We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.Guide us to Thy perfect light.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Who were the magi? They were not kings, but rather astrologers. The magi were apparently a sacred caste of Medes who served in the Persian religion going back at least 600 years before the birth of Christ. These “wise men” who came to see Jesus were not followers of God; they worshiped the gods of Persia and searched the stars for signs which would enable them to predict the future. Rather than consider them to be devout followers of the true God, we ought to recognize them as deceived idol worshipers, but even from a distance of hundreds of miles, these men knew somehow that the Messiah had been born. The question this raises to us is, “How did they find out about Jesus’ birth?”
They tell us, or at least they told Herod, in Matthew 2:2, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” They had seen a star, which they interpreted as a sign of Jesus’ birth. What exactly was this star? It is impossible for us to tell, and yet it is clear that God revealed to them a sign in the heavens in the form of some unusual stellar event which they appear to have seen as the fulfillment of Numbers 24:17, “A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” This passage describes both his divine beauty and royal majesty, as well as his victory over all his enemies. But it makes me wonder how these men came to know about the promised coming of the Messiah. Although it is speculative, I think that it is very possible that the influence of men such as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah laid the foundation for their coming. Certainly, Daniel and his friends were very influential in the royal courts of Babylon and Persia from the time of Nebuchadnezzar all the way up to Cyrus the Persian. It is very possible that God’s Word was introduced to the mystics and astrologers of Persia hundreds of years before Christ’s coming by godly Israelites who had been carried there in judgment, and it was this revelation which allowed the magi to correctly interpret the significance of the star they had seen. In other words, God used the horrific consequences of Israel’s sin to prepare the way for these pagan mystics to come face to face with his Son. What amazing providence!
The magi came to find the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who had been born in Bethlehem, and Matthew 2 reveals that after they had come to Herod for information, they once again saw the star, which led them directly to the house into which Mary and Joseph had apparently moved after Jesus’ birth. After a lengthy and dangerous journey, the magi came face to face with Jesus Christ, the Son of God in human flesh, and they fell down and worshiped him. Imagine that: a group of pagan mystics who made a living predicting the future based on the location and movement of stars in the sky, traveling hundreds of miles to meet a child whom almost no one else recognized as a king, falling on their faces to worship him and offering him rare and valuable gifts as a symbol of their devotion. This didn’t happen by chance; it was the grace of God in the lives of these sinful men to bring them face to face with their true Savior and Lord, and when they arrived, they bowed down and worshiped him.
God is still, in his providence, bringing men and women to meet Jesus. He reaches down into our lives and, through circumstances that might appear to be coincidental, reveals himself to deceived idol worshipers turning our hearts to him in repentance and faith, causing us to bow before him and honor him as king. None of this is coincidence, however, because the same God who paved the way for the magi centuries before they were even born, is even now working in circumstances all around us to make himself known. How has God been revealing himself to you? Jesus came to earth so that all mankind would know and worship the true God. This Christmas season is an opportunity for you to follow the path of the magi and come face to face with the God who is King. Will you bow down and worship him like those men did so long ago?