Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

     From the Book of Matthew 2:2 we read: “Saying where is He who is born King of the Jews?  For we have seen HIS STAR in the East, and are come to Worship Him.”

THE KING OF THE JEWS

     The question, “Saying, where is He who is born King of the Jews?” proclaims the certitude of the knowledge of these “wise men.” In that they did not ask “whether there is?” but “where is?” They showed no sign of doubt.

THE STAR

     The phrase, “For we have seen His Star in the east,” probably would have been better translated, “We, dwelling in the east, saw His Star.” 

     This Passage, with Verses 9 & 10, seems to make it clear that the star did not precede them in their journey to Jerusalem, as is popularly supposed, but upon seeing it in the “east,” they knew it was “His Star.”

     Many questions beg to be asked concerning that statement, of which are few definitive answers:

·       What was the star they saw in the heavens? Astronomy can suggest nothing which satisfies all these conditions, and therefore, the appearance must have been strictly miraculous.

·       About 1,600 years before, Balaam had prophesied, “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob…” a Prophecy with which these wise men may very well have been acquainted (Num. 24:15-19). And yet, this Prophecy alone would have given them precious little information!

·       How did they know it was “His Star”? They were emphatic in their statement to Herod and could have only achieved the knowledge through Revelation from God, which they, no doubt, had received.

No doubt, they had hungrily studied the Prophecies of Daniel and had been convinced of this coming King.

From these brief statements, there is every evidence that they knew Who He was and what He was, at least up to a point!

WORSHIP

     The phrase, “And are come to worship Him,” does not necessarily mean the acceptance of Him as God, but rather as Lord and King.

     However, for these “wise men” to come without delay, especially, a journey of several hundred miles, requiring several weeks, would not have been undertaken without something powerful happening to them far greater than the ordinary.

     Having tabulated Daniel’s Prophecies, and knowing this was the approximate time for the Birth of this King, quite possibly, they had accepted Daniel’s God and had sought Him earnestly pertaining to these all-important events, and consequently, experienced a Revelation from the Lord of some magnitude. Little else could explain their attention, haste, and knowledge.