Num 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel
Remember Jacob’s name was changed to Israel by God
Because he was changed from cheating schemer into the seed where from Christ would come
Reading Matt 2:1-10
Chapter 2 follows the genealogy in chap 1 where Jesus was announced as the rightful son of David to the throne
Isaiah 11:1 The Root and offspring of David
This is a precious Messianic
Jesus also called the Bright and Morning Star
This is another Messianic title in the Old Testament: Numbers 24:17
And the New Testament Revelation 2:28
Just as the Morning Star shines and welcomes the new day, so does Jesus
Christ, as the morning star, heralds the coming day in His role as the One who comes for the church in the rapture at the end of the age
Matt 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
2 Pet 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts
We have a more sure word of prophecy…
Matt 2:1 after his birth the wise men came where he was
But why and how did they arrive at the place where the Christ was?
This star was put in commission to do the Lord’s work, to be his herald to men from far off
To usher to them to his presence
Earth, too, is stirred.
These men made a long and difficult journey
But a journey worth taking
They were representatives of the Gentiles. Lo! the kings of Seba and Sheba offer gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh
Wise men, the leaders of people
Yet they bow down before him
They gave up their royalty to worship another who was more majestic than they
Today he is still distinguished by his star
We all may pay reverence to him of whom we sing, "Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given."
Let those of us who have worshipped Him for years, worship anew with more reverence and intense love
We all need to do two things:
• First, let us get light from this star
• Secondly, let us get wisdom from the wise men
LIGHT FROM THE STAR
This star was supernatural, perhaps not a star, or a comet of the ordinary kind
It was not a constellation, or a singular conjunction of planets
Nothing in Scripture supports this speculation
It was probably not a star in the sense in which we know
Because it moved and the wise men followed
It could not have been a star like others
Such movement would not have been possible
Some have supposed that the wise men went in the direction in which the star shone in the heavens, and followed the changes of its course
But it said that it stood over the place where the young child was
If the star was at its high point over Bethlehem, it would have been in its high point over Jerusalem too because the distance was too small to observe any difference in the position of the star in the two places
It must have been a star in another sphere from that which we know
We believe it to have been a shining appearance in mid-air
It was probably like that which led the children of Israel through the wilderness, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night
Whether it was seen in the daylight or not, we’re not sure
The early writers say that this star was so bright it was visible all day long
If so, we can imagine the wise men travelling day and night
In darkness the light of Christ shines so much brighter
In our darkest times, look to the One who is the Bright Morning Star
You can be sure he will lead you in the correct way
When we find His star we come out of the night of sin and into the daylight of His presence
He is the Shekinah light
No light, no matter how bright, can compare to Him
We are not told what colour the star was, or the shape, or to what magnitude it had reached; these items are not recorded
But what is recorded is much more important
The wise men said, "We have seen his star."
Then the star which the Lord uses to lead men to Himself is none other than Jesus
If He lives in us then we too because shining lights pointing to the place where He can be found by those seeking Him
Dan 12:3 And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever
Angels were also called Stars
Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength
Rev 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches
But He is brighter and higher than the angels
It was the star of the King
As people of God, we are ambassadors of Christ
We are Christ’s servants, and should not attempt to shine for ourselves, or to make ourselves noticeable
But that we work to shine for him, that his way may be known
Even though you feel like a small star, twinkling for Jesus
And at times however weak your light may be, remember you are his star
If people wonder what you are, may they never wonder whose you are, for on your forehead shall be written His Name
If you have only one ray, or ten thousand rays, all must shine with the one aim of guiding others to Jesus
The star was Christ’s star, and it led others to Him
The King and the chief priests at Jerusalem could tell where or when Christ was to be born
They never went to worship him
They were indifferent altogether to him and to his birth
The star that leads to Christ must always be going to Christ
People are far better drawn by example to Him, than driven to Him by religion
This star had such an influence upon these chosen men that they had to follow it
It took them across the desert
It took them time
It cost them
They didn’t arrive at His feet empty handed
The star drew them to the Lord Jesus
And we must do the same
We are to draw those in darkness to Him
Don’t just point the way, introduce your neighbors to Him
Lead them to the Saviour of the world
Song: ‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine’
It is a small thing to shine, but it is a better and greater thing to lead
It is to the incarnate God that we must bring them
To his feet we must guide them that they may worship him
Our journey is not accomplished and it will be a total failure, unless we lead them to the house where Jesus lives
But we are not to just lead them there, but stand over them, keeping watch over their souls, discipling them for Jesus’ sake until they too become shining stars for Him
The star which God used in this case was a star that stopped at Jesus
It went before the wise men until it brought them to Jesus, and then it stood still over the place where the young child was
It was not a wandering star
We are told not to be like the stars that wander about not being able to guide correctly; James
Wandering stars I do not belong anywhere
The song and film: ‘I was born under a wandering star’
People should find you in twenty years’ time still shining for Jesus and pointing to the place where the Saviour is to be found
Our work is done when we bring souls to Jesus, and help to keep them there, by being "steadfast and unmovable."
Do not be not carried away from the hope of your calling
WISDOM FROM THE WISE MEN
We know that they were Magi, wise men from the East, possibly of the old Pharisee religion
Watchers not worshippers of the stars
We will not speculate about them, but learn from them
They were not content with admiring the star and comparing it with other stars, and taking notes as to the exact date of its appearance, and how many times it twinkled, and when it moved
They practically used the teaching of the star
Many are hearers and admirers of God’s servants, but they are not wise enough to make proper use of the preaching of the word
These were wise men, and therefore practical men
They did not become star-gazers, and stop at the point of admiring this remarkable star; but they said, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
They set out at once to find the now-born King, of whose coming the star was the signal
Today is a good day to set out to find the Saviour
Some have postponed it waiting for a certain time
Now is the acceptable day
Don’t be foolish thinking the time to seek Him can wait
Set out at once
These wise men appear to have set out as soon as they discovered the star
They were not among those who wasted time
Don’t put off today for tomorrow, you’re not guaranteed a tomorrow
"There is the star," said they; "away we go following its guidance
We are not satisfied with a star; we want to find the King whose star it is!"
And so they set out to find Christ immediately and determinedly
Being wise men, they persevered in their search after him
We cannot tell how far they journeyed
Travelling was extremely difficult in those times
There were hostile tribes to avoid, the broad rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates to cross, and trackless deserts to penetrate; but they carried on through difficulty and danger
They set out for Jerusalem, and to Jerusalem they arrived, seeking the King of the Jews
If we must circle the globe to find a Saviour, the distance and the expense should be nothing as long as we find him
We should not to rest till we come at him
Everything necessary for their expedition they gathered together, regardless of expense, and off they went following the star that they might discover the king of all the earth
When they came to Jerusalem, new trials awaited them
It must have been great trouble to them when they asked, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" and the people shook their heads as if they thought the question a stupid one
No one in the city knew anything of Israel’s King
The ignorant multitude replied, "Herod is king of the Jews
Careful, if you speak of another king, your head may have to answer for it
The wise men were more astonished when they found that Herod was troubled
Herod’s face grew confused at the mention of a king over the Jews
Then there was commotion in Jerusalem, beginning at the palace; but this did not deter the wise men from their search for the promised King
They did not pack up and go back and say, "It is useless to try to discover this baby who is unknown even in the country where he is King
We must leave it to another day
These earnest-minded seekers were not dispirited by the religious and the learned men
The chief priests and scribes could not answer them as to where Christ would be born
Some religious leaders today cannot direct people to Jesus
Some rely on their knowledge instead of their meeting with the saviour
Not one of them would go with the wise men to find this new-born King
What apathy among them!
Those who should have been leaders were no leaders
They would not even be followers for they had no heart towards Christ
Even if the religious wouldn’t help them they would go to Jesus by themselves
If you are wise, you will say, "I will find Christ even if no one will join me
If you seek him with all your heart he will be found of you
These men were wise because, having started on the search, they persevered until they found the Lord and worshipped him
They again saw the star as it says, "they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."
This joy was expressed because the evangelist recorded it
In these days people think it necessary to repress all emotion, and appear like men of stone or ice
No matter what happens, they are impassive, and show no enthusiasm
It is a good sign when people are not ashamed to be happy because of the testimony of the Lord Jesus
It is good to see the great people come down from their pedestals like little children rejoicing to hear the simple story of the birth and the cross
Give me the hearer who cries out, "Lead me to Jesus. I want a guide to Jesus, and nothing else will satisfy me."
If people knew the value of Jesus they would rejoice more to see a preacher of the gospel than any king or celebrity
If the feet of the believers of salvation are blessed, how much more their tongues when they share the message of the Saviour
These wise men, with all their mystic learning were not ashamed to rejoice when a little star gave them its beams to guide them to Jesus
Now let us follow these wise men a little further
They have come to the house where the child is. What will they do?
Will they stand looking at the star? No: they enter in
The star stands still, but they are not afraid to lose its radiance, and behold the Sun of righteousness
They did not cry, "We see the star, and that is enough for us; we have followed the star, and it is all we need to do."
No they entered the lowly residence of the baby
They don’t see the star any longer, and they do not need to see it, for there is he that is born King of the Jews
Now the true Light has shone upon them from the face of baby Jesus; they see the incarnate God
How wise you will be if, when you have been led to Christ you see Him for yourselves
Will you enter into the church door, and come and behold the young child, and bow before him
We are only guides
We point the way, but sometimes they do not follow
They stand gazing on us
The star is gone; it did its work, and is passed away
But Jesus remains, and the wise will live in him
These men were wise also because last of all they saw the child and they worshipped
We, too, must worship the Saviour, or we shall never be saved by him
If you have never worshipped the Christ of God then bow your knee today
Let us hurry to worship like the shepherds, the wise men and angels have before us
How can you live with your soul in danger?
You would say, "I must get this matter right; it is an important thing, and I must see my soul secure."
This would be common-sense
If you are driving, and a bridge is broken, do you not stop the car and alter your direction?
How, then, can you go on in life when the bridge of life is out of order, and a fall means eternal ruin?
Jesus is the bridge to cross to reach safety in God
Like these wise men, put everything on one side, and set out now upon an earnest, persevering endeavour to find Jesus
I pray God will open your eyes, like the wise men, that you see and worship Him, the Bright Morning star
