The Bethlehem Star Led Wise Men To The Baby

God made many of the aspects of the Christmas story fascinating, to say the least. One of those aspects includes a star that led the wise men to Bethlehem.

At times I have gazed into the night sky just to look at the stars. I like observing the constellations and clusters of stars and how God made them bright and of different sizes.

We can look up from any spot on the earth and see stars. What does a casual stargazer like me know about them? God created too many to count, and He put them out of our reach.

So, that leaves me with a question about the star that led the wise men to Jesus in Bethlehem. What made that star intrigue them enough that they chose to follow it to Bethlehem?

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Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2

These men had asked King Herod where they could find this newborn king. The king gladly met with them but had no knowledge of a new king. So, he called a meeting.

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” Matthew 2:3-4

The Bethlehem Star Pointed to the Expected Messiah

The Jewish people had prayed for the coming of the Messiah, so these religious leaders knew all about it. But they didn’t think it would happen in their lifetime. They reported this to Herod.

In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'” Matthew 2:5-6

After learning that the star these wise men followed would lead them to Bethlehem, he met with them once again. He questioned them about how long ago they had seen the star.

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Matthew 2:7

Herod pretended to show an interest in this newborn king. He encouraged them to continue following the star to Bethlehem and tell him where so he could worship him.

Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” Matthew 2:8

They appreciated the king’s hospitality. Not knowing the intention of Herod once he knew the child’s whereabouts, they agreed to tell him. That night, they resumed their quest.

I saw a TV show once where a child went missing on Christmas Eve. The main character of the show found him in a wooded area. A light from the sky illuminated this lost child.

I thought to myself how unrealistic and farfetched that scene was. But wait a minute, when the wise men left King Herod, that same thing happened for them?

Can a Star Point to Something?

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! Matthew 2:9-10

Through the years, people have tried to explain this phenomenon. One said that two planets and one of the more prominent known stars aligned. Thus giving the visual effect of one large star.

That’s a good explanation, but it didn’t answer the question. How did a star or a cluster of stars pinpoint a house in Bethlehem? Think about the following questions for a moment.

When you drive down the road and see the moon in front of you, have you ever caught it? No! Has it ever shined its light on one single object? No!

The more investigation we do, the simpler the answer becomes. It could only happen one way. God directed the light from that star for these wise men, like turning on the porch light for them.

They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Matthew 2:11

God still performs the unbelievable and the unexplainable. An incident recently happened in our household. It happened one day after my wife’s ministry seemed to take somewhat of a turn.

As it all developed, she asked God for confirmation for this new direction in her life. Then she asked Him how she could make resources available to those she ministers to.

Miracles Still Happen

One Sunday afternoon, Amazon delivered a box to our front porch. I knew I hadn’t ordered anything. The label, however, showed they delivered the box to my wife.

I asked her, “What did you order from Amazon?” she responded by saying, “I have never ordered anything from them.” This mystery box actually turned out to be a miracle box.

The box contained 42 books of 11 titles, all from the same author. And they all dealt with the subject of her ministry. The author and my wife didn’t and still don’t know each other.

She found out through a friend that the author ordered them but never received his order. So, he asked Amazon about it. They said, “We shipped them, but they went to someone else.”

Yes, someone not even in their database. The only answer possible was an intervention from the Lord. God answered both of my wife’s prayers with the miracle of a box of books.

Do You Need A Bethlehem Star in Your Life?

He still gives direction. For the wise men, God gave a miracle star in the sky. For my wife, He provided a miracle box on the porch. Do you need direction? Trust Him. He will give it to you!

Lord, a bright star in the sky can be explained. But one that gives precise direction, like the star of Bethlehem, can come only from you. Give us direction to stay in the center of your will.

Check out some other posts related to miracles.