was self-effacing and stood off to the side or in a corner during worship. If Simeon was not well known, this would help preserve Joseph and Mary’s anonymity.
The important thing about Simeon is that God and Simeon were friends and God had promised Simeon that Simeon would see the Christ, the Chosen One of God, before he died. For years, Simeon searched the streets and the temple, thinking that perhaps today would be the day the Christ would reveal Himself. Time passed, and Simeon continued to age. By now, Simeon might have wondered if he had heard God correctly or if he was simply deluding himself. Each night when Simeon laid down to sleep, he would beg God to allow him to live to see the Christ. Now, today God was fulfilling that promise, and Simeon was thrilled.
How loudly did Simeon speak when he was pronouncing blessings over the baby Jesus? Did Simeon murmur softly, or did he cry out for all those in the temple to hear? It’s likely that Simeon spoke softly but intensely, crying out in his heart but maintaining the privacy of this little family. And what did Mary think of all this?
MARY DID YOU KNOW
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kissed your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is Heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding is the great ‘I Am’
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that You keep Your promises, no matter how long they take to be fulfilled. Praise You for sending Jesus to be born as a baby and to become Your perfect Sacrifice for the sins of the world. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen
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