I Have Seen Him!

Every now and then, I will read a chapter, a passage, or verse and encouragement fills my heart. Knowing that this is the Holy Spirit’s doing, I esteem these moments. I am always encouraged by the accounts in the Bible of God’s faithfulness. A couple weeks ago this occurred while reading the account of Simeon in the gospel of Luke.

“Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout…”

Right away I understand that the Holy Spirit is beginning to tell us something more than just a story about a good old guy in Jerusalem. Other translations describe him as righteous, honorable, a very good man, and a lover of God that kept himself pure. Questions filled my mind. Who is he, and why is he in the narrative of the birth of Christ?

Bible scholars are uncertain whether this man was a priest, a servant in the temple, or just there. The Complete Jewish Bible calls him a Tzaddik, which prompted more questions. So, I looked up what a Tzaddik was. I found many hits on this title. I left clicked on one and began to read that it is a man that, “attains such a level self-mastery and spirituality that all his thoughts, feelings and actions…” I stopped, if there was such a person as this, I’d like to meet him. I did confer with a Messianic Jewish friend and was told this. “A Tzaddik takes the difficulties in the understanding of the doctrines of God and brings it down to a level that the simplest person can understand”. I guess the KISS method was practiced back then as well.

But I still did not understand why this man, among all others was single out for this divine assignment. Until I read on in the verse.

“…waiting for the consolation of Israel.”

We know that it had been over four hundred years since the last prophecy of the Messiah’s coming, so was he the only person in all of Israel waiting? No, that couldn’t be it cause later we will read of Anna, a widow, who had spent most of her life at the temple waiting. So, what made Simeon different?

“…and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would see death before he had seen the LORD’s Christ.”

That’s it, that is the game changer! While there may have been many others waiting, he was expecting. Simeon’s hope was not solely based on the prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah, he had a promise. And his faith was in the One that had made the promise.

I wonder what that day had been like for him. Did he wake up with excitement filling his heart? Did he sense the tangible presence of the Spirit, hear His voice tell him that today was the day. However, he was led that day, he had to be given insight that would allow him to recognize the One he had been expecting. How else would he have picked Him out among all the male infants in diapers and blankies.

 

Before Simeon held the Christ in his arms, by faith he had already held Him in his heart. It was his faith in God’s promise that brought him and even greater reward than just seeing, Simeon got to hold and prophesy of the One that would redeem him. The Bible does not tell us how much longer Simeon lived, but in his death, God showed His faithfulness to many others.

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them from a distance…” Hebrews 11:13

“I have seen Him!”

I can see Abraham plowing through the crowd like a snowplow on an Indiana county road. “You saw my Seed; the One God promised me?” David may have broken out in the most undignified dance moves ever. Enoch and Elijah may have broken out in song. “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, we are going to see the King!”

Before going further, I would like to tell you of something that happened to me when I was a young teenager. It was in October of 1975, a Saturday afternoon, and I was bored. My friends were busy with chores and family activities. Walking out into the open field I found a patch of grass and sat down. It wasn’t long till I laid back and stared up at the clouds. My thoughts wandered from baseball, model airplanes, and what would the coming week at school bring. What happened I did not understand, nor would I for several years later. Looking at the clouds I sensed inside mt heart, that I was not alone. My mind caught up to what I was sensing, and for several minutes, I pondered just one thought. God is real! At the time, I could only describe it as being comfortable. I went home and wrote in my diary, “God is real, I saw Him in the clouds today”.

It was a few years later when a preacher told me of the promise in John 1:12. That if I would receive Him, that He would give me the power to become a son of God. If I believed in His name. Can you remember that first time, that in your heart, you confessed “I have seen Him!” If you haven’t experienced this seeing and knowing, you can today. Don’t let the lies of the enemy keep you thinking about what you’ve done, that it is too late, or that you are not devout and righteous like Simeon. If you need further encouragement, for those already in eternity it wasn’t long till another showed up and shouted, “I have seen Him!” This one was a thief, and he had hung on a cross right next to Jesus.

What promises are you holding and expecting to receive? That He will never leave you nor forsake you. That He will complete the good work in you. That if you reverence and honor Him, that he will honor you. All the promises God has given us in His Word, and His proven faithfulness toward them, is our sure and only foundation for our faith today. His faithfulness to confirm His word can be seen in Jesus and precedes our seeing them as reality. We need only to believe and confess, Yes and Amen!