IMMANUEL...GOD IS STILL WITH US

DAY 13 "KING OF KINGS"

Scripture:  Luke 2:21-38, Matthew 2:1-12

  

In the gospel of Luke, we see that after the birth of Jesus, eight days later, God remembered and honored the prayer of an old and devout man of God, named Simeon,  who believed that God not only hears prayers but will answer as well. Joseph and Mary took the infant to the temple to dedicate Him back to the Lord as tradition mandated (Luke 2:23, Exodus 13:2). It was here that Simeon's eyes beheld the hope and his arms held the  Savior of mankind, God's promised Messiah!  Sometimes, it may seem as if dreams, hopes, and expectations are not coming to pass, but wait on the Lord and allow your strength to be renewed by Him!  Far, far away, there were also others who had heard, read and believed that God's PROMISE would come to pass. They were not Jews or even considered to be "people of God" but they were still able to hear and know that God was calling them to seek and find the King of kings and Lord of lords. The three wise men left their homes to make an arduous and long journey from the east to follow a star that was leading them to a final destination. 


Matthew is the only gospel that records the quest of the wise men leading them to Jerusalem. When they arrived, their first stop was to see King Herod to inquire about this "new king".

When you find Him,” Herod told the visitors, “come back and tell me where He is. I have a little something of my own I want to give Him” (Matthew 2:8, paraphrased).  After hearing him out, the Magi left for Bethlehem. It wasn't long before their familiar star rose again, leading them like a shepherd leading its sheep to a house on the outskirts of town.

When they found the "child" King, it was no wonder He was nothing more than a murmur in Jerusalem. They entered the house where He lay and beheld a child in the arms of a young woman, practically still a girl. There was no crown or majesty that would attract them to Him, no miracle they could see, no signs of greatness. Just a woman and her child. But there was something about that moment that only the woman,  the Magi, and maybe even the child something- that bent the knees of those wise men to the posture of worship when they saw Him. This child was a King.

One of the Magi moved forward and produced a purse of gold, laying it at the child’s feet. Another came with a flask of myrrh, then another with a box of frankincense. Unaware that they were funding a hasty trip to Egypt necessitated by Herod’s paranoia, they gave these gifts for no other reason than to honor the one born King of the Jews. He wasn’t even their king. Israel’s God was not their people’s god. And yet, they had come because the thought of a God of mercy with healing in His wings must have awakened in them a desire to be close to the one through whom that healing would flow. They followed the star, and after countless miles of sojourn, they found the King.


                                                

It was quite a feat. They would rest well. But that night as they drifted into a deep sleep of satisfaction, an angel, unfamiliar to them but well-known to Mary, stepped into their dreams and painted for them the bloody truth of who Herod really was and what he meant to do to this child. The angel warned them to take another route home).

Herod’s motives were murderous. History would remember him not only dripping with the blood of his own wives and sons, but with the blood of countless others, mostly boys under the age of two. But not this boy king. Herod would not take His life. The Magi departed for home in secret, avoiding the area around Jerusalem.

Write out your thoughts

Prayer
Father God, we thank You and praise You today for the miracle of Your Son's birth. Thank You for bringing great JOY to the whole world! Thank You for giving us the assurance that because You came to us in the form of a human, we who believe in Jesus can know with absolute certainty that we'll spend eternity with You. We thank You, Lord, for the many reasons we have been given a merry Christmas. And we rejoice for each blessing.-