The prophetic prayer of Simeon

In Exodus 2:2 and again in verse 12, the Lord God told His people to dedicate every firstborn male to Him. As devout Jews, who followed God’s instructions, Mary and Joseph presented the Baby Jesus in the Temple.

As God-incidence would have it, an elderly man named Simeon arrived at just the right moment to greet the young family. Simeon had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, Whom the Holy Spirit had assured him that he would live to see.

Taking the newborn into his arms, Simeon knew this was The One he’d been waiting for, and so he praised God and prayed a prayer that astonished the Baby’s parents:

 

Luke 2:29-32 – the prophetic prayer of Simeon
as translated in the King James Version of the Bible

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant

depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared

before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles,

and the glory of thy people Israel.

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Sayler

 

Luke 2:29-32 – the prophetic prayer of Simeon
as paraphrased into contemporary English

And now, Lord, Your bond-servant

can go in peace,

for You have kept Your word,

and my eyes have witnessed Your

salvation –

the salvation You prepared

in the presence of all nations –

the Light You revealed to everyone,

the glory You have with Your people.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Sayler

 

As we approach Christmas week, may the Light of Christ be born anew in us as we praise the Lord God and thank Him for the wonderful gift of His Son. Amen.

 

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Simeon prays over the Infant Jesus

According to the Law of Moses, every Jewish couple had to present their first-born son to God and offer a sacrifice, so the child would be “holy to the Lord.” As Mary and Joseph obeyed this ruling from the Torah, the Holy Spirit urged a devout man named Simeon to enter the Temple, where he saw the Baby Jesus and took Him into his arms. 

People did not expect the Anointed One – the Messiah, the Christ – to come as a newborn, but Simeon immediately recognized the Baby as The One. Since the Lord had promised the aging man he would not die before seeing the Messiah, Simeon blessed the family and burst into praise and this prophetic prayer:

Luke 2:29-32 – a prayer of Simeon

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant

depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared

before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles,

and the glory of thy people Israel.

From the Book of KJV Prayers – actual Bible prayers collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, from the King James Version 

…

Luke 2:29-32 – a prayer of Simeon

And now, Lord, Your bond-servant

can go in peace,

for You have kept Your word,

and my eyes have witnessed Your

salvation –

the salvation You prepared

in the presence of all nations –

the Light You revealed to everyone,

the glory You have with Your people.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

…

God hears groans as prayers

Background: After the sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph into slavery, many years went by before a famine brought the family together again in Egypt. Ironically, the famine also brought many native Egyptians into slavery under the rule of Joseph, who had risen to the position second only to Pharaoh. Whether this enslaved the Twelve Tribes of Israel is not clear. Regardless, the Hebrew people remained in Egypt long after the famine had passed because, 400 years later, they were still there!

By then Joseph had long been forgotten, and God’s people were slaves for sure. In fact, conditions had become so terribly cruel that the firstborn son in every family was killed. According to the familiar story in Exodus 2, though, Moses’ mother placed her beautiful child in a waterproof basket and set him afloat on the Nile River. When Pharaoh’s daughter found him, she sent Miriam – Moses’ sister – to look for a nurse among the Hebrew women, and the girl brought her mother to care for her own son.

In this environment, Moses’ life began with love and caring. Although the Bible does not mention how long he stayed with his real family or what exposure he had to songs and stories, he most likely heard about God and the godly Patriarchs among his natural forefathers. But from a young age, he also lived in the home of Pharaoh’s daughter so would have had the most superior education in the world – culturally, politically, and academically.

Once grown, his attempts to rescue a fellow Hebrew resulted in his murdering an Egyptian who had been cruel! With Pharaoh himself now after him, Moses fled to the wilderness where, for forty years, he learned firsthand about living in the desert and tending unruly sheep!

When God had fully prepared Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery:

“…the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel sighed and cried out because they were in bondage, and their cry for help rose up to God. Then God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and knew,” (it was time to act) Exodus 2:23-25.

Question: Moses and the Hebrew people obviously had to wait many years (centuries!) to be released from slavery. In what ways did this passage of time help to prepare Moses and the people? Was God also waiting and waiting for the right time?

Prayer: Dear LORD God, thank You for Your perfect timing, even when it seems like it takes forever! Thank You for knowing what we need, even when we have nothing but cries and sighs for prayers. Thank You for preparing us for the work You have given us to do as free people, fully redeemed by You.


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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Joseph, Judah, and an unusual prayer

Background: Jacob (Israel) had one daughter and a dozen sons. Of the twelve, Joseph was clearly the favorite and everyone knew it, including Joseph. Eventually, the brothers got tired of his spying and tattling on them but were probably even wearier of being ignored and undervalued by a father prone toward favoritism.

The older brothers had had it with the little prince, whom their dad dressed in a colorful coat with long sleeves totally unsuitable for work! But, instead of killing the kid, as Cain would have done, they sold Joseph into slavery.

The familiar story begins in Genesis 37 and keeps going until Exodus while Joseph continues to have faith that God favored him. Not so with Judah, who winds up with two sons so wicked that God took them out of the family line!

After his wife also dies, Judah is seduced by a woman he thinks is a prostitute but is really the widow of both of his sons! In high contrast, the beloved Joseph refuses advances from his master’s wife, keeping his high moral standards and his faith, even though the decision got him thrown into jail!

Because of those choices, everybody knows about the moralism, wisdom, and strong faith of Joseph. Everybody clearly knows that God was with him as he rose to the top position of power in all of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh. And, everyone knows, as Joseph did, that the providence of God had allowed events that led to his keeping his entire family from starving to death during a 7-year famine. In short, almost everyone on earth has heard of Joseph, while even devout Christians and Jews often look puzzled by the name of Judah.

So, what about Judah? Who was he? What was he like, and why should we care? No, he’s not the lost tribe of Israel, but he is important to us today because he is the forefather of Christians and Jews.

Genesis 38 and 43-49 will give you the primary source of information about Judah, but here’s my somewhat shortened version:

After selling Joseph into slavery, Judah “departed from his brothers” (Genesis 38:1) and moved into an area southwest of Bethlehem later called the land of Judah. This self-imposed parting from his family may indicate grief, guilt, or growing sense of right and wrong, centuries before the law of Moses. For example, after hearing that his long-widowed daughter-in-law was expecting a child, Judah proposed that she be burned to death! When, however, she identified herself as the woman assumed to be a prostitute, Judah admitted “she’s more righteous than I.”

That might not sound like a big deal today, but at the time, even Bible patriarchs were not apt to admit any wrongdoing of any kind. People were also not likely to be more concerned about other people as they were about themselves. Remember, for example, how Lot had been perfectly willing to throw his unwed daughters to the men of Sodom and Abraham to risk Sarah’s safety in order to protect his own.

Not Judah.

For the sake of his father and brother, Judah made a unique choice that foreshadows the redemption brought by his direct descendant, Jesus Christ. Judah offered to place his own life in jeopardy as surety for the safety of his youngest brother to keep his father from dying with grief.

As Genesis records this episode, “Judah came close to Joseph and said, ‘O, my lord, let your servant speak, I pray thee, a word in your ears, and let not your anger burn against me, for you are as Pharaoh himself,’ Genesis 44:18.

“And now, I pray thee, let me, your servant, remain with you as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy go home with his brothers, for how could I possibly return to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Surely this would bring my father inconsolable grief and misery,” Genesis 44:33-34.

Question: What do you think of God’s choosing Judah over Joseph as the family line through whom the Son of God would come?

Prayer: Dear LORD God, Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing who to choose for the tasks You have given. Strengthen our faith, LORD. Help us to hear You, accept Your faith in us, and follow Your leading in whatever You want us to do for Your heavenly kingdom.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved

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