Lessons from the wise men, part 2 – Friday, 22 December
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“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king (Herod the Great), magi (wise men) from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, 2 “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 Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and [anxiously] asked them where the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to be born… Then Herod secretly sent for the magi and learned from them the [exact] time the star [had first] appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them [continually leading the way] until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
Matthew 2:1-4, 7-10 AMP I love the saying, wise men still seek Him. The wisest thing you could ever do is set your heart on seeking after God. This doesn’t mean that God is hiding and you need to play a game of spiritual hide and go seek – God doesn’t work like that! God has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2) and we can seek to know Him better and grow in relationship with Him through His Word and Holy Spirit. To seek means to pursue or be intent on, to go after or have a goal. It speaks of intentionality and determination. The wise men were intentional about seeking out the newborn King. They didn’t just stop by Bethlehem to see if they might find Him – they were determined, purposeful and committed to seek and find Him.They were obviously very familiar with the prophecies – they had been diligent in their study of the scriptures. When they saw the star in the east, they knew that this was the sign mentioned in the book of Numbers chapter 24, speaking of the promised Messiah. The star was enough evidence for them to pack up and embark on a journey which would take them about 18 days (from Iran to Bethlehem, via Jerusalem). All the wise people that I know today are generally never bored, and so I am pretty sure that the wise men in the Christmas account had many other things to do. This journey would cost them time, money and energy. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV Another Bible translation says, …when you search for me in earnest. If you’re searching for something or someone in earnest, you’re serious and you’re showing sincere and intense conviction about finding. The wise men were serious about finding Jesus. They went through Jerusalem asking people where the newborn King was, and it seems like they did not rest until they found Him. We’re promised by God that when we seek Him with all our heart (earnestly) we will find Him, and yet for many of us there are just too many things that we value more than spending time with God in the Word and in prayer. Seeking to know God better and grow in relationship with Him will cost you time, effort and maybe even money, it’ll cost you in having to say no to things that you want to say yes to, but if you truly want to find Him, you won’t care how much it costs you. Don’t allow the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of wealth and a desire for other things to distract you from seeking Jesus (Mark 4:19). Deciding to seek God and know Him better is the wisest thing you could ever do and the greatest investment you’ll ever make. |
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