February 22, 2012
The story of the wise men coming to find the Christ child. We all know the story by heart. I heard a sermon about it though that pointed out several things I had missed. The wise men traveled for years to find the Christ child by following the star which guided them. They sought God. They obeyed His direction. They followed His leading. They believed God. They believed a baby was to be born. They believed He would become the king of the Jews. They believed God would guide their way to Him. They believed—and they wanted to worship Him.
On the other hand, the leading priests and teachers of the law knew what scripture said and lived in a town just a few miles away, yet made no effort to seek out the Christ child; made no effort to follow God or His teachings; made no effort—period. Even after the wise men came and asked where the child was, the leading priests and teachers of the law didn't join in the search so they could worship the Christ child. The people who should have been the most knowledgeable and the most prepared were the least interested. They knew about Him. They knew what scripture said about a ruler coming, yet they did nothing. When Herod questioned the leading priests and teachers they quoted Micah 5:2 which foretold His coming. They obviously knew truth, but they didn't follow truth.
The wise men continue on. They follow the star and they find the Christ-child. They bow down and worship Him and give Him their gifts. King Herod, under the guise of wanting to worship the child himself, asked the wise men to come back and tell him where they found the child. But God warned them it was a trap and they went back to their country a different way. An angel warned Joseph about Herod's plans and told him to go to Egypt. This fulfilled the prophesy Hosea gave in Hosea 1:1 - "I called my son out of Egypt." When Herod figured out that his evil plan to trick the wise men failed he was very angry and ordered all the boys two years and under to be killed. This fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15.
Herod was so threatened by the possible loss of power that he was willing to kill hundreds of little boys in an attempt to preserve his power and prestige. Man may try to be in control, but God's will cannot be thwarted. After Herod died an angel of the LORD spoke to Joseph and told him it was safe for him to return because "the people who were trying to kill the child are now dead." So they went to Israel where an angel again warned him of danger and they went to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, fulfilling what God said through the prophets. Isaiah 11:1 - "He will be called a Nazarene."
When you stop and consider the intricate, down-to-the-smallest-detail plans of God, I just stand amazed. Every detail carefully planned. What an amazing God we serve. He is trustworthy, and I trust Him with the details of my life.
Next Entry: Matthew 3:1–17
The story of the wise men coming to find the Christ child. We all know the story by heart. I heard a sermon about it though that pointed out several things I had missed. The wise men traveled for years to find the Christ child by following the star which guided them. They sought God. They obeyed His direction. They followed His leading. They believed God. They believed a baby was to be born. They believed He would become the king of the Jews. They believed God would guide their way to Him. They believed—and they wanted to worship Him.
On the other hand, the leading priests and teachers of the law knew what scripture said and lived in a town just a few miles away, yet made no effort to seek out the Christ child; made no effort to follow God or His teachings; made no effort—period. Even after the wise men came and asked where the child was, the leading priests and teachers of the law didn't join in the search so they could worship the Christ child. The people who should have been the most knowledgeable and the most prepared were the least interested. They knew about Him. They knew what scripture said about a ruler coming, yet they did nothing. When Herod questioned the leading priests and teachers they quoted Micah 5:2 which foretold His coming. They obviously knew truth, but they didn't follow truth.
The wise men continue on. They follow the star and they find the Christ-child. They bow down and worship Him and give Him their gifts. King Herod, under the guise of wanting to worship the child himself, asked the wise men to come back and tell him where they found the child. But God warned them it was a trap and they went back to their country a different way. An angel warned Joseph about Herod's plans and told him to go to Egypt. This fulfilled the prophesy Hosea gave in Hosea 1:1 - "I called my son out of Egypt." When Herod figured out that his evil plan to trick the wise men failed he was very angry and ordered all the boys two years and under to be killed. This fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15.
Herod was so threatened by the possible loss of power that he was willing to kill hundreds of little boys in an attempt to preserve his power and prestige. Man may try to be in control, but God's will cannot be thwarted. After Herod died an angel of the LORD spoke to Joseph and told him it was safe for him to return because "the people who were trying to kill the child are now dead." So they went to Israel where an angel again warned him of danger and they went to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, fulfilling what God said through the prophets. Isaiah 11:1 - "He will be called a Nazarene."
When you stop and consider the intricate, down-to-the-smallest-detail plans of God, I just stand amazed. Every detail carefully planned. What an amazing God we serve. He is trustworthy, and I trust Him with the details of my life.
Next Entry: Matthew 3:1–17
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