Christmas passages

Sunday night the Youth Pastor/Assistant Pastor preached. Pastor Kelley asked him to expound on the Christmas story in a different light. He did just that. He started out saying that he was going to read two really familiar Christmas passages and then have us turn to an unfamiliar Christmas passage.

"Please turn in your Bibles to the very familiar Christmas passage, Numbers 22:5"

He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

"Next please turn to an equally familiar Christmas passage, Daniel 2:24"
Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.

"Finally we will turn to a very unfamiliar Christmas passage, Matthew 2:1-12"
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,...

He then asked us why we thought he read the first two passages and how they connect to the 3rd passage he read. Do you all know?


He said that it was the only two places in the Old Testament that "wise men" were mentioned. Balaam was considered the first wise man and Daniel saved the wise men from losing their lives.

The Wise Men who came to see Jesus were the same type of "wise men" as those mentioned above. They most likely were part of a king's court somewhat as "counselors".
These Wise Men in Matthew 2 teach us some things that we need to have in our own lives. Are we "wise men and women"?

First, they passed down some good traditions. Like gifts, giving your best, worshiping the King, and such. We need to pass good wholesome traditions down to our children and grandchildren. Going to church, reading the Bible, tithing, etc.

Second, they kept the Bible in the proper perspective. These were gentiles. The only part of the Scriptures that they most likely had were the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel. Balaam prophesied in Numbers 24:17 (about Jesus being born)
...there shall come a Star out of Jacob...

And Daniel about when Jesus would BE born.

They knew these two prophesies and had taken them into heart. These Gentiles knew that a King of the Jews would be born and they knew when He would be born. They were looking for the Star. The priest and scribes in Jerusalem also knew the Scriptures but they weren't looking. When Herod asked them where "Christ should be born" they replied "In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

They knew where it was to happen and they could have very well known when it would happen but they didn't go check it out. Instead these Wise Men came ALL THE WAY FROM THE EAST because they knew when but they didn't know exactly where in Israel. They went to Jerusalem because that was the capital of Israel.

I don't remember the last point but it had to do with that they worshiped Jesus even though He didn't look like a "real" king. Mary and Joseph were poor so their house more than likely wasn't very big. Not all the Wise Men fit in the house at once (never in the Bible does it say that there were only 3 Wise Men). They also did not take away any portion of the gifts they brought. They gave EVERYTHING they brought to this new King. Do we worship the King of kings as we ought to?

We need to set and establish good wholesome traditions.
We need to place the Bible in Its proper place in our lives.
We need to know what the Bible says.
We need to worship Jesus with the worship that He is worthy of.

ARE WE WISE MEN AND WOMEN? if not now then we need to start working on it.