Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word… – Luke 2:29

“Now lettest thou Thy servant depart…” The servant must not depart from his labor without his Master’s permission, else would he be a runaway, dishonest to his position. The good servant dares not stir till his Master says, “Depart in peace.” Simeon was content to wait till he received permission to depart, and it becomes us all to acquiesce cheerfully in the Lord’s appointment whether He lengthens or shortens our life. It is certain that without the Lord’s will no power can remove us. No wind from the wilderness shall drive our souls into the land of darkness, no fiends with horrid clamor can drag us down to the abyss beneath, no destruction that wasting at noonday, or pestilence waiting in darkness can cut short our mortal career. We shall not die till God shall say to us, “My child, depart from the field of service, and the straitness of this thy tabernacle, and enter into rest.” Till God commands us we cannot die, and when He bids us go it shall be sweet for us to leave this world. “Depart in peace,” saith God. It is a farewell, such as we give to a friend: it is a benediction, such as Aaron, the priest of God, might pronounce over a suppliant whose sacrifice was accepted. Eli said unto Hannah, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him.” Around the sinner’s deathbed the tempest thickens, and he hears the rumblings of the eternal storm: his soul is driven away, either amid the thunderings of curses loud and deep, or else in the dread calm which evermore forebodes the hurricane. “Depart, ye cursed,” is the horrible sound which is in his ears. But not so the righteous. He feels the Father’s hand of benediction on his head, and underneath him are the everlasting arms. The best wine with him is kept to the last. At eventide it is light; and, as his sun is going down, it grows more glorious and lights up all the surroundings with a celestial glow, where bystanders wonder, and exclaim “Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his.” That pilgrim sets out upon a happy journey to whom Jehovah saith, “Depart in peace.” This is a sole finger laid upon the closing eyelid by a tender father, and it ensures a happy waking, where eyes are never wet with tears. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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