Wednesday, Dec. 11

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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.   - Luke 2:25

He was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (2:25).  The word for waiting actually means looking or searching for.  Simeon is not just passively waiting, he is actively looking and expecting God to show him something. 

The word that is translated consolation comes from a Greek word that means comforter, or one who is called alongside as a companion. Like all of us, Simeon needed comfort in the face of the sorrows and difficulties of life. But Simeon was willing to wait upon God knowing that what God had promised, God would fulfill. If you have faith, then you can wait. The measure of your faith is the measure of your ability to wait upon God. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the Messiah. Faced with the troubles of his nation as they were subjugated under the iron authority of the Roman Empire, Simeon placed His hope for deliverance in the promises of God concerning a messiah who would be sent to save the people.

This phrase “the consolation of Israel”, refers to the time prophesied by Isaiah, a time when God would bring comfort to His people and remove their sins by sending His Anointed One, the Messiah. 

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned.
    Isaiah 40:1-2

Everybody is looking for a little comfort and security in life.  But pay careful attention to what Isaiah says will actually be the comfort of God’s people.  The comfort of God’s people will not be economic prosperity, nor will it be a political overthrow of the Roman oppression.  The promise of God’s comfort for His people will be the pardoning of their iniquity, the forgiveness of their sin.  God comforts His people by sending them what they most need (even if it is not what they most want), a Savior & a Redeemer.  Simply put, the comfort of God’s people is Jesus Christ!  He is the consolation of Israel and the hope of the whole world.  

For Simeon, this one moment in the temple made all his life worth the living. His deepest desire in life had been to see the consolation of Israel, the Lord’s Christ. Maybe he expected to see a powerful king riding on a white charger or sitting on a throne. What he actually saw was a common couple with a newborn baby, going through the everyday ritual of cleansing and presentation as prescribed in the Jewish law. But the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon, “This is the one.”

How long had Simeon been looking? Probably all his life! It would have been easy for him to think, “Generations have come and gone and these promises have never been fulfilled. Why expect that it will happen in my lifetime? Just settle in for the long haul, and give up this notion that Messiah will come.”

Do you live expectantly? Do you expect God to answer your prayers, or are you surprised when one gets answered? Must have been a coincidence! 

Do you expect the Lord to return soon? Maybe you’re thinking, “Come on, people have been expecting that for over 2,000 years, and it hasn’t happened.” But those people were the better for living each day expecting Him to come in their lifetimes. In our day, the signs of His coming are all around us. Will the Son of Man find faith in us when He comes (Luke 18:8)?  People of hope live expectantly, waiting on God to fulfill His promises.  Like Simeon, we live in a time between what God has promised (that He will return) and the fulfillment of that promise.  Of all people, we who place our trust in Jesus Christ should be the most hopeful because we know the certainty of what He has promised.

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  - Romans 15:13

Jeff Frazier