SCRIPTURE: Matthew 2:1-12
OBSERVATION:
What are Magi, and how did they ‘read’ the star pointing to Jewish messiah?
God speaks to the Magi through (a) star (b) OT prophecy (c) others, not believers (d) dream.
The Magi worship a poor baby, give him costly gifts, they must really have believed the star!
Those who should have responded by faith (Jews, Jewish leaders) didn’t.
APPLICATION:
God speaks in a variety of ways (Hebrews 1:1-2), but it is only those who humbly, sincerely and persistently seek that find (Hebrews 11:6).
God is speaking to all people, not just Christians. If God can speak to astrologers to lead them to Jesus, can He not do this through other forms or philosophy or religion?
Now that I have found You, am I rejoicing, am I worshiping You, offering You my heart?
PRAYER:
Lord, its humbling to see how new believers respond to You with passion and commitment, and my faith often seems lukewarm in comparison. Help me to renew my first love, to seek You with the commitment of the Magi, and to offer You the gift of my whole heart! Thank You that even when I am not seeking You, You are seeking me, drawing me to see and know and love You. Amen.
Observation:
The Magi are outsiders, travelling and seeking this newborn King of the Jews.
They follow a star and stop at Jerusalem for further information.
King Herod gathers his chief priests and scribes to look up the prophecy for these outsiders.
They learn that the prophesied king is to be born in Bethlehem.
Herod secretly calls a meeting with the magi to find out how long the star has appeared so far.
Herod sends out the magi to search for the child and wants them to report back to him when they find the child in order for him to worship him as well. If you read further, you will find that Herod had no intention to worship this new king at all – he wanted to destroy him.
The magi leave and they rejoice “exceedingly with great joy” when they see the star appear again.
The star leads the magi to where Jesus is and they fall down and worship him.
The magi open their treasures and present gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The magi are warned in a dream by God to not return to Herod, so they depart for their own country by another way.
These magi were truely seeking God with a pure heart. Not a heart to serve their own desire (like Herod), but a heart that desires to worship, to fall down in humbleness and present all that they have before the King. The magi came to honour and worship and give their gifts to the prophesized king. They did not come to take anything from him, nor to make a profit from him. Their joy was complete when they found him, worshipped him and presented their best to him.
Then they went home.
You wonder if their lives were any different when they returned home?
Did they become one of the first missionaries to tell of this great king, born in Judah?
Was God using them to lay the foundations of His work that would be accomplished just 30 years following through the cross and then through the missionary travels of Paul and the other disciples?
Application:
I need to examine my own heart of worship. Why do I seek God? Is it for my own self glory or do I purely just need to be in His presence and know that He is near? Do I bring the treasures of who I am to the Lord to be used by Him?
Because of my experience with God, is God using me to reach out to others that have not heard or seen?
Prayer: Lord, I desire to seek you with a pure heart. I let go of my own will and desires and choose to allow you to use my life experiences with you to show others that have not seen or heard. Help me to keep my eyes focused on the light of your Son to direct my ways.
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