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The Star That Came Out of Jacob
The Verse
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 (NASB)
The Story
It was an ordinary night in Judea. Shepherds tended their flocks. The people had arrived each in their own city to register for the census. And King Herod reigned from Jerusalem.
Mary wrapped her firstborn son, Jesus, in a swaddling cloth, and she laid Him in a manger.
Then suddenly a star appeared in the night sky. No one noticed except the wise men from the East. The Chaldeans. The magi who were experts in astronomy, like those who served as advisers to the kings of ancient Babylon.
The Chaldeans guarded the words of Daniel, the prophet, for four hundred years. The vision was given to Daniel by the archangel, Gabriel. A foretelling of the precise moment in history when the Messiah would come and bring salvation to Israel and all the earth.
“Look!” said one wise man to another. “A new star shines bright in the sky.”
“Do you believe it is the one?” asked the other wise man.
“Yes, according to the writings of the great prophet, Daniel, it is right on time,” he replied, still musing at the star. He turned to the Chaldean. “Come! We must tell the others.”
When they reached the others, they found them gazing at the same star. All the wise men stood in silence. Each rejoicing in his own heart. The Messiah, the King of the Jews, had finally come.
“We will set out tomorrow evening and follow the star. It will lead us to the Messiah, just as Daniel said,” they all agreed.
The magi left the next evening in a camel caravan to cross the perilous desert. With joy in their hearts and treasures in their saddlebags, they followed the star.
A month later, the magi arrived in Jerusalem with the smell of desert dust on their clothing. When King Herod heard the Chaldeans had arrived in the city searching for another king, his face clenched in rage.
The people soon heard the news. “Could this be the rightful heir to the throne of David? Has our deliverer come at last great in power and might?” They whispered.
King Herod called the chief priests and scribes, “Who is this King of the Jews? And where is He?” he demanded.
The chief priests and scribes searched through the scrolls. When they found the scroll about the coming of the Messiah, the King of the Jews, they brought it to Herod. They opened it. And they read it to him.
“Summon the wise men,” said King Herod to his most trusted men.
When the magi arrived in King Herod’s court, he said to them, “Exactly when did this star you’ve been following appear in the sky?” He paused for a moment. And with a distant look, he continued, “You must leave at once and find the Child. And when you have found Him report to me. For I, too, wish to come and worship Him.”
The wise men followed the star to a house in Bethlehem. The Child was there with His mother. The wise men fell to the ground and worshipped Him. They opened their treasures and gave to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
That night in a dream, God warned the magi not to tell King Herod where they found the Child. For God saw in King Herod’s heart that he was plotting to kill the Child.
God sent the magi back to their country by another way.
The magi, the wise men from the East, followed the star to Jesus. There was joy and thanksgiving in their hearts when they found Him. They worshiped Him and gave Him their treasure.
Do you seek Jesus, the Messiah, and worship Him like the magi did?
Bow down before Him today and worship Him for who He is. The one whose birth brought the star forth from Jacob.
The Messiah, King of the Jews, and the Savior of the world.
*retelling of Matthew 2:1-12
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