Following the Star

Hi, this is Cynthia Dowling, and have you ever wondered why the wise men would follow a star? I mean, I love stars, and I look at the night sky whenever I can. In fact, I have learned many of the constellations and look for them when it’s a clear night, but I have never followed a star or even thought that it had a meaning other than a beautiful creation of God's declaring His glory. Have you ever thought about what the wise men were really following? Yes, they were following a star, a star so magnificent that it eclipsed the other stars of the night sky, so much so that these men knew that this star was more than just a star. It had a message, and that message was from God. How did they know? Let's find out by looking at one of the oldest books in the Bible, the book of Numbers. In Numbers 24:17, God had Moses pen these words: “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel . . . .” Interestingly, the word “star” and the word “scepter” are capitalized in this verse, so we know that these words are talking about a person, and this person is a king. We know these wise men knew this particular scripture because of the question they asked in Jerusalem, so let’s fast forward to Matthew chapter 2. The chapter starts out, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.’”

There you have it, the Star and the Scepter. But what brought these men from their homes in a distant land to follow a star based on an ancient prophecy in the Bible? Well, we have seen that they are following a star, and that they are students of Scripture because they were familiar with a seemingly obscure prophecy in Numbers, but what was the driving force to follow that star? It had to be faith. By faith they believed God, His prophecy in Numbers, and that this star was “the” star of that prophecy. So they followed the star, and it led them to Jerusalem, Herod, and the additional knowledge that Bethlehem of Judaea was the birth place. That's the way God works! They didn't know what to do next, so by faith they waited in Jerusalem until God showed them what to do next. Now it's off to Bethlehem, you can feel their excitement growing, as they head to close by Bethlehem. And then guess what happens . . . the star starts leading them again, and it takes them right to the place they want to go, to the very house. How amazing is that! Undaunted by the small home and the humble surroundings, the Bible tells us “. . . they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him. . . .” Can you believe it? They had just left the King's palace, but Jesus wasn't there. And now they come to a humble house with seemingly ordinary, insignificant people, yet those wisemen were unfazed. The star was here, God had led them here, and they know, by faith, that this is the Christ child. They believe God by faith; they act on that faith by following the star; and with confidence and great joy, they present that child of seemingly no consequence with treasures worthy of the king that He is: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

How could they risk their journey and their gifts on a child that didn't match their expectations? Because they had no expectations, except to walk and act by faith on what God said. They didn't just see the star. They saw the star as the frontispiece of the eternal purpose of God. They looked through and beyond the star to what God was doing—that's what they saw by faith. You know, the faith chapter of the Bible in Hebrews 11 displays that same kind of God-pleasing faith from the beginning of creation right up to the Exodus, before the law of Moses was even given. In that chapter God is saying that it's always been by faith; it's always been by believing what God says and acting on it.

During the last part of this year, I have worked on memorizing Hebrews 11, and God’s statements about those showcased clearly illustrate this same kind of looking through and looking beyond by faith. So let’s look closely at the one of those God names, the man Abraham. In verse 8 God tells us, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Abraham left all he had in the city of Ur and headed out to the place God was going to show him, just like the wise men did. Then, when he got to the land, God says, “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” He got to the promised land, and he didn't buy a house with some land and settle in. Why not? Because the land was a promise to look through and beyond to see the reality of God’s city, “which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” There it is, the same kind of faith as the wise men had. Though these men were separated by millennia, none were afraid to leave all and obediently follow God’s directive. Abraham looked beyond the land and saw God and what God was doing, just as the wise men did, and every other true believer that acts by faith on the Word of God.

Let’s have an eye out for how God wants us to please Him in the few remaining days of this year. Maybe it’s helping a neighbor, sharing a meal with a widow, taking time to cheer up someone who’s sad—the Lord has innumerable ways for us to show His love, especially during the time we celebrate His birth. Praying that as we seek the Lord, He will clearly show us what He wants us to do. Then, we will obey by faith, looking beyond the obstacles like our busy schedules to see clearly in that “Star,” the eternal purpose of God.