The Consolation of Israel

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name [was] Simeon, and this man [was] just 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. 

Luke 2:25-26

Four hundred years had passed since the LORD God had visited His people in a supernatural way.  Those who remained true to God had a hunger in their hearts to have a word from Him again.  The words of the prophet Amos echoed from the walls of their searching hearts:

"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.  They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find [it].”   

Amos 8:11-12

Another year has passed.  Christmas has come and gone.  Joy to the World sounds a familiar tune in the hearts of all who know the Christ Child as Savior, as Lord.  We live with the presence of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us.  Yet, devout Christian people the world over still wait for the Consolation.  Christ in us creates an unquenchable hope of glory (Col 1:27).  In a few days, the first page of a new calendar will be uncovered.   Will this be the year? 

As in the days of Amos, our world in the early 21^st century seems parched, drying up for lack of the word and knowledge of the Lord.  World powers rattle their sabres.  Millions of unborn babies see heaven without ever seeing the earth.  Lonely mothers canvas streets in search of food and shelter for toddlers with absentee fathers. 

This coming year, Americans will vote for President again .  But as Christians we know that our consolation will not take human form.  Like Simeon, we wait for the consolation, not of Israel but, of the Body of Christ, the Church.

Christian tradition says Simeon was 113 years old, a long time to wait for a promise he had received from God, the promise that he would see the Lord’s Messiah.

Paul encourages us not to be as those without hope.  For he says,

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive [and] remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.     

 1 Thes 4:15-17

And he closes by saying, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (v. 18).

We have the sure hope that our consolation draws near, the blessed hope to be made real in the coming of our Lord.