Daily Devotional For Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Our Christmas word for today is STAR. Look at Matthew 2:1-7, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.” (3) King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. (4) He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” (5) “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote (i.e., Micah 5:2): (6) ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you Who will be the shepherd for My people Israel. (7) Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared”  (NLT).

Herod asked when the star first appeared. Why? When the wise men or magi listened to God not to return to Herod and tell him, Herod went on a massacre spree according to Matthew 2:16-17, “Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. (17) Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: (18) “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead” (NLT). This was a fulfillment of a prophecy in Jeremiah 2:18 and 31:15.

The star that the wise men followed to find Jesus fascinates our scientific minds. I have to admit, I cannot help but be intrigued by what specific constellation or conjunction of planets might have formed the sign in the heavens that the wise men followed. The answer seems so tantalizingly close.

We must remember that along with the science of discovery, there was also the miracle of revelation. The star that the wise men saw before they began their journey miraculously appears again as they reached Bethlehem. The Bible says this in Matthew 2:9-10, “After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!” (NLT).

There are two great truths that shine in this star.

First, both the scientific and the miraculous can point to God. God made everything that is studied in science and God ordained every miracle. The false dichotomy between science and God is a fairly modern invention.

Second, and more importantly, we all have something that points us to God. The question is, what was your star? What is it that brought — or is bringing — you to the place where you began to worship Jesus? For many people, it is another person that God used; maybe a parent, or family member, or maybe a friend. Others find that a set of circumstances woke them up to the fact that they needed more than just themselves. Or maybe like these wise men, something in God’s creation caused you to wonder and you were drawn to him. 

• I read story of high school boys who knocked on a door. They were asking people to attend a Christian concert at a local park. The man who tells she story says since he wasn’t yet a follower of Jesus, he wasn’t interested and told them so. One of them asked him if I’d like to be certain I was going to heaven. He told them no and closed the door in their face. But something about that question kept gnawing at him. He thought, “Could you be certain? He’d always thought you had to wait until after you died to see if you’d piled up enough good works to make it in. He’s says that God used that question as a “star” to get his mind questioning and is part of what led him to begin to worship Jesus. Those two boys probably felt that the conversation with me was a failure, but God was working in ways they did not see.”

For the wise men, the process of being led towards Jesus began when they first saw the star and realized there was something out there. This led to a long and dangerous journey where God provided protection and then a revelation received from Scripture when they went to Herod. It ended with the decision that took them to the place where they met Jesus.

The wise men rejoiced when they saw the star over the manger. Once they put it all together, they could not help but be filled with great joy. Stop for a moment right now and ask God to fill your heart with joy for the way he worked in your life to bring you to Jesus.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What got your attention to pursue Jesus Christ?
2. What does God used today to get and keep your attention?
3. These magi were foreigners, outsiders to Judaism, yet they traveled all the way to find Jesus. What are you doing today to pursue Jesus and what is the sign or “star” that proves that?
4. What are you giving to Jesus today? Does He have your love, your loyalty and your life? Does He have your time and your Thanksgiving?
5. What are you withholding from the Christ child?

Verse to Meditate On: Luke 2:15,”When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Father, thank You for the people and the circumstances You used in my life to bring me to a place of faith. I want to stop for a moment right now to rejoice — to take joy — in the fact that You knew just the right way to lead me towards you. That You loved me so much You would never give up on me and that You protected me from so much as You guided me towards faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”