Matthew 2:9

Saturday, 10 August 2024

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. Matthew 2:9

“And they, having heard the king, departed. And behold! The star that they saw in the sunrising, preceded them, until, having arrived, it stood above where the Child was” (CG).

In the previous verse, Herod told the magicians to bring back word concerning the Child so that he, too, could come and worship Him. Now, the narrative continues with, “And they, having heard the king, departed.”

There is no indication at this point that they suspected ill motives of the king. He had told them where to go, allowing them to travel within his domain. His having secretly called them to ask them to search carefully for the Child would make sense because Herod was the king.

Honoring the newborn would necessitate knowing all the details in advance. It would make no sense for Herod to go to Bethlehem with a royal entourage and not know exactly where he was going. Thus, the words he told them would not be at all suspect.

As noted, it is just a short distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Despite this, they would not be familiar with the way. However, Matthew next records, “And behold! The star that they saw in the sunrising, preceded them.”

The “sunrising” means in their land to the east. They had seen the star and gone to Israel, knowing it was a sign of the coming of the Messiah. The word star generally refers to the heavenly objects that we call stars today. However, it is used figuratively elsewhere to speak of leaders. It is also used of an object that falls from heaven to earth in Revelation 8:10.

Thus, a literal interpretation of this being a star as we consider them today is not necessary. And, indeed, it hardly seems that this could be the case with the star the magicians were being led by. To be able to perceive a difference in the angle of a real star or a heavenly alignment between Jerusalem and Bethlehem would not be possible. And more, the next words seem to eliminate such a thought. Matthew next says, “until, having arrived, it stood above where the Child was.”

Matthew’s description of this star indicates that it moved as the travelers moved, and it stopped at a certain point. This type of perceived movement will happen with a heavenly body, such as the moon, but only when the point one is going to is known in advance. From our perspective, it can appear the moon is moving with us until we reach home, and then it stops above our house.

However, if the object is actually moving, guiding, and stopping at a previously unknown location, then it means the object itself is not something in the heavens as we would think of it. Rather, it is something much closer.

Today, we can guide lost people with a drone or a helicopter. The object itself moves, guides, and stops. But to use an actual object in the heavens, like a star or the moon, would mean there would never be a logical stopping point.

The main point of this is to tell us that the men were truly being guided by an object called a star, this star was guiding with purpose, and it stopped with precision. Further, this cannot be referring to the Child as the star, even if He is the Star prophesied in Numbers 24.

Life application: Because of how Matthew describes the star, it seems to defy logic in our normal understanding of things. This star cannot be something like a conjunction of planets. Such a reference, as noted above, is impossible to do what Matthew describes.

Likewise, the darkness over the earth at Jesus’ crucifixion cannot be an eclipse, something impossible at that time of the month. Rather, some other phenomena occurred that caused an extended period (three hours) of darkness.

Some things in Scripture are hard to reconcile in our minds, like a donkey speaking. However, Peter confirms that the event actually occurred (2 Peter 1:16). In the case of the donkey, and apparently in the case of the star that guided the magicians, we need to accept the narrative as it is written, even if we do not have all the answers to logically explain the events.

But this is what pleases God. He has given us His word, and He expects us to accept it as true. From there, we can then work to reconcile what it says. For example, God’s word does not allow for evolution. However, we have been conditioned to believe that is the right explanation for how things have developed.

In coming to God through His word, we are directed to accept that Creation is true and then work to discover how what we see is reconcilable with the creation model. People of faith have done just that, finding evidence of a real flood that covered the entire world. Let us be willing to accept Scripture as it is written and then work to see if we can discover how our worldview can then align with it.

In the end, we will someday be glorified. At that time, the things that are still unanswered will be explained. Until then, be people of faith. In this, God will be pleased with us.

Lord God, thank You for Your wonderful word that is filled with treasures to last us a lifetime, even after it has been searched out by innumerable people before us. It continuously provides us with more wonder and revelation as the years pass. May we accept it as Your word, and then search it out trusting that it is so. Amen.