The Spirit Who Says Go
Margaret Feinberg
5 min read ⭑
The triune God delights in moving among communities of believers through a simple command that creates portals for divine adventure. It’s a teensy-weensy verb, just two letters in English: go. But watch out, because through it, the Spirit of the Living God often unleashes divine power, presence and purposes.
Our friend Noah was told to go into the ark, and Abram to go from his homeland. Aaron was told to go see his brother, and Balaam to go here and there. God keeps Moses on speed dial, instructing him to go back to Pharaoh almost a half dozen times. The Spirit speaks the word go to and through people who are filled with the Spirit — those whom the Spirit wears like a garment and upon whose lips the Spirit rests: Deborah, Gideon, David, Nathan, Gad, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos and many others.
Yet another beautiful example is Simeon, whom the Spirit prompts to go. Long before we meet Simeon, the Holy Spirit whispers in his ear, “You will see the Messiah before you die.”
Jack Krzysik; Unsplash
Simeon, whose name means “one who hears,” is well known throughout his community for being righteous and devout. But I imagine when he shares the Spirit’s announcement with his companions, it doesn’t go over as well as he expects. Some dear friends likely believe along with him, while others nod politely, and a few think he has fallen off his rocker.
With each passing year, hope for the coming Messiah wanes. Even Simeon begins to wonder if he misheard. But whenever Simeon gets lost in second-guessing, he circles back to the Scriptures, especially Isaiah, for ballast:
The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:10, NIV).
Each syllable renews his trust in the promise that one day God will rescue his people.
By the time we meet Simeon in Luke’s Gospel, most of the curly white hair atop his head has migrated to his ears, and arthritis has swollen his fingers and toes. After a rough night’s sleep, he rolls out of bed with a few extra groans. That’s when Simeon is “moved by the Spirit” to go to the temple.
Now this doesn’t make a lick of logical sense. It’s not a high holy day or even a festival, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. Simeon keeps a full calendar. He’s set aside hours for study, time for a late-morning nosh with neighbors, and the afternoon for wood carving with his grandkids. But the moments the Spirit tells Simeon — and us — to go are rarely convenient.
Yet when Simeon hears the Spirit say, “Go!” he knows better than to resist. He cancels his appointments and makes the long trek. Once in the temple court’s plaza, he avoids eye contact with the lineup of merchants attempting to sell him their squawking birds, bleating sheep and “I ♥️ Jerusalem” T-shirts.
The line to enter the inner court shuffles forward. Once he steps inside, the pungent scent of sun-heated feces and soured blood takes his breath away. Simeon coughs, then gags, then raises a cloth above his nose and resolves to breathe through his mouth. Strangers and their stressed-out livestock knock against his stiff body. He cranes his neck to see who might be there, but no one stands out.
Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit has been busy on the other side of town. For Mary and Joseph, this is no ordinary day; this is the appointed day. According to Levitical law, forty days after a newborn boy lets out his first cry, the mother must go to the temple and make a sacrifice for her purification, which happens to coincide with the baby boy’s dedication.
“Simeon cradles the impossibly cute baby, recognizing more than a child. He sees the salvation of Israel. The happy wonderment of the Spirit floods his soul. Tapping his feet with glee, he looks to the sky and laughs with unrestrained joy.”
Joseph had hoped to purchase the best offering possible for his son, but alas, the couple is so close to broke, I imagine them spending the morning rummaging the couch cushions for spare change. When Joseph and Mary reach the merchants outside the temple courts, they snag the only sacrifice they can afford, a humble offering of birds.
That’s when Simeon catches something out of the corner of his eye. Wait . . . is that a woman . . . with a child in her arms? He wonders. The Holy Spirit surges through Simeon’s veins, and he feels a strong magnetic pull. He sees the child’s head resting gently in the crook of the woman’s elbow, and glimpses the boy’s face. Simeon gasps, breathless.
“It’s him! It’s him!” he mouths, but no sound escapes his lips.
Mary and Joseph, having completed their offering, are about to exit when an exuberant Jewish man with sparkling brown eyes, long in the tooth — and missing a few — makes a beeline toward them.
Any new mother will tell you, when you’re holding a newborn, you become invisible: The child is always the star. Yet something about this old man feels different. He peers directly into Mary’s eyes, as if he sees through her, into her future. She hands him her infant without hesitation.
Simeon cradles the impossibly cute baby, recognizing more than a child. He sees the salvation of Israel. The happy wonderment of the Spirit floods his soul. Tapping his feet with glee, he looks to the sky and laughs with unrestrained joy:
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation
(Luke 2:29,30, NIV).
He holds the delight of God in his arms, the baby’s chunky legs kicking in the air. All this man’s deepest longings and desires materialize in this miniature package of humanity. Simeon will forever be a witness that God keeps his promises — promises always worth the wait. Simeon blesses Joseph. Simeon blesses Mary. Then, he speaks Spirit-infused, prophetic, soul-penetrating words to the young mom:
This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too (Luke 2:34,35).
I often wonder how many times Mary, who stored meaningful moments in her heart, returned to those words for encouragement, for strength, for understanding. She no doubt carried these words with her, and at times the words most likely carried her — all because the Spirit said, “Go!” and Simeon went.
Margaret Feinberg, one of America’s most beloved Bible teachers, speaks at churches and conferences and hosts the popular podcast, The Joycast. Her books and Bible studies have sold over one million copies and received critical acclaim and national media coverage from the Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post. She was named by Christianity Today as one of the fifty women most shaping culture and the church today. Margaret savors life with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Zoom.
Excerpted from “The God You Need to Know” by Margaret Feinberg. Copyright © 2025. Used with permission of Zondervan.
