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Saturday, December 30, 2017

How do we Explain the Wisdom of the Magi from the East?

Pagan Worship

1 Corinthians 10:20

… what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

 

Wisdom Choices

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him[e] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

 

Magi Worship

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

 

The contrast between the Gentile magi and the Idumean King Herod is striking: The Gentile wise men come – not as pagans offering their sacrifices to demons - but in sincerity to truly worship the God-King, while the opportunist Herod blatantly lies as he prepares a trap for Jesus.

 

Claiming a heritage among the Jews from as early as the Babylonian captivity provides credibility for a pro-Roman and Hellenized Herod as a King over the Jews, for they were highly contemptuous of him … Josephus explains that Antipater's family converted to Judaism during the forced conversions by the Sadducee-influenced Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus. Hyrcanus threatened that any Idumaean who wished to maintain their land would need to be circumcised and enter into the traditions of the Jews. Josephus acknowledges Herod as being "by birth a Jew" and Antipater as being "of the same people" with the Jews. Nevertheless, this influential family came to be resented by many Jews for their Edomite ancestry, a fact used by the Hasmoneans and their supporters against them. As such, in a polemic against Herod to discredit him in the eyes of the Romans as unfit to become king of the Jews, Antigonus the Hasmonean is quoted by Josephus as referring to Herod as "no more than a private man, and an

Idumean, i.e. a half Jew". Antipater the Idumaean, Wikipedia

 

Let's go back and think about Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus and the person of Jesus, and think

about who this Jesus is that the magi from the East have come to worship:

 

•      Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the Son of God.

 

•      He will save His people from their sins; hence, His name is Jesus, which means God saves.

 

•      He will be called Immanuel, which means God with us.

 

•      He is born king of the Jews.

 

•     He is born in Bethlehem of Judea, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 5:2. (There was another Bethlehem in Galilee to the north.)

 

•      "A ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."

 

The chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem knew of the Mican prophecy that the ruler would come forth in Bethlehem, but unlike the Gentile magi from the East, they were not seeking the Messiah in Bethlehem. It appears that the magi were not aware of Micah 5:2, for they came to Jerusalem enquiring where the king of the Jews was to be born.

 

Isn't it amazing? Unknown Gentiles, from somewhere East of Palestine, are the first to acknowledge both the royalty and the deity of Jesus by visiting Him to worship Him!

 

Amazing Divine Prophecies

God had said some amazingly relevant things through the psalmist and prophet Isaiah before Jesus was born:

 

may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts … may gold of Sheba be given to him. Psalm 72:10,15

 

Isaiah 2:2-3

It shall come to pass in the latter days  that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

    and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,

3  and many peoples shall come, and say:

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."

For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

 

Isaiah 45:14-15

Thus says the Lord:

"The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,

    and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours;

    they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.

They will plead with you, saying: 'Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.'"

15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

 

The Sabaean people were South Arabian people. Each of these had regional kingdoms in ancient Yemen, with the Minaeans in the north in Wādī al-Jawf, the Sabeans on the south western tip, stretching from the highlands to the sea, the Qatabānians to the east of them and the aramites east of them.

The Sabaeans, like the other Yemenite kingdoms of the same period, were involved in the extremely lucrative spice trade, especially frankincense and myrrh. From "Sabaeans," Wikipedia.

 

Could the magi have been Sabaeans? Notice Psalm 72:10,15 and Isaiah 60:6.

 

Isaiah 49:22-23

Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."

 

Isaiah 60:1-16

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult,

because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;

they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house.

8 Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

9 For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first,

to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God,

    and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.

10 Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you;

for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favour I have had mercy on you.

11 Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut,

that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.

12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish;

    those nations shall be utterly laid waste.

13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine,

to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

14 The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you,

and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet;

they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through,

I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.

16 You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings;

and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

 

Sheba is also known as Saba. It is where the Sabaeans (discussed earlier) came from. The Queen of Sheba had heard of the wisdom of King Solomon, and came to pay homage. 1 Kings 10:1-13. In Isaiah 60:6 above, those from Sheba shall bring gold and frankincense, and the praises of the Lord. The magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh.

 

The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you. 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 2 Samuel 7:11-13

 

Possibilities

Is it possible that Solomon told the Queen of Sheba of the Davidic Covenant to be fulfilled in a King on the throne of David forever? Is it then possible that this promise would become treasured knowledge by the Sabaeans when the Queen returned to Sheba? This would have been passed on from generation to generation. Sabaean magi may thus have known of a coming Judean King and, with God helping them to get the timing right, they come to worship Him!!! Yes, one nation in the East may well have passed this wisdom on to other nations.

 

·     Could Daniel also have encouraged non-Jewish wise men in Babylon to study the prophets, including his own predictions concerning Christ's kingdom, which later, observant wise men would realise comes when Rome ruled the world? Daniel 2:27-49; 9:24-27

 

·     Could the magi from the East have been aware of these prophecies, with God guiding them in the precise timing?

 

·     One of the ways Israel was to be a light to the nations, Isaiah 49:6, would be through the Scriptures, such as the prophets as seen above.

 

·     Out of the mouth of wise men from the East I have prepared praise for Thee!!

Of course, we ask, if this is what happened, why didn't Matthew tell us? Well, does every fact have to be proven?

"Love believes all things"! My thoughts are speculative, but is it not also possible that God has left it all like this to get us to dig deeper to find something that is consistent with the totality of His revelation and love for all nations

 

David Hunter

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