The Songs of Christmas: Simeon’s Song of Peace

Introduction

Luke 2:22–35 (ESV)

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Peace. It is something we all long for and yet something that seems to be so elusive for so many of us in this chaotic, war-torn, fear-filled, anxiety driven world.

Where is the peace when there is so much conflict, fear, anxiety? What assurance is there that good will truly prevail?

“It Is Well With My Soul” - This hymn was written after traumatic events in Horatio Spafford's life. The first was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially. At about the same time he lost his 4 year old son to scarlett fever. His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to England with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, to help with D. L. Moody's upcoming evangelistic campaigns. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died.[2] His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.

Where does one find the peace and comfort in the midst of a broken and chaotic world?

Jesus Provides the Peace of Comfort

Simeon was a man who was waiting for God’s peace of Comfort and Consolation to come to Israel in the midst of her trials and suffering.

The word consolation in this passage is paraklesis, which means comfort, encouragement, or consolation as it is translated here in the ESV. It is the same word that Jesus uses of the Holy Spirit when He says the Helper will come to His disciples when He leaves. This Helper, the Holy Spirit, is to be one who brings comfort and encouragement to God’s people who live in difficult and trying times.

We do not know how it was revealed to him except that the Holy Spirit was upon him and it was revealed to Simeon that he would get to lay his eyes upon the Christ before he died. He would actually get to see God fulfill the promises He has made through the millennia to bring comfort to His people who were waiting for a Savior.

When Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple to fulfill the requirements of the law for the firstborn child, Simeon led by the Holy Spirit comes to the Temple at this time and is able to hold the Christ child within his arms.

Through the Holy Spirit, it is revealed to Simeon that this child is the fulfillment of God’s promises of a Savior to His people Israel and we see that this revelation brings a great peace and consolation over Simeon.

The Comfort of Assurance

Outside of Christ, life is filled with worries and anxieties

God’s people had been living in silence for 400 years wondering where God was and what He was doing. Many were probably worried that God had left and forgotten them.

The coming of Christ brought to Simeon and to Israel the comfort of assurance that God was still with them and remembered them. He had not left them alone.

Notice Simeon’s words “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace.”

He is saying, I can die because I have the assurance that You have kept and will continue to keep your promises. I have no need to worry because my eyes have seen you!

Simeon understands he no longer needs to worry and strive for his own welfare. God has proven Himself faithful and worthy of Simeon’s trust even in the midst of darkness and strife.

Like Simeon, we can live in the assurance and rest that Christ alone can give.

What are we trusting in to give us the peace and assurance that only Christ can give?

Life is hard. Because we live in a broken world, there are things that can steal the peace God wants to give to His people. But far too often, we look for that peace in places that over promise peace and comfort and under deliver what it has promised.

We might try to trust in things like money to give us the peace we are looking for. Perhaps its comfort food when we are feeling down and out. Maybe its alcohol and other substances that we look to escape from the anxieties of life. Maybe we try to find peace in the comfort of another person. Or maybe we try to find peace by hiding away in solitude from everyone else, like we see with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While each of these might give a very temporary sensation of comfort and peace in the midst of our chaos, these things can never truly give us what our souls are desperately longing for!

Israel has long been guilty of trying to find comfort and peace through trusting the things of this world.

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV)

for my people have committed two evils:

they have forsaken me,

the fountain of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Israel forsook the Lord their God who gave them true living water and turned to trusting in themselves and the things they could provide for themselves. All these other things are like broken cisterns that could hold no water and whatever water it provided for them was dead, filthy water.

That’s what it is like for us when we seek to find our peace and comfort in anything other than Christ Himself. They are all broken cisterns that can never truly give us what we need.

But Christ calls to us and invites us to come to Him.

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This does not mean life will become easier, but that Christ will carry us through and give us the peace we long for even in the midst of the storm.

Jesus Provides the Peace of Reconciliation

But there is more to peace than just a calm assurance in life. There is peace that comes with the salvation God provides.

Luke 2:30–32 (ESV)

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

This salvation is not just a simple declaration that we have been forgiven by God.

This child has come to bring peace between God and man and this salvation is glory for Israel because this birth is the fulfillment of all God has done and promised Israel throughout the centuries. And this child is a light of revelation for the Gentiles because Jesus is revealing the God who has been unknown to the nations and inviting them into this relationship that Israel has enjoyed since Abraham.

Reconciliation with God

What is this peace that Christ is bringing? It is reconciliation between God and man.

2 Corinthians 5:17–18 (ESV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

You see, our greatest need was not simply comfort from the pain and suffering of this life, or some sentimental offer of forgiveness of sin. What we ultimately needed was to be reconciled with God and to experience peace with Him above anything else.

Ever since sin came into the world with the rebellious act of Adam and Eve, humanity along with all creation, has been separated from God. As a result, humanity has been described as enemies to God because of our sin.

Our sin has essentially put us at war with our Creator!

But Christ has come to offer salvation, which is to bring humanity back into right relationship with God. This is the peace our souls long for and it is the peace that must come before there can be peace on earth. As long as man remains in sin, man will not be able to live in peace even with his neighbor because sin is putting each of us at odds, not just with God, but with one another.

Therefore, the salvation we desperately need is the salvation that makes us right with God once again! This is the peace and the salvation that Simeon is rejoicing in and it is this peace that is giving him the peace of comfort and assurance in both life and death, in the midst of suffering and sorrow.

If you have already experienced this reconciliation, there is no greater peace we can have than knowing we have been made right with our God and Creator.

Reconciliation Offered for All

And here’s the beautiful thing that Simeon once again is pointing out that we even looked at last week with the shepherds.

This salvation is not just for the people of Israel, for the ones who have for centuries lived in the promise of this coming Savior and Redeemer.

This peace and reconciliation is also being revealed to the Gentiles. God in Christ is inviting the other nations into this relationship that Israel for so long has gotten to enjoy. This is the reason we are here in Socorro able to worship God and to be reconciled to God in Christ rather than having to make our trek to Jerusalem to worship. We, as non-Israelite people, are invited to be reconciled to God in Christ! What great news this is!

Jesus Provides Peace Through Sacrifice

Luke 2:33–35 (ESV)

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Peace Through the Sacrifice of Christ

After Simeon sings his song, he says something to Mary as to how this peace that Christ is bringing will come; through pain.

The peace that Christ has brought is free for us, but it is not cheap. This peace has come at great cost to Christ Himself.

He tells her that this child will cause the fall and the rise of many in Israel and that many will oppose him, and because of that opposition, it will be like a sword piercing her own soul too.

I don’t know how much he knew or understood of how Christ would bring peace, but he knew enough from the Old Testament Prophecies that this child would be the suffering servant mentioned in Isaiah.

He is alluding to how peace would be purchased and brought for God’s people, through His painful death and sacrifice upon the cross.

This peace and reconciliation that Christ has bought for us could not be bought without the death of a perfect sacrifice. You and I can enjoy life with God in eternity because of what this Child was born to do, to die upon the cross bearing the sins of the whole world.

Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

While the Israelites sacrificed bulls and goats for the ongoing payment of sin, those things could not actually take away sin. They were signs that pointed to a better sacrifice, one that would perfectly do what no other sacrifice could do. The High Priest had to enter continually to make payment for sin because there was no perfect sacrifice.

However, what brought Simeon peace was the birth of the One who would be that perfect sacrifice. Sin would finally, once and for all be dealt with, and now he can die in peace knowing for sure that what God had promised has been fulfilled in this Child! Regardless of anything else Simeon might face in this world, he had the peace knowing that in Christ, God had overcome the chaos and brokenness of this world and that all things would one day be set right.

Because of this great sacrifice, we have peace with God and the comfort and assurance that comes through Christ and now we have this great promise from Revelation 21:3-4

Revelation 21:3–4 (ESV)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Conclusion

Horatio Spafford found himself in dark times with the circumstances of the Chicago fires and the economic downturn, finally to the events that took the lives of his daughters. And yet, in spite of all that had occurred, Spafford found peace in the midst of darkness and trials in the person and work of Christ.

His second and third verses show us where he found his peace and the hope to know that Christ has truly overcome the evils of this world:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

His peace and hope was found in the death and resurrection of Christ, knowing that Christ made the necessary payment for sin and through that sacrifice, there is assurance now that all things will be set right and that death itself has been defeated and cannot steal the peace that God has provided for His people.

Have you experienced this peace that surpasses understanding? Has the Holy Spirit filled you with the calm assurance that no matter what trials we face that Christ has overcome the world and that we can rest in peace trusting our Savior?