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‘Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for
the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the
temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law
required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”’ – Luke 2:25-32

The consolation of Israel
Simeon was a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The consolation
of Israel refers to the promised Messiah – the long-awaited divine comfort, redemption, and restoration
for Israel, ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah and ultimate
Comforter. This hope embodied Israel’s longing for a deliverer to end their hardships. Many in Israel had believed and waited for the fulfilment of this promise, but they died without witnessing its fulfilment. Many in Israel also expected the Messiah, the consolation of Israel, to deliver political and national freedom (John 6:15; Luke 19:11). However, the consolation Jesus brought was far greater than political liberation: He offered spiritual freedom and forgiveness of sins.

He wasn’t just alive because he was fortunate to have a healthy and long life; he was alive because the
Spirit had made him a promise.

Preserved by the Spirit
Simeon’s case was different, however. In a dispensation where the Holy Spirit was given to a select few,
Luke says, “the Holy Spirit was upon him.” This same Spirit had revealed to Simeon that “he would not
die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” So, he wasn’t just alive because he was fortunate to have a
healthy and long life; he was alive because the Spirit had made him a promise. God’s promise is a pledge that something will (or will not) be done or given or come to pass. These promises are backed by the weight of God himself, who can never lie or fail. There is a reason why government bonds or treasury bills are considered virtually ‘risk-free’ investments. The lenders believe in the power of governments to fulfil their promises. What Simeon had in the revelation to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ was infinitely more reliable than government-issued bonds of the strongest economies in the world. Simply, nothing could prevent him from seeing Christ before his death. And that is not only true for Simeon. God’s promises to us as his children are rock-solid, and we can rest the entire weight of our lives on them. By them we too are preserved. Whatever the circumstances around you, you can rest securely on his unfailing promises.

Whatever the circumstances around you, you can rest securely on his unfailing promises.

Different moving parts
The promise preserved Simeon’s life, but its fulfilment would require divine timing and human
obedience. Then came the day when the purpose of Simeon’s continued existence – the promise made to him – would be fulfilled. This required that several distinct and distant parts would have to come together in sync. Luke says “time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses” (Luke 2:22). Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons (Luke 2:23-24). Even though Simeon’s hope was fuelled by the Holy Spirit, he was not given a date for when he would see the Lord’s Christ. The fulfilment of what was promised to him was dependent on his being led/moved by the Spirit. It meant that he must have a living, ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit at every given moment.

At the direction of the Holy Spirit
As Jesus’s parents made their journey to Jerusalem to fulfil the requirements of the Law, Simeon also
had to be in the right place at the right time. The Holy Spirit again was at work to align the different
parts. This Spirit-filled man was “moved by the Spirit,” and he went into the temple courts. In that
moment, the fulfilment of God’s promise to him and his lifelong hope rested on those four words:
moved by the Spirit.

In that moment, the fulfilment of God’s promise to him and his lifelong hope rested on those four words:
moved by the Spirit. Simeon had no way of knowing the movement of Jesus and his parents. All he had was the movement of the Spirit, and that was enough.

Simeon had no way of knowing the movement of Jesus and his parents. All he had
was the movement of the Spirit, and that was enough. His movement had to be in sync with that of the
Holy Spirit; only then would the promise to him be fulfilled. May that be the case for you and I, too, that going forward, our movements will be in tune with the Spirit and all of God’s promises to us will come to fruition. A simple event as going into the temple courts, was “moved by the Spirit.” What if Simeon had not been sensitive to the Spirit? What if he had delayed, hesitated, or yielded to reluctance? What was outwardly an ordinary movement–entering the temple courts–was, in fact, the decisive moment of his life. The consequence would have been grave: he would have missed the purpose for which he was left alive on earth over the years!

Can the Spirit move you, or are you too heavy?
O that we may hear him and be moved by him.
Perhaps you are reading this at the start of a new year; could you make it your resolve going forward
that, by His help, you would be attentive to and yield to the Spirit’s moves. Whenever it is that you read
this, what matters is that going forward, you live as Simeon did – that you would not only be Spirit-filled but you would be moved by the Spirit. It is those who are led by the Spirit of God who are the children of God (Romans 8:14). Let us prove our filiality by being led by the Spirit.

My eyes have seen your salvation
As Jesus’ parents brought Him in to fulfil the requirements of the Law, Simeon took Him in his arms and
praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
This man held in his hands the consolation. What others lived and hoped for and died without seeing, he
saw and touched. When 1 John 1:1 says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life”, Simeon was a true witness to that. On that fateful day, it happened as he was moved by
the Spirit. If you are moved by the Spirit, you too will touch great things.

If you are moved by the Spirit, you too will touch great things.

And Anna too
Closely following Simeon’s story was that of Anna, a prophet. She, too, had spent many years fasting and
praying without ever leaving the temple. She, too, was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.
Luke says, “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). If her own years of
praying and fasting and waiting for the ‘redemption of Jerusalem’ were not to be for nothing, she had to
come up to them at that very moment. She did, and she also saw the consolation of Israel.
By the mouths of these two witnesses, that matter is confirmed.

It came into his heart
You might be wondering how this hearing of the Spirit comes about, whether it is something reserved
for the Simeons and the Annas of Christendom. This is where Paul’s injunction to “be transformed by
the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) is of utmost importance. The ear of your Spirit that will hear
the Holy Spirit speak to you and move you will normally be in your mind. Without a renewed mind, you
will not be able to discern his voice. A mind sanctified by the truth of the word (John 17:17) and that has
learned by constant use to hear the voice of the Shepherd, will be moved at the right time and will hear
and obey.
When it was time for God to set in motion the events that would move Moses from Pharaoh’s house to
Jethro’s, for the next phase of his preparation to be a deliverer, something simple yet profound
happened. Stephen said, “And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his
brethren the children of Israel” (Acts 7:23, my emphasis). It came into his heart, and as he went to see
them, several things happened that resulted in him fleeing to Midian, where he met Jethro and was
discipled for 40 years until the day God appeared to him in the burning bush and commissioned him.
If your mind is renewed, the Spirit will move you by speaking to you within. What may be like an idea
that just came into your heart may be the Spirit’s move. At other times, it may sound like the voice of
your conscience. There will be other ways to authenticate that, but this is basic.

What may be like an idea that just came into your heart may be the Spirit’s move.

As you move into the year and indeed the rest of your life, may you listen for God’s voice. May you be
moved by the Spirit into the fulfilment of God’s promises to you. May you prove that you are a child of
God by being led by the Spirit of God.

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