Here Day 9 King Herod: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out King Herod!
The Questions
1) Why did seeing the star give the wise men such great joy?
2) Why did the wise men bring Jesus gifts?
3) Why did God use dreams to warn the wise men and Joseph about danger?
Matthew 2:1-18
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ would be born.5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route. 13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son. 16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children;and she refused to be consoled,because they are no more.
Original Intent
1) Why did seeing the star give the wise men such great joy?
The magi, or wise men, from the east who came to Jerusalem searching for the Messiah in Matthew 2:1 were led there by a star. R.C. Sproul tells us, “The Greek term for “magi” (magoi) refers to a group interested in predicting the future via dream interpretation, magic, and other methods, such as astrology, which explains their interest in the star.” Author Stuart Briscoe suggests it was more than scientific curiosity that brought the wise men to Jerusalem. He asserts, “these men already had some knowledge of the truth [that] came through Jews who, in their historic captivities in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, had left many pieces of information concerning the Scriptures. These men not only had access to the insights of astronomy and philosophy, but to the vast riches of the Old Testament as well. This is why the magi, presumably from Babylon, went to considerable trouble to find the one who would be born King of the Jews.” These travelers from afar were “overwhelmed with joy” (Matthew 2:10) when they saw the star again in Jerusalem after speaking with King Herod. Peter Pett says, “It vindicated the activities of the past few months, justified their journey, and indicated that they would shortly see this great prince for themselves.” After traveling a great distance and searching the city for a King no one seemed to know anything about, seeing that bright star shining overhead was a joyous sight. It was a reminder they were about to find the King and a sign they were about to encounter the Savior of the world.
2) Why did the wise men bring Jesus gifts?
The wise men seeking Jesus knew He was the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). According to theologian William Barclay, “Seneca tells us that in Parthia it was the custom that no one could ever approach the king without a gift.” The wise men were coming to see a king, and they would not come empty handed. They came bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11) As David Mathis points out, “This Christ is not only king of Israel, but He is the king of all nations, the King of kings. Kings are coming to worship Him, and they bring with them their best cultural products, practices, and resources — gold, frankincense, and myrrh being just the beginning.” These gifts turned out to be very practical, as noted by F.B Meyer, because they helped Joseph “defray the cost of the journey into Egypt and back, and to maintain his precious charges there. The Heavenly Father knew what those needs would be, and met them by anticipation.” Most scholars also see the gifts as symbolic, whether or not the magi intended the symbolism at the time. Author Jill Briscoe notes, “As part of their worship, the magi brought very valuable gifts to Jesus. Gold was a gift worthy of Christ’s royalty. Frankincense was a gift to honor His deity. The bitter myrrh marked His humanity.” As pastor Chuck Swindoll explains, “The magi’s gifts to Jesus pointed to the utterly unique, glorious, and sacrificial ministry of the Lord Jesus.” The wise men brought Jesus gifts because they knew He was no ordinary baby. His birth had been foretold (Matthew 2:6) and their journey to worship Him had been divinely appointed and guided. They came with gifts and adoration worthy of a King!
3) Why did God use dreams to warn the wise men and Joseph about danger?
Joseph was no stranger to dreams from God. When he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he intended to quietly divorce her since he knew the baby was not his. The angel of the Lord interceded by coming to him in a dream and confirmed this child was conceived by the Holy Spirt (Matthew 1:20-24). After Jesus’ birth, an angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream, this time warning him to flee with his wife and child to Egypt until the danger from King Herod had passed (Matthew 2:13-15). Describing this dream, author David Guzik remarks, “The command was urgent, and came right when the wise men had departed. It would not have sounded completely strange to Joseph that they should find refuge in Egypt. There was a large Jewish community in Egypt. It wasn’t strange that the Holy Spirit would guide Joseph to take the family there.” Another dream told Joseph when it was safe to bring his family out of Egypt (Matthew 2:19-23). The Holy Spirit also guided the wise men in a dream to leave without seeing King Herod, since he intended harm to Jesus (Matthew 2:12). Dreams often carried meaning and instruction throughout Scripture, as in the example of Job 33:14-17 when Elihu tells Job “God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep comes over people (…) In Numbers 12:6, God refers to speaking to prophets in visions and dreams. Joel 2:28-29 also references the Lord’s communication to people in dreams and visions. Daniel 2:28 talks about the “God in heaven who reveals mysteries” through the dreams He gives. In these instances, and countless others in Scripture, God uses dreams to give people guidance and assistance.
Everyday Application
1) Why did seeing the star give the wise men such great joy?
Have you ever thought you were on the right track only to look up and wonder if you’ve lost your way? This happens to me a lot just physically since I have a really bad sense of direction. I do mean really bad; I get lost in the parking lot at Wal-Mart! This also happens to me in the symbolic sense. I believe I am doing what the Lord wants with my life, my time, and my talents, but sometimes I look up from the work and wonder if this is really what He has called me to do. When things are not what I expected, I look around and question, “Did God’s plan lead me to this?” I think the Magi may have felt that way when they got to Jerusalem and did not find Jesus there. King Herod even had to ask his entourage who the wise men were talking about (Matthew 2:4). The Magi expected to find the newborn King in the palace, but they needed a course correction before they would find Him in His humble abode. They needed some information and clarification before they could complete their mission (Matthew 2:8). So when they did see that star again, shining above the place where He lay, they were overwhelmed with joy! They had been right to start this journey. Their travel was not in vain. They would see the One they longed for! Their journey to Jesus reminds me of the promise in Psalm 32:8 that God “will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel.” I don’t need to know every step before I take it (though I would prefer that!). I just need to trust in God’s instruction and accept His counsel. Psalm 16:11 says the Lord “reveals the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” As the wise men discovered, making the journey into His presence brings overwhelming joy!
2) Why did the wise men bring Jesus gifts?
These verses from In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rosetti are beautiful, especially at Christmastime:
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
These verses make it clear that we all have something we can give to worship the Lord. John Piper explains, “Worshiping Jesus means joyfully ascribing authority and dignity to Christ with sacrificial gifts.” The wise men gave Jesus precious gifts because they believed He was worthy. John Piper further states that when giving to God, we are telling Him “I have not come to You for Your things, but for Yourself. And this desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying You more, not things.” We can also give Jesus gifts of our resources, time, and talents. God is glorified and blessed when we give to Him in these ways, but what He wants most is the very thing Rosetti wrote about, our hearts. He loved us so much He gave us the gift of Jesus, born as our King and Savior. Jesus’ sacrifice for us at Calvary was due to His great love for us (John 3:16) If you have never given your heart to Jesus, you can choose today to accept His gift of salvation. If you already serve Him, remember that giving sacrificially glorifies God and points others to His great love. What a joy to share this news every day of the year; give Him your heart, and get all of Him in return!
3) Why did God use dreams to warn the wise men and Joseph about danger?
My dreams are often a mash up of the events of my day played out before me like a surreal montage. Occasionally I dream about meaningful places, people, and objects that give me insight into my life, but rarely do I have dreams like Joseph or the wise men did; dreams undoubtedly from God, giving explicit warning and instruction. The Bible is filled with dreams of this nature. Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, telling him it is a warning to turn from his sin (Daniel 4:18-27). In Acts 16:9-10, Paul has a dream about a Macedonian man pleading for help, so he journeys to preach in Macedonia. There are many other Scriptural examples of God guiding people through dreams. But what about today? The Billy Graham Evangelical Association suggests, “God may communicate through dreams or visions even today, but we need to carefully check any such guidance we receive with Scripture and godly counsel to be sure it is from the Lord. Anything which contradicts Scripture is not from God. Our minds and even Satan are capable of producing great deception in such subjective areas.” Author Hope Bolinger notes, “God may place a dream in a Christian’s life to warn them about a future event, show a symbol that is important for that believer’s life, or to convey a certain message. Whenever a Christian encounters such a dream, they should test the spirits by opening the Bible and reading what it has to say about the subject of that dream.” God can give us dreams, and when He does, we should study them through the lens of Scripture. No dream holds more authority than Scripture. If the dream matches up with God’s Word, then we can know God is speaking. How encouraging that God desires to communicate with us through His Word and our dreams. His love for us is boundless and amazing!
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3) Write down your questions
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4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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