February 4, 2025
A Light to Lighten the Gentiles - Part 2
Luke 2:25-26
02/04/2025
25 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.
26 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. (ESV)
Although Joseph, Mary, and Jesus going to the Temple forty
days after He was born was unremarkable, for many other families
did the same thing, the visit was far from normal. The Son of
God, the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world appeared in His
Father's house for the first time. He did this to fulfill the
Law given to Moses about the sacrifices needed for the birth of a
child.
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.
We know nothing of this devout man except that the Lord had
promised that he would see the Messiah before he died. God, in
His grace, love, and mercy, provided for the salvation of all
people, a salvation promised first in the Garden of Eden and
repeated through the centuries.
As we recognize our need for a Savior, as we acknowledge our
sin and our inability to redeem ourselves from eternal
condemnation, we also long to see the love and grace of God.
Like Simeon, we desire to see the consolation of Israel, and of
all people.
May our Lord grant that we behold His Christ as our Savior
from sin and death. Amen.