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Day 25 Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 When they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and bowed down and worshiped Him. When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. When you receive something, you waited a long time for, it makes you very happy. You celebrate and want everyone you know to celebrate with you. God fulfilled His promise to Israel through Isaiah when He sent them a Messiah, Jesus, born to a virgin in Bethlehem, fulfilling the promise spoken centuries earlier by Micah about where He would be born. Wise men came from the East when they saw His star, worshiping Him, and bringing gifts. When they saw Him, they rejoiced with great joy because they knew He was the King of the Jews. The star fulfilled another prophecy found in Numbers. God knew Herod’s plan to destroy Jesus and warned the wise men to return home by another route without telling Herod where He could find Him. Numbers 24:17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star will come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.” Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and will call His name Immanuel.” Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you will come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with great joy every year at Christmas. They give gifts to family and friends in the same way the wise men brought gifts to Jesus when they found Him. They rejoice with worship services, declaring Jesus as their Savior. For many Christians, the celebration ends there. They know Herod wanted to kill Jesus, but they don’t celebrate the fact God saved His Son when He warned the wise men not to return to Herod but to go back to their home country another way. They don’t cloud the celebration of Jesus’ birth with warnings of death. Who were these wise men who came from the East to worship the King of the Jews? Everyone recognizes them as kings from the East, but Scripture doesn’t call them kings. It calls them wise men who studied the stars. They were believed to be Jewish astrologers who remained in Persia instead of returning home from captivity. They studied the Scriptures, so they would know what to look for when the Messiah, the King of the Jews, would be born. When they saw the star foretold in Numbers, they knew the Ruler was born, fulfilling another scripture found in Genesis. Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Many Christians don’t recognize this Scripture as a promise regarding the Messiah. Yet, God told His people the Scepter would not leave Judah, nor the Lawgiver from between His feet until Shiloh comes. The Scepter is a ruler, the Lawgiver is God, and Shiloh means peace. Jesus is all three. The wise men knew the Ruler was born and went to worship Him. They recognized Him as the King of the Jews. What they didn’t realize was where He would be born because the Lawgiver between His feet is also Jerusalem. Thus, they went to Jerusalem because that was the place of government. Jerusalem is also the place where Jesus will reign as KING of KING’S and LORD of LORD’S when He returns. They took their eyes off the star momentarily because they thought they knew where He would be born. When they heard the prophecy from Micah regarding the place of His birth, they looked to the star and followed it to where Jesus was born. Herod inquired about the star when they first saw it and told them to search diligently until they found Him and to bring him word. The wise men had seen the star two years before. They didn’t go to a stable to worship Him, they went to a house to worship Him and present their gifts. God fulfilled every promise He made to His people when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Because He did, we celebrate Christmas today with worship and praise, acknowledging Him as our Savior and our King. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for fulfilling every promise You gave Your people when Your Son, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem to a virgin. I give You praise for His birth that set me free from Satan’s bondage and made me Your child. Let me always praise and worship You as the wise men did, bowing down with a heart of thanksgiving, rejoicing for all You did for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 7 August 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.