Luke 2:29-32 Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation 1/16/2005 ßà
#1. Simeon (Luke 2:25-27, Isa 40:1-2, 9-11, 49:6, Gal 4:25-26)
6-7, Matt 21:43, Rom 8:30)
#2. Anna (Luke 2:36-38, Isa 50:1)
Please open your Bibles to the Prophecy of Genesis 34:1
(2X). Before we continue in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, I would like to touch
on one of the forgotten tribes of
Ge 34:1-3 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare
unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the
country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And his soul clave unto Dinah the
daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
Ge 34:4 And Shechem
spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
And so the chief of the city, Hamor, and his son, Shechem, went to Jacob to ask if Shechem could marry Jacob’s daughter Dinah. Now drop down to verse 13. There we read,
Ge 34:13-14 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and
Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their
sister: And they said
unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is
uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
Ge 34:15-16 But in
this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male
of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you,
and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will
become one people.
Ge 34:17-18 But if
ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter,
and we will be gone. And their words
pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
And so Hamor and his son agreed to have all the males in the city of
Ge 34:25 ¶ And it came to pass on the third day, when
they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s
brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all
the males.
Ge 34:26-27 And they
slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out
of Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and
spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Ge 34:28-29 They
took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in
the city, and that which was in the field, And all their wealth,
and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even
all that was in the house.
And so Simeon and Levi were the executers of this plan. But their brothers were not innocent either because they all pitched in to rob the entire city and to take many slaves from the women and children. That was a very wicked thing that Simeon and Levi did. They used the sign of God’s covenant to bring death instead of life. They made Hamor and his son believe that Jacob’s sons were peaceful and were worshippers of Jehovah. But instead they used their religion as a cloak to commit murder. But did you know that the same thing is going on today? Many preachers today stand in the pulpit and proclaim a false gospel, a gospel that flagrantly violates Rev 22:18-19. But in doing so they inherit the wrath of God upon themselves and upon all their followers, because God has promised that He will send to Hell all those who are in violation of Rev 22:18-19. In the meanwhile they rake up a lot of money from the unsuspecting people in the pews, who are led as sheep to the slaughter. What have those preachers done? They use their religion as a cloak to commit extortion and murder. They know full well what Rev 22:18-19 teaches, but they continue their evil practices because it is so lucrative. But payday is coming for those preachers of death, and payday has come for Simeon and Levi. Please turn to Gen 49:3 (2X).
When Jacob was 147 years old Jacob knew that he was dying. He called his sons together to give them his final blessings and also to declare to them what shall befall them in the last days. Then Jacob began to address his sons, the 1st four in chronological order. And Jacob said in Gen 49:3
Ge 49:3-4 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my
might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel;
because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he
went up to my couch.
Ge 49:5 ¶ Simeon and
Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their
habitations.
Ge 49:6 O my soul,
come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou
united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged
down a wall.
Ge 49:7-8 Cursed be
their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I
will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in
Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. But because Reuben went to bed with
one of his father’s concubine, Bilhah, Reuben squandered his right of the
firstborn. The next runners up were Simeon and Levi. But because Simeon
and Levi murdered all the males in the city of
#1. Simeon (Luke 2:25-27, Isa 40:1-2, 9-11, 49:6, Gal 4:25-26)
We have seen the last time that Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to
the temple in
to present Him to the Lord, because He was the firstborn and therefore He had to be redeemed. We are continuing our exposure in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2. The title of the present sermon is, “Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation” (2X). While Joseph and Mary and Jesus were in the temple, a man met them by the name of Simeon. Why did this man have that name? God wanted him to have this name to identify him with the tribe that was the lowest on the totem pole. Let us read this in Luke 2:
Lu 2:25 ¶ And, behold, there was a man in
Lu 2:26-27 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,
We read here that this man Simeon was just, which means righteous.
It means that he was one of God’s elect. It means that all his sins were
accounted for, and all his sins were placed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who will
render the payment for each one of these sins on the cross. We read here that
Simeon was devout, which means devoted to religious duties, which means
that he was in much prayer, not only for himself, but also for many others. It
also means that he was a good student of the Bible, the OT scrolls, and that he
understood more than the scribes or Pharisees taught him. It means that God the
Holy Spirit had given him much grace in his studies and in his prayers. We read
here that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation
of Israel”, which means that he was
waiting for the comfort of Israel, which means that he was waiting for the
Comforter of Israel, the Messiah of Israel. Who was he waiting for? Please
turn in your Bibles to the Prophecy of Isaiah 40:1 (2X). You find
the Prophecy of Isaiah right after Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. Simeon was a
good student of the Bible, and so he knew what this passage in Isaiah promised.
This is the chapter that speaks of bringing comfort to the people of God. It
speaks of the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore this chapter
is read in churches often at the time of Christmas. Listen to these words and let
them sink in,
Isa 40:1 ¶ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your
God.
Isa 40:2 Speak ye
comfortably to
God’s people are not comforted by Christ
coming as a baby. But God’s people are comforted by Christ paying for
their sins on the cross. And that is exactly what these verses say. First
of all, God is not speaking comfortably to the physical
Isa 40:9-10 ¶ O
Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O
Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it
up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of
Isa 40:11 He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and
carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are
with young.
Verses 9 and 10 speak about the coming of Christ in the words: “Behold
your God”, and about His crucifixion in the words: “His arm shall rule
for Him”, thereby thinking of His outstretched arm. Moreover, verse 11
speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd, as He described
Himself in John chapter 10. Moreover, the Messiah that Simeon was waiting for was
not just a Messiah for the elect out of the nation of
Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that Thou
shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the
preserved of
You see, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One that Simeon was waiting for was waiting for was not only a “restorer of the preserved of Israel”, meaning the elect among the physical nation of Israel, but He is also a Light to the remnant chosen by grace from among the Gentiles, in order that God’s plan of salvation may reach geographically unto the end of the earth, and may reach in time unto the end of the earth. If Simeon was a good student of the Prophet Isaiah, then Simeon looked forward to the 1st coming of Christ as well as to the 2nd coming of Christ, as written through the pen of Isaiah. The 1st time He came as the Comforter, the 2nd time He will come as the Judge.
Please turn again to the Gospel according to Luke 2:28 (2X). Why did God write this incident with Simeon and Anna in the Bible? God wrote this in the Bible as a message to us, so that we would get a clearer picture of the Gospel of salvation, so that we would better understand the gift from God.
Simeon represents the remnant chosen by grace, both in OT and NT
time, which are waiting for the 1st and the 2nd coming of
Christ. The OT tells us that Simeon is identified with
1Co 1:26 For ye see
your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
In the OT Simeon was a murderer. But how does God view the entire
human race? In Rom 3:10-18 God describes the heart of all mankind. And then God
says in Rom 3:15, “Their feet are
swift to shed blood”. This is what is in
the heart of mankind. Only by God’s grace are we restrained from violence
against one another. Can you see that Simeon characterized all those who
have been saved? All the saints are just, they are devout,
and they are eagerly waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ on the clouds
of glory. The Lord Jesus revealed Himself to Simeon, because Simeon was one of
His elect. God revealed to Simeon “that he should not see death before he
had seen the Lord’s Christ”. But we also do not see death before we have
seen, by faith, Christ and His Kingdom in the Bible. The Lord Jesus will reveal
Himself to every one of His elect, because salvation is identical to knowing
Christ. The Lord Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent”. And when we embrace Christ, we do that because He loved us first.
God said in 1John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us”.
And thus we read in Luke 2:28,
Lu 2:28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed
God, and said,
Lu 2:29 Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
Lu 2:30 For mine
eyes have seen thy salvation,
Lu 2:31 Which thou
hast prepared before the face of all people;
Lu 2:32 A light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people
Simeon recognized that this is the Messiah, the Christ. Now death is
sweet, because death is only a stepping stone to being with Christ forever.
Simeon could see with eyes of faith on this baby of 40 days old, and
recognize God’s salvation plan through this person whom he was embracing. Others
in
Joh 3:27 John
answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven.
We can truly say that everything we have was a gift from God, and everything we believe was a gift from God, and all the desires we have, except for sinful desires, were gifts from God. God’s grace and God’s providence are working hand in hand to accomplish exactly what God had planned for us from before the foundation of the world. This is the outworking of all that Christ paid on the cross. But now, let us see what other prophecies Simeon had to say when he held the baby Jesus in his arms. He said
Lu 2:33 And Joseph
and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
Lu 2:34 And Simeon
blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set
for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be
spoken against;
What is this? On the one hand, in verse 32, Simeon spoke about “the
glory of Thy people
Mt 8:11-12 And I say unto you, That many shall come from
the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in
the kingdom of heaven. But the children of
the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
You see, we need to think about whom God considers to be
Lu 2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own
soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Does this prophecy refer to Mary’s suffering at the cross when she sees her firstborn son dying like a common criminal? This is a popular interpretation of this verse, and it is especially popular in the Roman Catholic Church where Mary is already elevated above all mankind. But there is no indication at all in the Bible that this verse refers to Mary’s elevation to Coredemptrix at the cross. In fact, the parentheses do not belong there. It is a suggestion from the translators. Instead we must interpret this verse without parentheses, and God added the result: “In order that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed”. In other words, these words of the first half of verse 35 will reveal how many will bow down to worship Mary. God anticipated this gross idolatry of the worship of Mary as the mother of God.
In the correct interpretation of this verse we should look for a spiritual sword that pierces through Mary’s soul. Only a spiritual sword can do this. Let me read to you the words of Eph 6:17 (2X),
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
In other words, the Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit. With this offensive weapon we attack the deceits of the devil. With this offensive weapon we teach doctrine, we use it to convict and to reform those who tend to forget God, and we use it to instruct what is right and just in the sight of God.
Therefore we value the Word of God highly, because it presents to us Christ, complete, and it is for us the offensive weapon of the army of Christ. And it is a weapon sharper than any sword. We read in:
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Word of God can discern even the intents of the heart, which means before we have thought about anything, God already knows how we will react. The Word of God exposes us to who we really are. There is no escape. Mary, God will pierce your soul also, and God will reveal to you that you too have sins that your Son Jesus will have to atone for on the cross. Yes Mary, this may all become real to you when you actually see your Son in His atonement for your sins. And then we read about:
#2. Anna (Luke 2:36-38, Isa 50:1)
Why did God add this story into the Bible? The answer again is: It is for our benefit, to help us understand the Gospel more clearly. We read here in Luke 2:36,
Lu 2:36 And there
was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she
was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity;
Lu 2:37 And she was
a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Lu 2:38 And she
coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to
all them that looked for redemption in
Anna was a prophetess, which means she declared the Word of God.
When any of us are reading out loud the words of Scripture, we are declaring
the Word of God, which means we are prophesying. Anna was from the tribe of
Asher. Historically Asher is the 2nd son of Zilpah, Leah’s
handmaid. Asher was son # 8 of Jacob. The tribe of Asher was scattered in 722
BC by the king of
Isa 50:1 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill
of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is
it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold
yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
This is a chapter that prominently portrays the cross of Christ, and it
begins with a divorce of OT Israel. And so, in AD 33 the nation of
Let us now finish this story of the baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph performed:
Lu 2:39-40 And when
they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned
into Galilee, to their own city
The Lord Jesus was subject to all the stipulations of the Law, because we
read in Gal 4:4, “But when the fulness of
the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law”. What does that mean, “all things according to the Law
of the Lord”? We have learned a long time ago that the Law does not
represent just the commandments. The Law is the entire Word of God. Therefore,
“all things according to the Law of the Lord” means that they must have
gone through
AMEN. Let
us turn to the Lord in Prayer.