THY SALVATION

Jochebed had looked into the face of her child, Moses, and had seen he was ‘a fine child’, Exod. 2. 2 ESV, but perhaps never dreamed of the great blessing God would bring through him to Israel. But, in today’s reading, as Simeon looked into the face of Christ, he realized that the long-awaited fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies had arrived. He was a man strongly affected by the Holy Spirit, who was upon him, v. 25, and who led him, v. 27, and who also gave revelations of truth to him, v. 26. Consequently, like the prophets, he had knowledge relative to the future. The Holy Spirit was pointing a person to Christ, just as He does today, John 15. 26.

With his eyes fixed on the little baby, he became the first New Testament prophet to declare Jesus to be God’s ‘salvation’. For the Jews this involved God’s ancient covenant and a promised land. Many Old Testament people had waited for this salvation. Jacob on his deathbed was the first to express this heart-wish: ‘I have waited for thy salvation’, Gen. 49. 18. He was living in Egypt, far from the land God had promised to Israel. Another prophet, Micah, echoes the same desire as he witnesses the corruption and decay in his nation; ‘I will wait for the God of my salvation’, Mic. 7. 7.

But this salvation goes far beyond an earthly kingdom. The salvation in Christ would ‘save his people from their sins’, Matt. 1. 21. Paul reminds us, ‘we shall be saved from wrath through him’, Rom. 5. 9. What a great salvation! Truly we can rejoice. Consider those who rejoiced in the Lord’s salvation: Hannah because He answered her prayer for a son, 1 Sam. 2. 1; David, when protected from Saul’s evil purpose, Ps. 35. 9; and again David as a victorious, conquering king, Ps. 20. 5; 21. 1. We can identify with the psalmist David ‘Let all those who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified’, Ps. 40.16.

We rejoice in a spiritual salvation which is past, and we hope and long for its climax, when our rest will be in heaven and the kingdom of our Lord will fill the earth.