Born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontious Pilate and rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures…Jesus Christ our anointed Messiah who came to save all who would choose His salvation by faith!!! Jesus came in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures which prophesied the coming Messiah.
Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”
Praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords!!
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him (God);…"
The full armor of God is built on faith.
The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. We are shielded by our faith in Jesus the Word made flesh.
Jesus was both fully God and fully human, and in His humanity, He experienced temptation just like we do. And He gave us a perfect example of how we can conquer temptation. Our Savior didn't resist Satan by using divine powers or other means not available to us: He used the sword of the Spirit, God's Word (Ephesians 6:17).
May we strive to emulate Jesus so we can triumphantly claim His words in our key verse: "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve'" (Matthew 4:10).
Jesus submitted to God throughout His ordeal. Ultimately, Jesus succeeded against Satan, proving Himself to be the faithful Son of God and qualifying Him as Israel's rightful King and Messiah. Today, let's rejoice in our victorious Savior, Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God (John 1:29)! First 5
To understand the gospel in its radical, transformative power, we have to stop counting, measuring, and weighing. We have to stop saying “I deserve” and deciding who does not deserve. This daily conversion is hard to do unless we’ve experienced infinite mercy and realize that it’s all a gift—all the time.” (Thank you Richard Rohr) SabbathMoments
Matthew 2:5-12
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. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. The New King James Version
Matthew’s reading of Micah 5:2 reflects neither the original Hebrew nor the Septuagint (Greek) translation. However, it is likely that multiple Greek translations were available at this time. Additionally, Matthew may have made his own translation, quoting from memory or paraphrasing. Despite the variations in the text, the sense is the same: Bethlehem’s importance comes from its connection to David and the Davidic Messiah.
Ancient Near Eastern rulers often are portrayed as shepherds. The same imagery is used throughout the old testament. The book of Samuel portrays Saul as an inept shepherd who requires the assistance of a slave and a prophet to find his father’s lost livestock. Conversely, David is portrayed as a good shepherd: he tends his father’s flocks when Samuel calls and anoints him, he defends his “flock” during the Goliath confrontation and acts with wisdom and courage in military matters the people recognize David as a shepherd-like figure.
All of Jerusalem had already heard of the magi’s arrival. Herod keeps their specific mission to Bethlehem secret and probably also orders the priests and scribes to do the same. The time when the star appeared indicates that time had already passed since Jesus’ birth. The magi likely came to Herod expecting to find the child in his palace. The magi were in no position to disobey Herod and likely would have gone to Bethlehem even if they suspected evil intentions on his part.
Matthew provides a means for them to escape from Herod’s plot by having them receive instructions via a dream to leave on an alternative route.
This unusual activity demonstrates that the star is a supernatural phenomenon. They also were joyful because the star’s stopping place indicated the Messiah’s location. Falling down and worshiping was a common custom in the ancient Near East for honoring kings, who were viewed as divine figures. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were costly luxury items suitable as gifts for the birth of an important or royal figure.
Throughout his narrative, he commonly ascribes dreams to God and His emissaries. Faithlife Study Bible
Matthew clearly records how the Jewish religious authorities, who became Christ’s enemies later, unintentionally affirmed that Jesus had fulfilled a messianic prophecy in His birth. God sometimes uses the words of His opponents to speak the truth.
The wise men undoubtedly would have been discouraged by their failure to find the King in Jerusalem, by the lack of knowledge concerning the birth of the Messiah among the leaders, by the disinterest among Israel, and by the weariness from the long journey. The reappearance of the star must have brought great joy and encouragement to them.
Gold symbolized royalty; frankincense was a fragrance; myrrh was the ointment of death. These gifts provided the financial resources for Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt. Five dreams of divine guidance emphasize God’s orchestration of these perilous events. The NKJV Study Bible
Psalm 72:10
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
John 7:42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”
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