Luke 2:25-35, vs. “28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God…”
This short verse speaks to us of Simeon, whose brief story is told in verses 25-35. He was a just and devout man, waiting, the scriptures teach, for the consolation of Israel. He was waiting for the promised Messiah, having received the promise in himself that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Christ. His story is brief, but important, as he gives us a great example of an individual who sought for Christ, and received Christ. No one told Simeon who this child was; he saw Him and knew immediately, that this child was all he ever sought for, and all he ever desired. He was all his joy, the culmination of his life, all he had ever done paled in comparison to this one moment, when he saw Jesus.
Now we see him taking Christ into his arms, which is to us a picture of one truly receiving Christ. He did not merely gaze at the child, but he opened himself, if you would, his heart was open, and more than just entering his arms, Christ entered his heart, Simeon was emptied of himself, he wanted only Jesus. Simeon personally experienced Christ in his life, as we are all called to, not once, but continually, and he desired Jesus more than all else, as we should, with a desire that grows and grows, if we have truly tasted of His goodness. This is what Peter speaks of in 1Peter 2:2-3, the continual desire for God, if we have indeed tasted/experienced Him. His language here speaks of something that is savored and enjoyed, not for personnel gain, or for a mere moral improvement, but out of something much deeper created in the heart, a desire that when satisfied brings about a continual change into the likeness of what is desired, Jesus.
This knowledge of the Holy One, is the blessed privilege of all in Christ, and Jesus gave His precious life for this purpose. To be holy as He is holy, to know God in divine fellowship is our privilege, neglected by many. The shallowness of the inner experience of God in Christianity today is a travesty, keeping us on the outskirts of the temple, when God has called us to be priests, ministering to Him in the Holy of Holies, in the very Presence of God. It is the pure in heart that will see God(Matthew 5:8), those who strive after God, allowing Him to create in them the pure and holy heart that He will truly inhabit. Simeon sang that his eyes had seen God’s salvation, he knew the hope of Israel within his own heart, he saw and experienced the blessedness of God. He let go of all else, and took hold of the pearl of great price, as must we. Truly coming to Christ will cost you your life, but you will receive much more, and in the end, eternal fellowship with God, when He will take each true believer into His arms, into His presence forever and ever.
That Christ alone may be glorified, Brother Benjamen
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