Friday, October 1. Luke 2:28-32.
person whom, for convenience, they dub “Deutero-Isaiah.” A wonderful man this “Deutero-Isaiah”; strange that authentic his tory knows nothing about him and that it took 2500 years to discover that there ever was such an individual. The fact that Simeon was a Bible student had much to do with his' “looking for the consolation of Israel” (v. 25), and his being filled with, led by, and illuminated by the Holy Spirit (vs. 25-27). Simeon doubtless had not fully understood all these prophecies which he had so deeply'pondered until they were ful filled. Saturday, October 2. Luke 2 :33-35. Mary and Joseph were exceptionally good people but they had not understood all this. Simeon ■seems to have understood what some modern “scholars” cannot get through their heads even yet: that while Mary was really the mother of Jesus, that Joseph was only reputedly his father; for while he blesses both, all his words are to Mary alone: What Simeon tells Mary about Jesus in verse 34 he had also learned from Old Tes tament prophecy (cf. Isa. 8:14, 15; 53:3). If modern theological scholars would study the Bible more and German speculations less, they would know more about Jesus. To every one of us Jesus is set either for our “fall” or for our “rising up.” One would naturally suppose that Jesus with such a character and such a mission would be received with appreciation and praise, but it was prophesied (and history has abundantly fulfilled the prophecy) that He would be a sign that should be spoken against. Those who best represent Jesus will be received just as Jesus was (John 15:20, 25). Simeon warned Mary that a sword should pierce through her own soul.
Note exactly what Simeon did wi£h the babe. All that the eye of sense could see in the child was a helpless babe: the eye of faith saw in Him the Lord’s Christ. All that faith had to rest upon was God’s word spoken by the Holy Spirit (v. 26), but that was enough. Simeon first blessed God and then blessed Joseph and Mary (vs. 28, 34). There is a -striking contrast in the tone of these two prophetic songs of Simeón: the first is jubilant, because it is wholly taken up with Christ Himself; the second is sad, because it is taken up with the conduct of man. Simeon’s departure was to be in peace because his eyes had seen God’s sal vation. If our departure is to be peaceful, we must first see God’s salvation. All this was according to God’s word (v. 29). Simeon had said his eyes had seen God’s salvation, but what he had really seen was Jesus; so Jesus is God’s salvation. But Jesus was not only God’s “salvation,” He was also “a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy (God’s) people Israel.” Simeon had evidently deeply pondered Old Testament prophecy and from- this had learned all these wonderful titles for Jesus ( cf, Isa. 49:6; 42:6; 60:19; Zech. 2:5). In the Old Testament it is Jehovah who is called “the glory of Israel” (Isa. 60:19; Zech. 2:5); here it is Jesus who is “the glory of Israel,” that is to say Jesus Christ, and who occupies in New Testament thought the place that Jehovah occupies in Old Testament thought. The inference is inescapable that Jesus is Jehovah manifest in the flesh (cf. John 14:9). It is to be noted that all of Simeon’s quotations from Isaiah are from that portion of Isaiah that many of our very wise modern critics say Isaiah did not write, but some unknown
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