younger, should be killed. He took no chances. He wanted to allow for the length of time the star first ap peared in Persia plus the necessary travel time. There has been a great deal of specualtion about this star. Many astronomers, as well as.others, con jecture that this was a new star. The theories are purely conjecture. We do know that the star led the wise men from their distant land to Her od’s palace. The star went before them, standing over the “house” where the young child was. The only way to account for this is by allow ing for the miraculous appearance of some heavenly body which had not existed prior to this time. Herod had called the priests to his coui;t. He wanted to know more about the new king. It is sad that men know Scripture, although they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. They are not look ing for Him as their coming Re deemer. It is a dangerous thing to have nothing but a head knowledge of the Scriptures. That will never save your soul. You must believe and receive. Let us not overlook the ac tions of the wise men. These men were potentates and well-respected, yet they bowed before a young child. The Bible tells us that some day ev ery knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. All of this was prefigured in the ac tion of these wise men there in Bethlehem. Then consider the gifts they brought. What a beautiful les son! The first was gold, a fitting tribute for a king. This metal has always been the emblem of royalty. Then frankincense, which was used to produce a sweet fragrance. At the cross Christ offered Himself, a sweet- savor sacrifice. The Lord gave Him self as your Redeemer and mine. The third gift was a strange substance known as myrrh. This had to be gathered by crushing certain trees Page 21
go to Bethlehem as the shepherds did. We are simply asked to believe the revelation, putting our faith and confidence in Him. The One whom the shepherds met so long ago is waiting to minister to our hearts to day. If you do not know Him as your Shepherd, why not let Him come into your life? Why not put your faith in Him this day? Chapter Nine This is the last message in the series on “The Bible Boad to Beth lehem.” The Christmas season is a wonderful time of the year when we reflect on the consummation of this great prophecy concerning the vir gin birth of our Saviour. After the shepherds, another who came to see the Lord is mentioned. (Matt. 2:1-12). Who were these wise men? From their description, they may have been astrologers. They came from a high strata of society. Perhaps some godly Jews in their home area had taught them the prophetic Scriptures. The fact is nobody knows exactly how many wise men appeared that day. Just because they brought three gifts does not mean their numbers were so limited. There could have been many more. Their homes were evi dently near the land of Persia. In most Christmas plays and tableaux, shepherds and wise men appear at about the same time on the stage. In actuality, however, there was probably a lapse of time from be tween six months to more than a year. No one can be certain. With out a doubt, however, they appeared at a later date than the shepherds who first heard the message. Mat thew says that when the wise men came they found a young child, not a baby. All of this accounts for Herod’s actions. When he learned that the babe had been born in Bethlehem, he tried to determine just how long it had been since the birth. For this reason he sent out a decree that all the children, two years of age and
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