Simeon and the Savior
Luke 2:25-35
By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey
INTRODUCTION
“The days were very dark for Israel; no John the Baptist had sounded his trumpet not; everything seemed hopeless for the Jews, and some of the noblest of them had taken refuge in despair.”1
“The times were degenerate. The official clergy [were] mere officials.”2
However, there was a faithful Jewish remnant that eagerly looked for their Messiah. These were known as the Hasidim or Chasidim (pious ones) referred to in Malachi 3:16-17, which says, “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, / And the LORD listened and heard them; / So a book of remembrance was written before Him / For those who fear the LORD / And who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, / “On the day that I make them My jewels. / And I will spare them / As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
In Luke 2:25 we read: “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’” (Luke 2:25-35).
I. His Relationship with God (Luke 2:25b, c)
“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. . .”
A. His Piety (v. 25b) "just and devout"
Stopford Augustus Brooke (1832-1916) explains, “To be devout means to live always with the consciousness of God’s presence; to walk with Him, as the old Scriptures put it, so that all thoughts and acts are thought and done before Him, and ordered so as to be in tune with His character. It means to live in worship of Him, so that honor is paid in everything to that which is God, to truth and mercy, justice and purity.”
Simeon was a "pious one" like those mentioned in Malachi 3:16-17.
B. His Patience (v. 25c) "waiting"
The writer of the book of Hebrews states: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36). The word translated “endurance” has also been translated "patience". Simeon was one who demonstrated patience in waiting for the promised Messiah to come.
II. His Revelation from God (Luke 2:25d-27a)
“. . . and the Holy Spirit was upon him. / And the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ had revealed it to him. / So he came by the Spirit into the temple. . .”(Luke 2:25d-27a)
Richard Lovelace says, “Any model of the fullness of the Spirit which attempts to make empowering for service related separate from growth in holiness inevitably collides with the truth represented in the very title Holy Spirit. The principal work of the Spirit in applying redemption lies in making us holy and being filled with the Spirit simply means having all our faculties under his control rather than the control of sin.”3
Dr. B.H. Carroll writes, “The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that his old eyes should not close in death until they had seen the Lord’s Christ. It was like the revelation to Enoch that his son Methuselah should live to the end of the Antediluvian world, and like the revelation to Lamech that his son Noah should give rest from the flood and start a new race in the Postdiluvian world.”4
J. Caughey writes, “Undevout minds are too worldly, too apathetic, too dull to hear the secret whisperings of heaven. ‘Tis the spiritual ear alone that can hear the still small voice that comes across the universe from the spirit-world; ‘tis the spiritual eye alone that reads the secrets of eternity, that sees passing in review before it the realities of the hidden state.
Some simple-hearted Christians were once returning from chapel; they had been to hear the holy Bramwell preach. One of them said to the other, ‘How is it that Mr. Bramwell has always something new to tell us?’
‘Ah!’ said the other, I can tell you how it is; he lives very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of us, and God tells him things he does not tell other people.’ And so it was with Simeon. He lived very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of the people of his day; and God honored him by telling him the great fact. It was revealed to Simeon that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”5
A word of caution is in order, when we speak about a revelation from God.
Dr. Jimmy Draper and Dr. Ken Keathley share in their book titled Biblical Authority: “One dear friend’s wife received a special word from God saying that it was permissible for her to leave her husband for another man—who was also married. Another acquaintance has rejected the doctrine of an eternal hell when he received ‘a word from the Lord’ that annihilation is [the] true destiny of the lost. The private-revelation view is a false doctrine that has real consequences.”6
A. His Divine Anointing
“. . . and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25d)
Simeon had a special touch from God for the specific task.
B. His Divine Anticipation
“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. . .” (Luke 2:26-27a)
Dean Burgeon writes, “A glorious anticipation truly for a pious Israelite to entertain! A stupendous assurance to carry about with him! How must it have stirred him inmost soul at times to think upon it!. . .every rumor which reached him must have made his pulse throb and his heart beat [accelerate]; for he knew he was destined to look upon Him to whom all type and prophecy for four thousand years had been steadily pointing. . .”
Unlike so many of his day—Simeon was not just sitting on the premises, he was standing on the promises.
Frederick Louis Godet writes, “Simeon [regarded] himself as a sentinel, commanded to watch for, and announce the appearance of the Sun of Righteousness.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon reminds us, “There was an ancient promise, ‘The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple,’ (Malachi 3:1) and this probably drew the holy man to the courts of the Lord. . .”
The name Simeon means “one who hears and obeys.”
III. His Responsibility before God (Luke 2:27b)
“And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law” (Luke 2:27).
Dr. W.A. Criswell explains, “‘the custom of the law’ required that in the case of the firstborn there was a payment of five shekels for redemption form priestly service, which could be paid after the first month of the child’s life. Forty days after birth, the mother’s purification was accomplished."7
In Luke 2:22-24, Dr. Luke writes, “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord / (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who 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.”
Simeon carried out his responsibility as a priest in Israel toward the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe observes, “[Simeon] was a man who was led by the Spirit of God, taught by the Word of God, and obedient to the will of God; and therefore he was privileged to see the salvation of God.”
IV. His Request to God (Luke 2:28-33)
“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” (Luke 2:28-33).
Paul writes in Philippians 4:6b: "let your requests be made known to God."
Simeon saw the fulfillment of God’s promise and was prepared to die.
Matthew Henry writes, “Here is, an acknowledgement that God has been as good as His word; There has not failed one tittle of his good promise as Solomon owns, 1 Kings 8:56. Note never that hoped in God’s word were made ashamed of their hope.”
V. His Representation of God (Luke 2:34-35)
“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’” (Luke 2:34-35).
Sadly, there are some who would misrepresent God. Dr. James T. Draper, Jr. and Dr. Kenneth Keathley write about “the practice of using biblical terminology but applying new meanings to the terms” in their book titled Biblical Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ. Draper and Keathley continue, “When it comes to this error Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, is in a league all to himself.
His weekly television show, The Hour of Power, is watched on hundreds of stations in more than 180 countries with an audience of over 20 million people, making him the most popular televangelist in the world. Replacing the gospel with his pop-psychology of ‘possibility thinking,’ Dr. Schuller redefines nearly every major doctrine of the Bible.
Consider what Schuller does with the doctrine of sin: Every problem, every evil, and all sin, he declares, is the result of people having low self-esteem. In his book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, he writes, ‘I contend that this unfulfilled need for self-esteem underlies every act . . . over and over again that the core of man’s sin is not his depravity but a ‘lack of self-dignity.’ Self-esteem is . . . the single greatest need facing the human race today.’8
Schuller’s redefinition of regeneration is equally novel: ‘To be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image, from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust.’9
The doctrine of the atonement receives a similar treatment from Schuller, in which he reinterprets the death of Christ through the lens of ‘possibility thinking.’ He states, ‘Jesus knew his worth, his success fed his self-esteem. . . . He suffered the cross to sanctify his self-esteem. And he bore the cross to sanctify the ego trip!’10
Such a theology of the cross would be unrecognizable to the apostles.
Schuller is probably the most blatant practitioner of the error of redefining biblical truth and therefore is also the easiest to detect. However, this practice is occurring in more insinuating ways in our Southern Baptist pulpits. It is not helpful when preachers replace the biblical term salvation with the expression ‘getting connected with God.’”11
Dr. Joseph M. Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute, shares in his insightful book The Trouble With Jesus: “Let’s face it. While not exclusive in His mercy, Jesus is exclusive in His claim that He is the only solution for our sin problem, and the only way to God, and that He is God! Jesus is the central issue that separates me from Hindus, Muslims, Jews, New Age adherents, and the advocates of any other religion.” Stowell also reminds us, ‘The message is clear the only way Jesus doesn’t fit in the new religious climate of the post 9-11 America.’”12
Jeremiah writes, “And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14).
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Summarizing his life, someone writes, “Simeon was a saint, a singer and a seer or a prophet.”
Dr. W.A. Criswell explains, "’The fall and rising of many’ indicates that those who reject the Messiah will be cast down, while those who accept Him will rise through salvation” (Luke 2:34). Criswell also notes, “This statement ’that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed’ refers apparently to those hearts who speak against Him and thus reveals their true character” (Luke 2:35).13
CONCLUSION
Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe writes, “Simeon’s song is a missionary hymn, which is something unusual for a devout Jew standing in the temple. He sees this great salvation going out to the Gentiles! Jesus has restored the glory to Israel and brought the light to the Gentiles so that all people can be saved (see Luke 2:10). Remember that the compassion of Christ for the whole world is one of Luke’s major themes.”14
Dr. Harold Willmington shares some spiritual lessons from the life of Simeon: “With great expectation Simeon awaited the first coming of Christ (Luke 2:25-26). With equally great expectation we should look forward to his second coming (2 Thes. 1:10; 1 Thes. 5:4-6; James 5:8).”15
ENDNOTES:
1 Dr. George H. Morrison, Morrison on Luke, Volume 1 (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1980), p.26.
2 F.B. Proctor, Treasury of Quotations of Religious Subjects (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977), p. 360.
3 Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1979), p.125.
4 B.H. Carroll, An Interpretation of the English Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986).
5 The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing House, n.d. [originally published 1887]), p. 215.
6 James T. Draper, Jr., and Kenneth Keathley, Biblical Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), pp. 118.
7 Believer’s Study Bible, ed. W.A. Criswell (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), p. 1438.
8 Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco: Word, 1982), p. 15.
9 Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco: Word, 1982), p. 68.
10 Robert Schuller, Living Positively One Day at a Time (Berkley: Berkley Publishing Group, 1986), p. 201.
11 James T. Draper, Jr., and Kenneth Keathley, Biblical Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), pp. 121-122.
12 Joseph Stowell, The Trouble With Jesus (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004), p. 17.
13 IBID., p. 1438.
14 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Volume 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989, 1996).
15 Dr. Harold Willmington, Willmington’s Bible Handbook (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981).
By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor
First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527
Author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice
Foreword by Dr. Stephen F. Olford / Preface by Major W. Ian Thomas and over 70 endorsements from leading Christian educators,executives,evangelists,and Bible expositors. Available from: http://www.webspawner.com/users/franklinlkirksey
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fkirksey@bellsouth.net (251) 626-6210 / ©November 27, 2007 All Rights Reserved
