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3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~ Matthew 2:3-11
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 2 where the Magi have come from the east of Jerusalem on a two year trip to worship the King of the Jews, the Lord Jesus Christ. When they arrived in Jerusalem the Magi inquired from the Jewish religious leaders where the King of the Jews would be born. Evidently, the Jewish religious leaders told Herod of the Magi's inquiry and that alarmed him deeply. In today's passage, we are given the details of how Herod responded to the coming of "the King of the Jews."
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."
Herod’s father was named Antipater who had helped Julius Caesar win a battle over the Egyptians, so Julius Caesar gave to Antipater the area of Judea to rule over as a gift. Antipater then put his son Herod in charge who was then given a Roman army to rule over Judea. Herod at that time gave to himself the title, "The King of the Jews." When Herod discovered that the Magi had traveled so far to make a visit to the child they referred to as "the King of the Jews" he was literally shaken to his core. All of Jerusalem was disturbed because they knew how erratic Herod was when he was threatened.
Herod came from the other side of the Dead Sea in the country of Jordan. He was an Idumean which made him an Edomite, a descendent of Esau. The Jews hated Herod. Since Herod was so hated by the Jews, he did a lot of things to try to garner their favor. For example, he built for them a temple in Jerusalem. He also married a Jewish girl.
Since Herod was so paranoid, he sought to kill anyone who threatened his kingdom. In fact, he eventually killed his wife because he didn't trust her. He killed his two oldest sons so they couldn't take his throne. He also killed his brother-in-law because he thought he was trying to steal his kingdom. It was so bad that when Herod was on his deathbed, he ordered all of the prominent citizens of Jerusalem to be executed when he died, this would mean there would be mourning in Judea when Herod died. All of this explains Herod's paranoia when the Magi came.
In v.4-6 of today's passage we read, "4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'"
Bethlehem is where King David had grown up. This is why Bethlehem is known as the City of David. Bethlehem means the place of bread, it was the breadbasket of Israel. The best wheat was grown in those valleys around Bethlehem. In v.5-6 Matthew quoted Micah 5:2. This meant God had told all who cared to know that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Along with their study of Micah 5:2 and other Old Testament passages like Daniel 9 the Magi from the east knew the whereabouts and the timing of the Messiah's birth. So, they came seeking "the King of the Jews."
Sadly, the religious leaders of Israel did not make the short trek to Bethlehem when the Lord Jesus was born. Like them, we can know a lot about the Bible, we can even quote chapter and verse and yet miss the main point which is a personal relationship with God. The religious leaders of Israel were inoculated with a knowledge of the Bible and they were rendered immune from God. They got just enough of the Bible but they were inoculated to the truth. Being exposed to the truth isn’t enough. We must repent and allow God penetration into our heart. The only avenue through which we can access a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is only through humility. Humility allows us to give up on our way and embrace God's way.
In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.'"
Earlier to this moment, Herod had secretly petitioned the wise men to determine from them what time the star appeared to them. He sent them to Bethlehem, instructing them to search carefully for the young Child and once they had found Him, to bring back word to him, that he might come & worship the Lord also. Herod pretended to be a worshipper. It is people like Herod who will hear the words "Depart from me for I never knew you" from the Lord Jesus. Our faith in the Lord Jesus enables us to move into such a relationship with the Lord that He knows us in a relational way resulting in our access into His presence eternally.
In v.9-11 of today's passage we read, "9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
At this point, the baby had become "the young Child." And, the Magi worshipped the Lord Jesus only. They didn't worship anyone else, including Mary. And, when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him including gold, frankincense and myrrh. These three gifts were the richest of gifts that could be offered to a newborn king. They gave to the Lord Jesus gold which stood for His kingly status. Within the Tabernacle and the Temple was the Most Holy Place also known as the Holy of Holies. It was the place where the priest would encounter the presence of God and offer a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. The Most Holy Place and the altar within it were completely overlaid with gold.
The frankincense given to the Lord Jesus points us to His divinity, and the myrrh His sacrificial death. Frankincense is a gum resin that priests offered with the meal offering. It denoted the Lord Jesus as the great high priest. Interestingly, frankincense hardens into these little crystals and it doesn't give off its scent except when crushed. When it is crushed, it gives off a sweet aroma. In Isaiah 53:5 we read, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Like frankincense, myrrh was made from a gum resin, dried and compressed and burnt to produce an aromatic smell. Myrrh was also used as an embalming fluid. When the Lord Jesus died, 100 pounds of spice myrrh it says and aloes were mixed for His burial. And, without His sacrifice there would be no hope for any of us because we would still be found in our sin. It was through His cross that God forgave us of our sin. This means that having trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, hope remains supreme because our sin has been forgiven.
