God’s plan for his people was that they would make Him known amongst all of the nations. Even from the very beginning of the nation of Israel, even from Israel’s grandfather Abraham, God said that His blessing would come upon Abraham so that all of the nations would be blessed. It was God’s intent that they would all hear of the One true God and all know Him.
And now, the time had come. God Himself would come to the earth to be the fulfillment of that blessing. Through Abraham, through Isaac, and through Jacob, who would be renamed Israel, would come One who would be the true Light to the nations.
Simeon was a man who understood what God was doing and was actively watching and waiting for God to move. It had been revealed to him that he would see the Messiah before he died. So, assuming that the temple in Jerusalem was the place to see God move, he went to the temple courts where he found Joseph and Mary carrying Jesus to offer a sacrifice in worship to God for what he had done.
Upon seeing the family, and most specifically Jesus, Simeon made an incredible declaration:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
Luke 2:29-32
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Jesus was to be God’s salvation. He would save people not just from Israel, but from all nations. He would give revelation to the Gentiles. He would be a light to them. He would be the glory of Israel because he came from Israel, but he would be for all peoples.
This isn’t new news. This is the same news, the same plan that God had put in motion in Genesis chapter 1 and is continues all of the way to the book of Revelation, which includes us today. And God is fulfilling His plan by making Himself known through Christ. There is One God who has shown Himself, who has made Himself known, in three different ways: As the Father in heaven, as the Son Jesus Christ here on the earth, and through the Holy Spirit who was released to dwell in and among specific people in the time before Christ but now in all believers today.
Jesus, who is God Himself who has come in the form of a man, is the easiest way for us to relate to God because God decided to reveal Himself to us. That is why Simeon called Jesus a light for revelation for the Gentiles. Salvation isn’t just something that comes through Jesus. Jesus is salvation. A light for revelation isn’t just something that comes through Jesus. Jesus is the light for revelation. God has made Himself known to us. Jesus is God revealed to all men. Jesus is God and now we can each know God because we have known Jesus.
This light has come to all people, to both the Jews and to the Gentiles. And God invites each of us into His plan. This is a significant part of who we are made to be. We are to be God’s people, representing Him and making Him known in all of the earth. We are to tell people about God’s salvation, about Christ. We are to tell people about God’s light for revelation, about Christ.
I woke up this morning listening to a podcast by David Platt that speaks to this, to God’s plan for all of the nations, and I would like to share it with you. I found it online in a sharable format, so here is the video… Give it a watch: