Listen As The Wise men – Matthew 2.7-13

7Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him. 9And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way (Matthew 2.7-14, ASV).[1]
 
Memory Verse – And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; – Matthew 2.10-11

      These wise men came into Judea seeking the One who had been born King of the Jews. They entered Jerusalem saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2.2, ESV).[2]
      Their desire from the beginning was to worship the One True God, as should be ours. The prophet Jeremiah writes;

They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols.  Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple—all made by skilled workers. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath (Jeremiah 10.8-10, NIV).[3]

      When we forget who God is and begin to worship something else anything else we are no longer worshiping the One True God. Jeremiah declared to Israel and us, “They are all senseless and foolish...” (vs. 8), who try and build their own god. They try and make them from whatever, wood, metal, even precious metal as if that will make them better.
      They dress them up in fine clothes, blue and purple, the colors of royalty yet what does that get them? These gods have been created by human hands; however, these people believe they can help them, save them, give them whatever they want. But before we condemn them, we are not much different. We create idols from many things and worship them. Maybe not in the same way but with the same mindset and attention.
      How much attention do we pay to our phones and not the Bible? Yes, we can read the Bible on our phones, but really that is not what we are doing, so stop saying that it is. What about our relationships, these too can become a distraction or idol in our lives. Now, we are not saying not to have a relationship but when it is more important than our relationship with Christ, then we have a problem.
      Paul gave us some great instructions to help us understand this point;

I want you to be without concerns. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But the married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction (I Corinthians 7.32-35, CSB).[4]

      Therefore, we must listen to the One True God, obeying all He commands us to do. This is possible because “we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” John continues by warning us, “My little children, guard yourselves from idols” (I John 5.20-21, ASV).[5]
      The wise men spent their lives searching for the One True God, and upon finding Him, rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and then seeing Him they fell down and worshiped Him. As they continued to worship Him, they presented Him gifts, as an extension of their worship, love and devotion to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
      They did not stop here, as many of us do; when they were ready to return home, God continued to speak to them and they listened. When the worship experience is over, it does not mean God is done speaking to us. We have to be willing to listen to Him all the time in every place all the time.
      Here the wise men were warned in a dream and they listened to what God had to say to them. They heeded God’s warning and went a different way into their own country (vs. 12). Are we willing and able to hear God when He wants to speak to us? No matter how He might choose to do it?
      We must be ready to hear, listen, and obey whatever God commands us to do. Many of God’s commands are written within His Holy Word. We may never hear an audio voice, or have a dream, or intuition. But when we study God’s Word with the Holy Spirit as our guide and interpreter, we can be assured we will receive all we need to obey all God wants from us each and every day.
            
Application
 

1. When was the last time you heard God speaking to you? What did He ask you to do? Did you do it and how did it come out? Please explain.
2. How did God speak to you the last time you heard Him? How did it make you feel when you heard Him? Please Explain
3. Deeper Thinking: Read I Corinthians 7.25-40 and explain what point Paul is trying to get across to his readers. There may be more than one point, but at least discuss one. You can use other scripture to support your explanation.
4. Commit to learning Matthew 2.10-11a and find one person to share the Biblical Christmas Story with.

 
Prayer
 
      Oh my God Who lives in the Heaven, Who Created the Universe and cared enough for me to send His One and Only Son to be born of a virgin, to die in my place, and Who now sits at His right Hand, I worship and praise You. Lord, forgive me for not listening to You speak to me, for not hearing what You are saying and not obeying Your commands. Lord help me to hear you, to be wise as the wise men and obey when You speak. May my life reflect Your glory and honor to those around me. Thank You for Your Son’s free gift. Lord, I will share Your gospel with others today and every day until Christ returns. I pray all this in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.

[1] American Standard Version. (1995). (Mt 2:7–12). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 2:2). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[3] The New International Version. (2011). (Je 10:8–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 7:32–35). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] American Standard Version. (1995). (1 Jn 5:20–21). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

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