Matthew 2:1 ¶ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, 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. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, 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 demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Notice the text says wise men, not the three wise men of
Christian mythology. The wise men of the east are linked to magicians,
sorcerers, astrologers, and the Chaldeans of Babylon.
Genesis 41:8 And it came to
pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for
all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them
his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Exodus 7:11 Then Pharaoh
also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they
also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Daniel 2:1 ¶ And in the
second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams,
wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the
magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to
shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
This brings up an important point that even the wise men of the
heathen will acknowledge Jesus. They too were looking for the Messiah to
appear.
James 2:19 Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Philippians 2:10 That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; 11
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
One interesting side note is that famous authorities of Christian
history like Augustine of Hippo and John Wycliffe, called the Morning Star of
the Reformation, regarded the pagan writings of Greek philosophers like Plato
and Aristotle as inspired by God when their writings confirmed Bible truths.
The capacity of pagan wise men to see something that God has revealed goes
along with the saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Verse 2 refers to the King of the Jews. This title is used
again.
Matthew 27:11 And Jesus
stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the
King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
Matthew 27:29 And when they
had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his
right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail,
King of the Jews!
Matthew 27:37 And set up
over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
But this kingship was a reference to His spiritual authority and
to Christ’s future reign for a thousand years as you can see He resisted being
declared a political king during His time in human flesh.
John 6:15 When Jesus
therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a
king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Everything in God’s plan of reconciling mankind to Himself had a
time and a place. And much to their dismay over the next 2,000 years the Jews
rejected His kingship for that of a human ruler.
John 19:15 But they cried
out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I
crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
Matthew 27:25 Then answered
all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
But He will return to assume His rightful place as King over all
the earth.
Revelation 11:15 And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.
Here, the reference to the King of the Jews was a threat to Herod.
Verse 2 refers to his star in the east. See my comments on
the immediate context of Numbers 24:17-19 and the prophetic relevance of it.
“Numbers 24:17 I shall see
him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out
of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners
of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also
shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have
dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Balaam now
lays out a prophecy of King David to come.
2Samuel 8:2 And he smote
Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with
two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive.
And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
What means all
the children of Sheth? Sheth is the exact same word in Hebrew for Seth,
Adam and Eve’s son. Perhaps this was a variant spelling that the King James
translators found in the rabbinical writings where this Sheth was referred to
as everything from a local king of Moab to a city in Moab to be destroyed.
However, I think it more likely shows this to be a prophecy also of Christ,
whatever else it means. Note the Star with the uppercase ‘S’. Notice a common theme of the following verses.
Genesis 49:10 The sceptre
shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Psalm 45:6 ¶ Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Luke 1:78 Through the
tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
2Peter 1:19 ¶ We have also
a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a
light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise
in your hearts:
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus
have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the
root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
I believe
that all the children of Sheth represents the children of Seth, all the
children of mankind who will oppose Christ at the end. Of course, this requires
some conjecture and supposition although it does seem likely to be a veiled
reference to the Messiah whether Balaam understood it or not.”
But would this be the only reference these eastern, pagan
astrologers and magicians would have? The Parthian empire, also called the Arsacid
empire, ruled the area of Persia and present day Iran from the mid-200s BC to
the mid-200s AD. The Parthians would have practiced a hodge-podge of
polytheistic faiths and would have been well-versed in prophecy and historical
events. When I attended the University of Georgia Hal Lindsey presented his Late,
Great Planet Earth tour discussing his interpretation of end-times prophecy
and, believe me, a lot of heathens attended out of curiosity if not morbid
fascination and uncertainty.
Astrologers and historians have been trying to pinpoint
which star the wise men would have followed, first seen in the east, but
leading them. This was not a typical star that we know of today. The star led
them to Christ is one they saw in the east. This star was unique and they knew
that it was unusual in the heavens representing this prophecy.
First, there is an error of disregarding what the Bible
says about a phenomenon and trying to make things up as you go along. Then
there is the reading modern words and definitions back into the Bible. As an
example, the “great fish” of Jonah, the
“whale” of Matthew 12:40 was a specially prepared fish, as whale was not used
for the order of Cetacea until after this Bible was translated. It is foolish
to try to find a species of whale that can swallow a man to justify your faith
when this fish was unique specially prepared by God.
Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had
prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the
fish three days and three nights.
So, this star
should be understood in the context of the translators in English and the
original authors and translators of manuscripts in the original languages. A
star in 1611 or AD100 could refer to the morning and evening star, the
brightest object, Venus, a planet, or
even a comet or a star like we only speak of today, similar in aspects to our
sun, and we will see that this star moves. This star is there to reveal
something in prophecy to these wise men, something they had been foretold of.
To repeat
something important here, these pagan wise men want to worship Him, this King
of the Jews. This is politically terrifying to Herod, a puppet of Roman
domination. This underscores the political fear the Jewish authorities and the
Gentile had of Jesus being declared a king by the mob. This prophecy, fulfilled
in the future but mocked by Pontius Pilate in his act of having a sign placed
on the cross, will be a constant thread in the gospels.
Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over
him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
3 When Herod the king had
heard these things, 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 demanded of them where Christ should be
born.
This stirred up all of
Jerusalem and the contingent with these traveling wise men could have been very
great and there would be no way to keep the city from hearing of these things.
Perhaps this event was included in the memories of Simeon and the prophetess
Anna in Luke, chapter 2.
The chief priests and the scribes make known to Herod the prophecy
concerning this in the Old Testament.
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee
shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting.
In verses 7 & 8 we see Herod lie and tell the wise men to
inform him of the whereabouts of the child, so that he may worship him when we
know he wants this infant king of the Jews dead. Christ is a threat to
established authority here as He will be later.
John 11:48 If we let him
thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take
away both our place and nation.
Matthew 2:9 ¶ When they had
heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the
house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and
worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they
presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they
should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country
another way.
This star is moving. This is not the astronomical event we think
of today when we hear the word, a star. Here is that special thing, not too
unlike what we already know, but specially prepared by God for a unique
purpose. So, stop looking for this star in the heavens today. You’ll be frustrated
or repeat something that simply isn’t in keeping with the text and you will be
ridiculed as will faith in Christ.
By the time the magicians have arrived, the wise men find a young
child, not an infant. Judging by what Herod does next Jesus could have been two
or under, anywhere in that range. These pagan magicians worship Christ, the
subject of prophecy of which they were aware.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh represent, according to the ancient
Christian commentator, Origen, in his Contra Celsum, stand for different
things about Christ. Christ’s future kingship for gold.
2Samuel 12:30 And he took
their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold
with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth
the spoil of the city in great abundance.
Again, according to Origen, frankincense was representative, as
incense, of Christ’s divinity. As an example of its use;
Leviticus 2:1 And when any
will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour;
and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
Again according to Origen, the myrrh, as an embalming oil
signified Christ’s death.
John 19:39 And there came
also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound
it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
Matthew 2:13 ¶ And when
they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a
dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young
child to destroy him. 14 When he arose,
he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of
Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
It is interesting how Egypt became not only a place of nurture and
safety for the ancient Hebrews but will also be a place now, under Roman
authority, for safety for the Messiah as a child.
Remember in the last chapter that the angel of the Lord appeared
to and spoke to Joseph.
Matthew 1:20 But while he
thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a
dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Verse 15 is a reference Old Testament passages that refer to
Israel as a people. So, the initial context of those verses was Israel and the
prophetic context looked forward to the Messiah.
Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt
say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Hosea 11:1 ¶ When Israel
was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Matthew 2:16 ¶ Then Herod,
when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent
forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts
thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had
diligently enquired of the wise men. 17
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard,
lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Herod, realizing the wise men had ignored his instructions to come
back and tell him where the king of the Jews as an infant lay, causes the death
of children two years old and younger in Bethlehem and its surrounds. The Holy
Spirit tells us that this is one prophetic meaning of;
Jeremiah 31:15 Thus saith
the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel
weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they
were not.
…which in the Old Testament context is about God gathering a
dispersed Israel back to His land but used by God for this. Be careful though
if you try to do what the Holy Spirit does with His own work when you try to
pull a verse out of context to mean something it was not originally intended to
mean. YOU didn’t write it.
Matthew 2:19 ¶ But when
Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead
which sought the young child’s life. 21
And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the
land of Israel. 22 But when he heard
that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was
afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he
turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
God appears in the form of an angel, which I’ve described
previously is an appearance of someone or some thing that is somewhere else but
appears to someone chosen by God to see it.
Verse 23 is an odd verse. According to older commentators Isaiah
11:1, which says;
Isaiah 11:1 ¶ And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of
his roots:
…has branch coming from a Hebrew word transliterated into
English as Netzer, which can also be a cryptic reference to Nazareth as the
town’s root word come from Netzer. This is a bit of an obscure interpretation,
though, as it is not clearly evident from the text. The prophets that spoke of
this did not write books of the Bible that the Holy Spirit chose to include in
the canon of Scripture. There are other books and verses which mention sayings
that are found only in the reference such as the book of Jasher in Joshua 10:13
and 2Samuel 1:18.
No comments:
Post a Comment