WHAT’S THIS STAR BUSINESS? Matthew 2:2; Genesis 1:14.

Men from the East showed up asking for directions. “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen HIS STAR in the East and have come to worship Him?” Matthew 2:2.

“His Star?” Jesus had a star? Did anyone else in the Bible have a star? What is going on?

Herod asked about the star—like it was the most normal thing. He never says, “Wait. A star? A star moved around in the sky and led you here? How?”

Think about it. Have you ever followed a star? How exactly does one follow a star?

Then the wise men head toward Bethlehem and the star reappears! “When they saw the star they were overjoyed beyond measure” and it led them to the house where Jesus was. But how? Stars are unimaginably far away—there is nothing further. The nearest star is 25 trillion miles from earth. How could a star have led the wise men from the Orient, Babylon perhaps, to Jerusalem? And in Bethlehem, it led them to a specific house?

How? The star would have to be close, it would have to reach down like a man leaning over his toy railroad village, and point at the exact house. And that’s what happened. Imagine a stage in a darkened theater. The star is God’s SPOTLIGHT illuminating Jesus the Baby born to save the world. Never before in scripture—never before or after in all of human history—but that night, God turned on His spotlight and lit the place up, pointing the entire world to Israel, to Bethlehem, to this newborn Son of David, born to save His people from their sins.

“Then God said, ‘let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as SIGNS for festivals and for days and years” Genesis 1:14.

This supernatural star was the greatest of stars, the ULTIMATE SIGN, announcing the Messiah’s birth not only to the Jews but to everyone.

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JESUS’S PARENTS. Matthew 2:13-14, 19-20.

Mary had a job, right? A HUGE job! The angel told the virgin she would bear the Messiah. She raised Jesus. It strikes me as an exaggeration when people call her “the Mother of God,” but she certainly belongs in the Mom’s HALL OF FAME.

Joseph played a smaller role. He obeyed and wed Mary in spite of the scandal that would haunt this family of good people including priests (see Zechariah). Suddenly—

“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’” Matthew 2:13-14.

The angel told Joseph what to do. Couldn’t the angel have told MARY to head to Egypt? Why is God leading HIM? Then—

“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, ‘Get up, Take the child and His mother and return to the land of Israel,’” vv.19-20.

So Joseph took his family home. But now Herod’s son is a threat to Joseph’s family:

“And being warned in a [THIRD] dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee” v.22.

Again, the angel could have led Mary as he did when she learned of the coming baby. Why does God keep speaking to Joseph?

Sometimes God speaks to one parent, sometimes to the other. God spoke to Mary about her mission, but to Joseph about the future and security of his family. Leading a family is not achieving great things in your own strength. It is obedience—and that is challenge enough. The parent’s job is not to earn points for leadership, but to obey. Joseph is a good husband and father because he obeyed, and did the hard work of moving his family wherever God led him.

Leading a family well is not about your talent. It’s about giving up your achievements and obeying God and serving in a selfless, sacrificial way. No one does that better than Joseph. I’m confident he was a great dad.

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A Miracle of Nocturnal Navigation. Matthew 2:9.

Can you explain the star of Bethlehem? I can’t.

Do you give much thought to stars? The North Star (a cluster of three stars referred to as Polaris) is predictable: because the axis on which the Earth spins lines up almost perfectly with Polaris, the North Star (visible to those of us north of Earth’s Equator) appears never to move in the sky—while all other stars appear to rotate around it each night in a counterclockwise fashion. For centuries, sailors have used the North Star to navigate at sea. In fact, not only can you navigate by the stars, but an informed sailor can tell time by them as well. The night sky holds a tremendous amount of information for those who care to master it.

What was God’s purpose for stars, moons, comets, and other celestial bodies?

“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years. And they shall serve as lights’ … God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night. He made the stars also” Genesis 1:14-16.

God gave us the sun for daylight, the moon for nightlight, and the stars “to serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years” v.14. The sun and moon are most important, but stars play a role. Sometimes they “serve as signs.” If ever a star might herald one of history’s most important events, could there be a more worthy event than the birth of the Messiah? And who better to be persuaded by a star than the professional astrologers from Persia more commonly known as the magi, the three kings, or the three wise men? They showed up in Jerusalem after following a star for two years:

“Where is He who has born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship Him?” Matthew 2:2.

How did these Persian star-gazers know a Messiah was coming to Israel? Because 500 years earlier, the Jews had spent 70 years living in Babylon. Clearly some of the locals were persuaded to follow the Jewish God. Some believe the star was prophesied: “A Star shall come out of Jacob” Numbers 24:17[1].

A better question is how could a star lead anyone to a specific place?

One might easily follow a star in a westerly direction. But after visiting King Herod, the astrologers left Jerusalem to walk to Bethlehem (a village five miles away) and the star re-appeared, “it led them until it came and stopped above the place where the Child was” Matthew 2:9.

To lead them to a specific house, this star must have been something supernatural.

It would have to be small, and close enough to the ground that it floated over the house somehow. I’m sure there are many ways God could pull off this miracle of nocturnal navigation, but one thing is certain: this was no ordinary star. 

Why did these non-Jews see the star and know its meaning, while no one in Israel was aware of it?

What sort of a star was it that could lead them to a specific house?

Was the star prophesied or not—and if not, what made these men so certain they would commit months to this caravan to Israel?

And what was God’s purpose in revealing the birth to Persians—men old enough they might die before Jesus would begin his public ministry?

Did they return to Babylon telling everyone about the baby to whom they gave priceless gifts including gold? –And how did they choose such gifts? Who gives incense to a newborn, even a newborn king?

And then an angel appeared to these men, warning them not to tell Herod about the baby.

And the same night an angel appears to Joseph telling him to run away to Egypt.

Why Egypt? What was God’s purpose in having Jesus spend his earliest years a fugitive in a land of pagan idols?

There are so many mysteries in the early pages of the New Testament. The incarnation: God Himself takes on human flesh and becomes a man. Emmanuel—GOD WITH US. 

God has given us so much information. His word is an amazing record. But there are mysteries, nevertheless. As Paul writes, “this mystery is profound” Ephesians 5:32.  There are some things we cannot explain. A star? That leads men to a tiny house in a tiny village? Are you kidding me? What is God doing?  As Hamlet said, “there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”  All the commentaries, all the systematic theology textbooks in the world cannot answer questions God has chosen not to answer.

–And you know what? I LOVE THAT. I love the fact that there are so many mysteries. That leaves room for God’s grace. Because here’s the thing: there are mysteries in my life. There are mysteries in your life. There are mysteries all around us! We have questions for God every day, and of course, He knows all the answers. But He lets us rest in the not-knowing. I have come to love that so much. And I love Him for that. I love God, in part, because He does NOT give me all the answers. And, after all, loving God is the whole point.

We love Him. And He loves us.  “This is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

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[1] I read Numbers 24:17 as a prophecy of a man who would be like a star, not a prophecy of an actual star. However, SOMETHING caused these Persian astrologers/astronomers to understand that the star they saw was a definite sign of the birth of “He who has been born king of the Jews.” They were right about the star, and God clearly used the star to lead them to Bethlehem.

Bondservant. Luke 1:38

How do you respond to bad news? To challenges? To setbacks?

Do you know how young Mary responded when the angel came and said, in effect, “God will make you pregnant, but everyone will assume the worst and will whisper lies about you for the rest of your life, and it will be a hard road and–in the words of Simeon–a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35)? Do you recall her words?

Did she argue like Moses and try to get out of it (Exodus 4:1)? Did she blame God like Job (Job 9:22-24)? Did she fuss at God and ask Him to end her life the way Elijah did (1 Kings 19:4)? No.

She spoke one of the greatest answers in the Bible:

Behold the bondservant of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Luke 1:38.

Isn’t that the perfect response?

Could she have done any better? What beautiful words. I have thought of these often, and spoken them in prayer many times.

I consider my circumstances and talk to God about my problems and I offer myself, my time, my money, and my problems to God:

“I think my truck is terminal, but I trust you. Behold the bondservant of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

“I don’t know what to do about the bills. But behold the bondservant of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.”

“How do I lead my family? How do I pray for my children? Behold the bondservant of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

What are your problems? What challenges has God allowed in your life? Pray about them and use Mary’s words to offer yourself to God. Let Him do His work. You will be blessed if you submit.

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LAYERS. Matthew 1:17; Luke 3:38.

I just finished my eighth reading of Holman’s Chronological Bible (READING GOD’S STORY: A Chronological Bible, 2011, Nashville). The Bible is so deep, so rich, so LAYERED with meaning—you can keep reading the Bible all your life and ALWAYS learn something new. You may become a master of the scriptures, but you will never stop learning. You may be a Bible scholar, but this book is LIVING AND ACTIVE AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD, Hebrews 4:12. God will never stop speaking to you through His word. If you’re reading it, you are learning.

So what did I learn today?

I read a familiar passage, the first chapter of the New Testament, Matthew 1. It begins with a rather humdrum account of genealogies.

Then Matthew summarizes:

“So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations, and from David until the exile in Babylon, 14 generations, and from the exile in Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations” Matthew 1:17.

Seven is the perfect number, right? Often called, “God’s number”? So God arranged the generations in three groups of 14, building on multiples of seven. And the larger point is the division of time into three parts: Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian Exile, and Babylonian Exile to Jesus. What interests me is that the exile to Babylon plays a key role, but slavery in Egypt is not mentioned. My point? We should be more familiar with the Babylonian exile[1]. It means something to God.

By contrast, Luke provides another genealogy of Jesus, this one going back to Adam:

“…son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God” Luke 3:38.

How many generations from Creation to Jesus? Luke does not count them. But we can! So I did—it’s 77. Talk about a perfect number. Seventy-seven generations! But I would not know if I had not taken the time to count.

(Don’t be afraid of those long, boring parts—laws, genealogies, blueprints—you will find NUGGETS in there if you dig a little.)

God, help us read well and study Your word seriously! Thank You for teaching us every day!

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[1] It was likely the Babylonian Captivity that caused the “Wise Men from the East” to be familiar with the scriptures, to recognize the Star that they followed to Jerusalem, then Bethlehem, where they discovered the Savior of the world—a Savior not only for the Jews, but for ALL. God used the captivity in Babylon to reach the Oriental peoples of the East, just as He later used Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch to reach the people of Africa.

** In the interests of full-disclosure, I should note that some online commentators agree that there were 77 generations from Adam to Jesus, some do not. Either way, it is certainly an interesting number.

Today’s Math Problem. Matthew 1:1, 17.

The book of Matthew—and thus, the New Testament—begins with the remarkable genealogy of Jesus. Genealogies make tough reading, but put yourself in the writer’s position:

Matthew wants to prove to his Hebrew people that Jesus is their long-awaited Messiah. Jesus’s ancestry is the logical place to start. 

“The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1.

Matthew begins with the biggest news in the history of Israel: he calls Jesus the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, a phrase rendered as Christ in Greek. Not only that, Matthew calls his book a “historical record.” That’s important:

Jesus Christ is part of history. He is not some mythological figure. In fact, non-Christian historians wrote about him, including the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman historian and senator Tacitus (pictured).  Both report that Jesus was crucified by Pilate.

Next, Matthew records the written genealogy of Jesus, including 46 generations from Abraham to Jesus, and concluding with another astounding Bible verse:

“So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David to the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations” Matthew 1:17. 

Because seven is a perfect number, three successions of fourteen is particularly special. The poetry of this sentence has always appealed to me, but I have wrestled with this tricky genealogy for many years. Like I said, there are only 46 links in this chain. Mathematically, 14 x 3 = 48. Every year, I would find myself reading and re-reading this chapter, struggling to understand Matthew’s arithmetic.

For a few years, I had decided that the Joseph listed as the “husband” of Mary should be listed as the “father” of Mary. That would add a generation. However, not one of the 60-plus English translations available on BibleGateway(dot)com translates that word as father. Not even one!  So this morning, I scratched out the note I had written in my Bible. Then I re-read and re-counted. Again, things did not add up. But I kept at it. I knew there had to be an answer.

Then suddenly, I solved this mystery!

Matthew counts two people twice. The count proceeds this way: (1) Abraham to David, 14 generations; (2) David to Josiah (Babylonian exile), 14 generations; and (3) Josiah to Jesus, 14 generations. So from Abraham to David is a neat 14, from David through Josiah is another 14, and from Josiah to Jesus is a final 14. This count requires you to count David and Josiah twice, but that fits the language of verse 17: three groups of 14. For years, I have been counting generations and struggling to figure this out! Today, I finally did.  Now, here’s a question for you:

Have you ever pulled out a calculator to figure out the Bible? Have you ever grabbed scratch paper so you could make sense of a difficult passage? Have you ever researched what commentators (preachers and professors) have to say about a scripture?

If not, why not? Don’t just half-read, hoping something you see will make you feel warm inside.  READ WITH YOUR MIND.  Think hard! Study! DIG!

“Work hard so God can say to you, ‘Well done.’ Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what His word says and means” 2 Timothy 2:15 (TLB).

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  • Some commentators add that there are Old Testament records of additional links in the chain. That is, Jesus may have another generation or two of ancestors that Matthew does not record. These writers believe Matthew’s audience would have known about those generations, and understood Matthew’s purpose: to demonstrate that the Messiah was an heir of both Abraham and David, and they would not have been troubled by alleged omissions. My uninformed hypothesis is that Matthew may have had reason to doubt some of the entries in those other records, thus rendering the 46 generations recorded here the most accurate statement of the ancestry of Jesus.
  • In another devotional, I analyzed the ancestors of Jesus. Guess how many generations there are from Adam to Jesus? Seventy-seven, by my count (based on Luke 3). Full disclosure–some parties online agree with me, some do not. Either way, it is an interesting number.

The Word Became Flesh. John 1:14.

John is one of my favorite Biblical authors. Though a fisherman by trade, John thinks like a poet and skillfully wrote five New Testament books: the Gospel of John, three letters (First, Second, and Third John), and Revelation. The first chapter of John’s gospel is so rich, shelves filled with books could be written about it—and no doubt have been.

Let’s limit ourselves to a single verse.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14.

By calling Jesus the ‘WORD,’ John argues that Jesus embodies all of who God is in a single man.  The Greek word ‘logos’ (translated ‘word’) includes three ideas. First, Logos simply means ‘Word.’ Jesus is the Word of God, an expression or statement “spoken” by God in order to reach man. Second, Logos includes the idea of something essential or fundamental. Jesus embodies the essence of God, the thoughts and truth of God. Third, Logos (from which we derive the word ‘logic’) conveys the sense of logic and reason. Thus, by calling Jesus the Logos of God, John is identifying Him as the essence of God come to earth in a form as simple as a single word—a single man—yet one that persuasively appeals to our sense of logic and reason.

Jesus is the truth of God embodied in a man and sent to persuade us to believe.

In verse fourteen, John is saying that Jesus embodies God’s appealing truth in a human form, lived among us, and we beheld His glory, grace, and truth.  John elaborates a few verses later:

“No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has EXPLAINED Him” John 1:18.

Jesus is the LOGOS of God, the WORD MADE FLESH. He dwelt among us so that we could see not only God’s love, but the logical appeal of following Him.

Jesus appeals not only to the heart, but to the MIND.

God, help us to understand You better. Give us insight into Your truth. May we embrace the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

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Fake Apologies. John 1:5

A genuine apology does not come with strings attached.

You sincerely admit your mistake, you agree it was wrong, and you stop there. You don’t get to manipulate the other person’s response.

A real apology does not require anything from the other person.

You confess your failure and accept their reaction—even if you don’t like it.

It’s the same way with God. True salvation only comes after true repentance. Have you truly recognized your sin? Do you OWN it? Do you admit it, and accept whatever God’s holy judgment says or does in response? If not, how can you be saved?

How can God give new life to someone who comes to Him with strings attached?

After all, the “strings” tie them to their old life, their sin.

You must come to Him with your heart absolutely open to whatever He has to say, whatever His Word requires.

We live in a world at war. I know you don’t see that (speaking to my own children here). Praise God that He has been so kind, He has spared you and sheltered you from so much darkness. But the war is going on all around you, every day. It’s a battle for souls. The enemy’s plan for you is to make you useless for God’s kingdom. If he can convince you to believe lies, even just one lie, he can neutralize you. One lie may be all it takes to put your life on the sidelines. Because only those who are wholly committed to God’s truth will have an impact for the kingdom.

Imagine this: at the end of your life you stand before God’s throne and He says, “What did you do with the life I gave you?”

And you say, “Well, I tried to be a good person. I went to church and I was nice to people.”

And God answers, “Didn’t you know I had an amazing plan for your life? Why did you let the enemy fill your head with lies, and half-truths, and compromise?” And then He shows you a movie of what your life could have been. And He says, “Look at all the joys you missed out on. Look at all the people who remained in darkness because you were not prepared to share your faith? Look at the difference you would have made if you had been truly committed to Me.”

John 1:5 is my prayer for you: “the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”

I pray the light of Christ will triumph over everything else in your life. Pray that with me–Pray God’s light will illuminate everything in you, shining into the darkness and replacing every lie with His truth.

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PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE AND CHILDREN. Psalm 106:37-41.

The Bible recounts terrible sin in Israel:

“They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan—so the land became polluted with blood. They defiled themselves by their actions …. Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against His people, and He was disgusted with His own inheritance. He handed them over to the nations. Those who had hated them ruled them” Psalm 106:37-41.

How could that happen? How could God’s people be lured into such sin that they would not only worship idols, but sacrifice their children? This is REAL: these Hebrews were literally turning their children over to have their throats cut like goats on the altar.

How could that happen?

How does a nation of Godly people fall so far?

Do you ever think about that? Adam and Eve walked with God, then by the time of Noah, the world was so filled with sin, God annihilated all but six with a flood.

How do people fall away like that? How can I prevent it in my family?

Pray for your children. Pray hard. Train them in the word. And pray some more. Be humble and ask God for parenting wisdom. And pray for the right SPOUSE—no one will have a bigger impact on your family than your spouse. Pray. Pray. PRAY.

As for child sacrifice, I would raise another point—the devil has not changed. He still loves the slaughter of the innocents. Only today it mostly happens before birth, and nearly every defense of abortion is a deception concocted by the father of lies. Say what you will about the 2022 Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson that returned the question of abortion to the states (leaving it legal in some states, but not others)—the number of U.S. abortions will probably drop. Praise God for the lives it will save—now may we be committed to helping families raise those children in the Lord[1].

God, make us prayer warriors for our families.

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[1]IDOL WORSHIP IS DEMON WORSHIP. See Psalm 106:37: “They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. They shed … the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan…” demon worship is more common than we think. Demons masquerade as the things the lost worship today, although I suspect a great deal of Americans’ worship of the demonic happens when they are lost in their addictions. We use the expression “making love to the bottle,” and it’s more true than you think—but it’s worship, really, worship of whatever demon drives you or lures you to alcohol…

Parades. Nehemiah 12:31, 38-43.

When you think of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, what comes to mind? Alcohol.

To honor the only holiday dedicated to a missionary, the world drinks green beer to excess.

There are better ways to honor the saint.

But people love a parade—and they love an excuse to imbibe.  There are as many reasons for parades as there are cities: there are Mardi Gras parades, July Fourth parades, parades to celebrate winning football teams, and parades to commemorate historical events and historical people. There is the Mermaid Festival at Coney Island, the Texas Art Car Parade in Houston, the Go Blonde Festival in Latvia, and the Lobster Dog Parade (in which dogs are dressed up as lobsters).

Last year we enjoyed the July Fourth Parade in Durango, Colorado. It was a cute, small-town event with people walking on stilts, old guys driving antique cars, and Shriners wearing fezzes curling around the street in tiny cars. It was a nice way to reflect on almost 250 years of freedom in the United States.

But a commemoration parade is nothing like a parade to celebrate a current event.

Imagine what it was like for the Hebrew people in the book of Nehemiah. Most of them were raised in Persia. All their lives they had heard stories about the Promised Land. Now they had finally arrived. Things were in a state of disrepair, but they rebuilt the city wall and gates in under 60 days. This was cause for great celebration!

“Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large processions to give thanks. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate” Nehemiah 12:31.  There were musicians playing trumpets and other instruments, and numerous singers. “The second thanksgiving procession went to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens, the Broad Wall, above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard. The two thanksgiving processionals stood in the House of God. So did I and half the officials accompanying me … Then the singers sang, with Jezrahiah as the leader. On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy. The women and children also celebrated, and Jerusalem’s rejoicing was heard far away” Nehemiah 12:38-43.

They celebrated. How? By WORSHIPPING. They sang, they prayed, they made sacrifices. They dedicated themselves and their city to the Lord. That is the way to truly celebrate. When God does a great thing in your life, notice it, mark it: take pictures, write about it, remember it—but most importantly, give thanks to God. Spend time worshipping Him and thanking Him. Honor Him for what He has done for you!

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