Christmas Special: How did the Wise Men know? Mat 2:1-12; Dan 2:48; Num 24:17.

Mat 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

Mat 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."

Mat 2:3 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Mat 2:4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.

Mat 2:5 And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet [Mic 5:2],

Mat 2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;

For out of you shall come forth a Ruler,

Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

Mat 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the magi [away from his court], and ascertained from them the time the star appeared.

Mat 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him."

Mat 2:9 And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was.

Mat 2:10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Mat 2:11 And they came into the house [okia = abode or residence] and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Mat 2:12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

Out of this text, with some help from an unlikely team of a prophet from Israel and an enemy of Israel, we shall discern the answer to how the Magi knew.

First, we must state right out their understanding has nothing to do with the mythical science of astrology.

The Magi lend no validity to astrology.

Without knowing any more about this event and the truth that led the Magi to the home of Joseph of Nazareth, some Christians have even developed a doctrine of biblical astrology. This has no validity. The reason for the appearance of the Magi at the house of Joseph is much more rich and beautiful and completely based on God's ability and not the ability of man to interpret anything from the movement of stars and planets.

The reason for the appearance of the Magi was God’s ability to save and prophesy and not man’s power of interpretation.

Around us in many places during the Christmas season are manger scenes in which animals, shepherds, and three Wise Men hover around the Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. This picture is inaccurate. The shepherds were there the night of our Lord's birth, but the Magi were not.

The Wise Men only saw the star when Yeshua was born and it took them some time to get to Jerusalem. The Wise Men and the shepherds never met.

The Matthew account makes it clear that Yeshua was approximately two years old when they found Him, and it was in a home and not in a stable or a cave.

Mat 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared.

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Mat 2:16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi.

Mat 2:17 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

[Jer 31:15 in lament of the ten tribes and now elegantly used by Matthew for the slaughter of the children.]

Mat 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,

Weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children;

And she refused to be comforted,

Because they were no more."

Also, there were not three kings but three gifts. We know from the plural of Magi that there were at least two of them, but we have no idea how many of them had traveled to Jerusalem; it could have been two or two hundred.

And, we are not told that they are kings. They are called Magi which means wise men or more specifically astrologers. At that time the science of astronomy and the myth of astrology were not separate.

Magi are not kings but astrologers from the East. There were at least two who visited Jesus, but we don't know exactly how many.

Yet they do know that the King of the Jews has been born. Our question is how did they know this?

Mat 2:2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."

This incident raises a number of questions. How did these men know anything about the birth of a Jewish king? Why would Babylonian astrologers want to worship this particular king? We can actually answer these questions by studying the account, together with other passages of scripture, particularly Daniel and strangely enough, Balaam.

First, we must look at the star.

The star was not an actual star.

1. It is the personal star of the King of the Jews.

2. It appears and disappears.

3. It moves east to west and north to south.

4. It literally hovers over a single house in Bethlehem.

The scripture makes plain sense. God does not allow us to make various interpretations of scripture that in plain sense makes common sense. If we find the passage in question to be proverbial or metaphorical or allegorical we compare many scriptures and provide a proper interpretation that is in harmony with all the scriptures. In this passage we should take it exactly as it is written. The four evidences above reveal that this is not a literal star.

The root meaning of the Greek word for star simply means "radiance" or "brilliance." Therefore, this is a radiance that is the personal star of Yeshua and so we would properly conclude that it is the Shekinah Glory.

The "star" is the Shechinah Glory, a visible manifestation of God's presence as was the pillar of fire in the OT, which appeared in Babylon and the Magi realized it was the light of Yeshua.

At this time the actual science of astronomy and the non-science of astronomy or astronomical interpretation were one and the same. If there was a new light in the sky then these men would have been the first to notice it.

How would Gentile, Babylonian astrologers know anything about the birth of the Messiah, the Jewish King of kings and why would they want to come worship Him?

From the NT account, all that we can deduce is the fact that they somehow knew that the birth of the King of the Jews had taken place by means of a star-like, shining brilliance in the heavens that moved east to west and north to south.

However, if we think again about where they came from then we find a clear clue as to how they knew.

In the Bible, the east is always the area of Mesopotamia, so these astrologers are from Babylonia. Daniel was also in Babylonia and was the head of all the astrologers of the kingdom.

Daniel was always associated with the Babylonian astrologers.

Dan 2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?"

Dan 2:27 Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.

Dan 2:28 "However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.

After Daniel tells the king the dream he had and the interpretation of it, then Daniel was made chief of all the Magi in Babylon. Daniel saved their lives.

Daniel actually saved their lives since none of them could tell the king his dream and they were all ordered to be executed. Imagine the impact on some of them, knowing that they are about to be put to death by Nebuchadnezzar, who does not grow compassionate, and that their lives were saved by not only his interpretation of the dream but through him actually being able to state the actual dream without the king telling him or anyone.

Would not some of these astrologers, whose lives were saved by Daniel and who witnessed him tell of and interpret a dream that he had never heard, become believers in the God of Israel?

I know by the action of these Magi in Mat 2 that it is a fact that some of them believed and that through them an entire line of believing Magi in Babylon awaited the birth of the King of the Jews.

Dan 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

It was in this company that Daniel penned his book, and in it, the revelation of the timing of the Messiah's coming.

In this company Daniel penned his book. The only place in the OT that dates the Messiah's first coming is the famous "Seventy Sevens of Daniel."

Dan 9:24 "Seventy weeks [shavuim: sevens of years] have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression [rejection of Messiah], to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.

Seventy sevens of years = 490 years

Dan 9:25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Dan 9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off [killed] and have nothing [nothing for Himself, i.e. He will die for others], and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

Dan 9:27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

Once these have run their course, all 70 weeks, everlasting righteousness will be brought in by the resurrected Messiah, which is His Second Coming.

69 weeks (483 yrs) from the decree (445-444 BC) with a prophetic year of 360 days puts us right about 32 AD.

There are various calculations done by many commentators, and that debate is not our topic. Suffice it to say that 69 weeks or 483 years must go by after the decree to rebuild (445-444 BC) until the Messiah is killed, keeping in mind that the Jewish prophetic year is only 360 days and that leads us to roughly 32 AD.

It is not my intent to get into calculations this morning, but suffice it to say that the Babylonian astrologers knew that the King of the Jews would die around 30 AD, but they did not know how long He would live, and so it would be somewhere in that generation, say 40 BC and onward, that they were looking for the birth of the King as their chief, Daniel, had written in prophecy.

A line of Babylonian astrologers had from generation to generation worshipped the true God and looked forward to His coming for about 450 years.

From the book of Daniel we can conclude that Babylonian astrologers did know at about what time Messiah was to be born.

But Daniel says nothing about the star. How would they know about the star? Balaam in the Torah.

These believing astrologers certainly had the Torah and Daniel would have taught their ancestors about its truth, which would have been passed down through their line.

After all, not all of the Jews returned to Judah when they were allowed to and some of them who had grown roots in Babylonia had remained there. There were many copies of the Torah in Babylon and so it was readily available to the Magi. And how do you think believing professional astrologers react when they see the word “star” in the word of God?

Num 24:17

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near;

A star shall come forth from Jacob,

And a scepter shall rise from Israel,

And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,

And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

As we know, Balaam, an astrologer and diviner from the area of Babylon, was hired by the king of Moab to curse the Jews, which he tried to do four times, but God would only allow him to bless the Jews. In the course of doing this God through the mouth of Balaam gives us four messianic prophecies.

Num 24:17 cannot be a literal star since it is both a "star" and a "scepter". Scepter is a symbol of royalty. This star was a king.

These Babylonian astrologers, Magi, believing in Yevah generation after generation would have been very curious to see the word "star" associated with the king. They would have known this passage well and loved it. The astrologers were looking for a star around this time and God didn't disappoint them.

Balaam's occupation as a diviner included a great amount of astrology and he came from Pethor, a city in Babylonia. We have a double Babylonian connection.

The King and His star had come and He led these believers right to Himself. This was their great reward for their patience over 450 years of rearing up their children in the faith of the God of Israel.

So how did the Wise Men know? Not by gazing at the stars in the pseudo-science of astrology, but by the revelation of God as contained in the scriptures, by means of the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel.

They gave Him:

1. Gold - symbol of royalty

2. Frankincense - symbol of deity

3. Myrrh - symbol of death

Frankincense was burned on the Altar of Incense within the Holy Place thus it symbolized that Yeshua was God. Myrrh is associated with death and embalming in the OT and so it spoke of His death just as Daniel had prophesied.

Yes the Magi were believers who heard about the prophecy of the birth of the King of the Jews from their parents and grandparents. These Magi must have found themselves to be so fortunate to be of their generation, and when the star of the King appeared it the sky, what had been told them since they were small children; they would not have hesitated to follow it.

God is glorified in so many different ways, none of which could have been foretold by man.

Merry Christmas.

We Three Kings

We three kings of Orient are;

Bearing gifts we traverse afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star.

Refrain

O star of wonder, star of light,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never,

Over us all to reign.

Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I;

Incense owns a Deity nigh;

Prayer and praising, voices raising,

Worshipping God on high.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom;

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold Him arise;

King and God and sacrifice;

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Sounds through the earth and skies.