Matthew and Luke are beautiful gospels. With vivid narration they lead us into the remarkable story of Jesus birth. Yet sometimes I find myself wondering about details that are not fully explored. For instance, why did those wise men associate a star with a Jewish King, travel from a far country and give enormous gifts to a peasant child?
I think, perhaps, I have found an answer.
There was a long history of association and family/tribal type
relationships with the people of the "east". These were all Semitic
people (descendants of Shem, the son of Noah). So, in a sense, they were probably very
distant cousins to the Jews. We know that God chose Abram (whose name was later
changed by God to Abraham) to be the ancestor of the Messiah, but throughout
early Jewish history we see a smattering of true prophets and God fearing
people who were not of the Abrahamic line. Among these are Melchizedek, Job,
Abimelech, Jethro and the often scorned Balaam. We also know that at least some
of them (Job for instance) left a written record of their encounter with God.
Now Balaam is an interesting character in scripture. The background for his
story in Numbers 22-24 is fantastic. The Jews are nearing the end of their 40
year wilderness wandering. They are camped out in the Jordan River valley
opposite of Jericho. Local kings, specifically the Moabite and Midianite kings,
are terrified of this enormous population that has moved into their
neighborhood. After all, the visible presence of God was ever present in the
center of the Israelite camp!
The Moabites and Midianites had heard of this notable prophet of God named
Balaam. Now the Bible tells us that Balaam was from the city of Pethor. He
lived near the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. So, he too was a man from
"back east". This scared king of Moab sent for Balaam hoping that he
would invoke the curse of God against this multitude of wandering Jews. To his
dismay, the very opposite eventually happened.
Balaam is asked to stand on a mountain overlooking the tribes of Israel and
pronounce a curse on them. Instead, as the oracle of God, he makes three
prophetic blessings over the wandering Israelites. It is the third of these prophecies
from which I suspect the Wise Men were making their conclusions about the
meaning of the Star.
Please, look at this passage with me:
[Numbers 24:17-18, 23-24 ESV]
[17] I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall
crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
[18] Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his
enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. ...
The Wise Men, I believe, looked at this prophecy
and made their deductions. This prophecy is predicting that in the distant
future (around 1300 years as it turns out) that a star and a scepter would rise
out of Israel. Therefore, when they saw the star they began looking for the
scepter. This is why, I believe, that they journeyed to Jerusalem looking for
the new king.
You see this prophecy also clued them in on the
timing of its fulfillment as well.
[23] And
he took up his discourse and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does
this? [24] But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber;
and he too shall come to utter destruction."
Now this verse may sound like weird Bible talk to us, but to them these
names had real meaning. “Kittim” is a word that literally means “bruiser” and
it is a general name used to identify sea faring islanders of the
Mediterranean. It was a practice of the Roman Empire to employ these seafaring
people as their naval force in the Mediterranean world. These “ships…from
Kittim” carried the Roman army to all shores of the Mediterranean including
Asshur (Syria) and Eber (Judea, the land of the Hebrews). And so, I think, they
managed to connect the dots.
Here is another thing. This prophecy says that “Edom shall be dispossessed”. If they were politically astute (I
suspect they were) they would have known the King Herod was not really Jewish.
He was an Edomite military leader who had been installed as a puppet “king” by
the Romans. Just maybe discovery of this prophetic fulfillment fueled Herod’s
infanticidal rage as he attempted to destroy the newborn “King of the Jews.”
Finally, there is one more thing that I find intriguing. The Bible tells us
that they came and worshiped. Why? Why would these gentile wise men come and
worship a new Jewish King? There is one more phrase I want you to see:
“ [He] shall…break
down all the sons of Sheth…”
This verse told them that the new King would reign over all the Semitic
people, not just the Jews. They came to Him in surrender, recognizing him as
their King too. Wise indeed.
What is the lesson in all of this? Well, perhaps there are a number of
observations and applications that we could make, but here is what I gather from
all of this. The star was a prophecy given by a gentile prophet, and it served
as a revelation to gentile wise men from the East. These wise men saw this
specific prophecy being fulfilled specifically, and they responded with joy and
worship. The Savior had come, and God saw fit to place a revelation in the
heavens that was visible to all mankind.
Now, you and I have not seen “his star in the east”, yet we have been given
an unmistakable revelation of God’s love for us. Jesus is that revelation. Many
people are exposed to the Gospel but never respond in faith. Yet, there are
“wise men” to be found among every race of people and on every continent. Once
these people see Jesus, they joyfully respond to him with open hearted worship
and willingly give their greatest treasure (themselves) to Him.
The most important event of any life, yours included, is how you choose to
respond to Jesus Christ. I hope you know him as your Savior.
Have a blessed Merry Christmas!
