"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law, Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now let 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 people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32)
There was another man in the temple that day, who also had the Lord Jesus in his arms, namely, the high priest; but unlike Simeon, he did not recognize in the infant the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel,--the Saviour of mankind.
Why could not the high priest, the religious leader of all the people, discern what the unknown Simeon saw so plainly? The answer is plain: Simeon was "waiting for the consolation of Israel." (Luke 2:25) "If any man wills to do the will of God, he shall know." (John 7:17)
God says: "I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain." (Isaiah 45:19)
God had sworn to Abraham, and that oath, added to an immutable promise, made and still makes a strong consolation to all who flee for a refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them. This oath of God centered in Christ, and the birth of Christ was the remembering of His holy covenant, and the oath which He swore to Abraham. "And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life." (Luke 1:67-75)
The thing was not done in a corner but was placed on record for all men. God had proclaimed, "Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 45:22)
No man ever looks to God for consolation in vain. The high priest, on the other hand, was waiting for the exaltation of himself and his people. His interest was not, however, for the people, but for himself. His desire to see Israel exalted was solely in order that his authority and dignity might be correspondingly increased. He was looking altogether too high to see the Lord, who is meek and lowly in heart, and who dwells with the humble and contrite. The truth that is revealed unto babes, and even in the form of a babe, was too insignificant for his notice.
Note well the agency of the Spirit of God on this occasion. The Spirit was upon Simeon, not occasionally, but all the time. If Simeon had not been continually walking in the Spirit, he would have missed the opportunity. To how many people the one opportunity of a lifetime comes and is lost, because they have not been ready for it. Just that moment they were taking a rest from well-doing, having become weary. "But they that wait on the Lord [wait for His consolation,] shall renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31)
They will never be taken unawares either by the enemy of souls or by the revelation of God. "[Simeon] came by the Spirit into the temple." (Luke 2:27)
That shows that he walked in the Spirit. He allowed his steps, and all his actions, to be guided by the Spirit of God. The true Christian position is that in which every thought and every movement is but the working of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the whole and only life of the individual. If we were always in that condition we should be directed to many treasures which we now miss.
The Spirit revealed to Simeon that the little baby in the arms of that poor, timid woman was the Lord's Anointed. He could not have known it in any other way, for there was nothing in the child's appearance to distinguish it from scores of other babes that were presented in the temple. He did not have a halo of light about His head, as so many fanciful picture-makers delight in portraying Him. "When we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." (Isaiah 53:2)
Isaiah had written this hundreds of years before. Only the Spirit can make Him known. Flesh and blood cannot do it. "He said unto them, But whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17) "I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed; and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3)
What an opportunity the high priest missed that day. He had the Lord's Anointed in his arms, yet he felt no thrill. The babe was nothing to him. It was not merely to comply with the Levitical law, that Christ was presented in the temple, but that the priest might have an opportunity to recognize Him, and to make Him known to the people. That was his business; "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth." (Malachi 2:7)
But he did not know the day of his visitation, and because he failed on that occasion, which was seemingly so insignificant, he lost everything.
Unto us the same opportunity and obligation comes. "Behold your God!" is cried out to us: and we are to behold Him in order that we may make Him known to others: "O Zion, that bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" (Isaiah 40:9)
God makes everyone of His people a priest, that they all may "show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)
Where shall we see Him? Ah, where can we fail to see Him? "Christ [is] the power of God," (1 Corinthians 1:24) and, "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
And ever since the creation of the world His everlasting power and Divinity have been clearly seen in the things which have been made: "For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity." (Romans 1:20)
Every created thing, from the mightiest planet to the tiniest atom, reveals the Lord Jesus.
It is not enough to recognize the Lord in one place, if we fail to see Him in another. If we cannot recognize a friend when we see him in a new place, and an address that we have not before seen, we are certainly not on very intimate terms with him. We must be so well acquainted with the Lord, that we shall have no trouble in recognizing Him every instant, and on the instant, in every place.
If Christ had come to the high priest in pomp and royal majesty, like an earthly king, he would probably have recognized Him. No; he could not have recognized Him except by the Holy Spirit, no matter in what form He came; but he would at any rate have bowed before Him.
But he did not know that "the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25)
And that "God chooses the weak things ... and even things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are." (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)
The infant Jesus, borne in the arms of that poor woman, whose extreme poverty was indicated by the birds that she brought as an offering, instead of a lamb, was "the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24)
Yea, He was "the salvation of God." (Luke 3:6)
Nothing is weaker than a babe. The young of humankind is more helpless than any of the lower orders of creation. Never in our lives can we be more helpless and dependent than Christ was at that moment; yet He was the power of God; for God's strength is made perfect in weakness.
This is to teach us that at our lowest and weakest state we may be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. We are to recognize and confess Christ in our own bodies, even in our weak and sinful flesh. As surely as any man does this, he will be the victor over all the power of the enemy; for the Word is nigh us, in our mouth and in our heart, so that: "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9)
A preparation for the coming of the Lord is a preparation of character. "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness." (2 Peter 3:11)--Present Truth, November 9, 1899--Timeline: I-4 (The Presentation at the Temple)--Luke 2:25-32.