We should imitate their waiting.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.  (26)  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Luke 2:25-26

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. 

Luke 2:37

Explanation:

We are looking to Anna and Simeon as people who exemplified what it looks like to live lives of holy anticipation.  We are trying to imitate what they did right in that. 

2.  We should imitate their waiting.

Notice what the scripture said about Simeon.  He was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.”  There was a sense of expectation.  He wasn’t just hoping for it, like he was unsure that it would happen.  He was looking for it because he believed that it would happen. 

What was the consolation of Israel?  The word for consolation here is the word also used for comfort.  God had promised to bring comfort to His people. 

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.   

Isaiah 49:13

According to verse 26, God had told him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.  So, Simeon, a kind of representation of the faithful remnant people in Israel, believed and waited for what God had promised.  For Simeon, this was not just a general hope that Israel would be comforted and restored, but a hope for the messiah.  God had revealed to him that he would see this long awaited Savior.

This was also true of Anna.  She had been married for 7 years, and then after her husband died, remained a widow for eighty four years.  What had she done with her life?  She had basically stayed in the temple, serving God through fasting and praying.  She had obviously been waiting during that whole time.  The text tells us that she knew many who “looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (v.38). 

Application: 

The idea here is that there was an expectation.  For the believer in Christ there should be an expectation of Christ’s return. Simeon and Anna were looking forward to what God had promised because they believed that God would keep His promises.  Do you look forward to heaven?  Are you hoping for Christ?  Does it enter into your daily life?

Response:

What is a way you can “wait” for the Lord this week?