✝️🔎TOPIC: THE WISE STILL SEEK AND WORSHIP JESUS
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✝️📖TEXT: MATTHEW 2:1-22(NKJV)
1. 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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3. When Herod the king heard [this,] he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6. ‘But you, Bethlehem, [in] the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found [Him,] bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9. 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.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
13. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15. and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
17. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18. “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping [for] her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”
19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20. saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”
21. Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
✝️📜STUDY:
When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem in Judea, wise men from the east saw His star in their place and came to Jerusalem to worship Him. Jesus’ star appearing in the East indicates that He is not only the Messiah for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. When these men arrived in Jerusalem, they went to Herod and asked where the new king of the Jews had been born. Herod inquired from Jewish leaders who immediately provided an answer from the scriptures thus; Bethlehem in Judea (v.9). As soon as they came out to proceed on their journey, the star they had seen in the East appeared and led them to the very place where Mary and the child Jesus were and stopped. God still leads His children today safely to their destinations if they follow Him faithfully. On seeing the mother and child, they were overjoyed, bowed down and worshiped Him with gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. These gifts signifies the identity of Jesus with the Gold representing Royalty; the Frankincense the gift for Duty. and the Myrrh was a spice used to anoint body for burial. Are you wise? Seek and worship Jesus with sacrificial gifts for who He is, and for His blessings in your life.
✝️🙏🏽PRAYER: Oh God, give me the zeal to seek and worship you.
