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After receiving the living vision, the magi were misled by their human concept and went to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish nation, where its king was presumed to be; their being misled caused many young boys to be killed (Matt. 2:16).
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When they arrived in Jerusalem and inquired concerning where the King of the Jews was to be born, we read that”when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him”—v. 3:
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When they heard this news, they should have rejoiced; instead, they were troubled.
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A Christian who expects the Lord to come or who expects to be raptured should take this as a warning—2 Tim. 4:8; cf. Acts 26:16.
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After the magi were corrected by the Scriptures (Matt. 2:4-6), they went to Bethlehem (vv. 8-9), and the star appeared to them again and led them to the place where Christ was,”and when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (v. 10).
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When the magi were corrected by the Scriptures and restored to the right track, the star appeared to them again; living vision always accompanies the Scriptures.
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The priests were those who taught people the law (Mal. 2:7), and the scribes were those who knew the Scriptures (Ezra 7:6); both the priests and the scribes had knowledge concerning the birth of Christ (Matt. 2:5-6), but, unlike the magi from the east, they did not see the vision, nor did they have the heart to seek after Christ.
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Regardless of how”scriptural” we are, if we lose the presence of the Lord, we are absolutely wrong; the New Testament way to find and follow the Lord is to continually stay in His hidden presence—John 5:39-40; Isa. 45:15; Exo. 33:11, 14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:16.
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It is easy to accumulate scriptural knowledge, but if we would have living guidance, we must live in an intimate relationship with the Lord; we must be one with Him—2:10-14.
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The magi saw Christ, and they worshipped Him; then they were warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, so they departed into their own country”by another way” (Matt. 2:12); once we have seen Christ, we never take the same way, the way of religion apart from Christ, but we will always take another way.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 2:9-10 And after they heard the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which they saw at its rising led them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.Exo. 33:11 And Jehovah would speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his companion…
Consider what the magi did: They saw the heavenly star and they followed it, but they made a great mistake. They received the vision, but they soon turned to their human concept and exercised their natural understanding. They realized that this star signified the King of the Jews; therefore, they reasoned that they should go to Jerusalem and inquire of those who would have knowledge of such matters. Their going, as we know, caused much trouble….They need not have gone to Jerusalem. They were thoroughly wrong and caused many young and innocent lives to be taken. The Jewish religious leaders had the knowledge, and the magi had the vision. Nevertheless, those who received the vision made a great mistake and, apart from divine intervention, would have caused the loss of the little child Jesus. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1,”New Testament Service,” p. 278)
Today's Reading
When the magi arrived in Jerusalem, Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (Matt. 2:3). Herod, yes, but why Jerusalem? Were those in Jerusalem not for Christ? Why was all Jerusalem troubled at the birth of the One for whom they were waiting? This is religion. I am afraid that many who are seemingly for the Lord's return will be troubled by His coming. Then Herod called the chief priests and scribes of the people together and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born (v. 4). The scribes were those among the people who had doctor's degrees in theology. Immediately, they answered,”Bethlehem.” They gave him the right book, the right chapter, and the right verse. They quoted Micah 5:2, but did any one of them go to Bethlehem? Not one! They were troubled by the news, but no one cared to go and see what had happened.When the magi came into religion, they missed the star; but when they left religion, the star appeared to them [Matt. 2:9-10]. They could not find living guidance in Jerusalem. They did not receive the heavenly vision in religion; they had to leave. When they departed from Jerusalem, behold, the star went before them. In principle, it is the same today.
Micah 5:2 was the holy writing, the Holy Scripture, prophesying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. However, by that verse alone you could not find Jesus. You would know in what city Jesus was to be born, but you would not know on what street or in what house….Even if you have the knowledge of the Scriptures, you still need the instant, up-to-date, living star to lead you to the very street and the very house where Jesus is….It is easy to accumulate scriptural knowledge, but if you would have living guidance, you need to live in an intimate relationship with the Lord; you need to be one with Him.
The heavenly star led the magi to the very spot [“where the child was” (Matt. 2:9)]. This is all we need. I do believe that if they had no knowledge whatever of Micah 5:2 but simply followed the star, they could have arrived at that place. How can we find Christ and serve Him? Not merely by Bible knowledge but by the living star….Those who followed the heavenly star found Him and worshipped Him. Do we need the knowledge of the Scriptures? Of course we do. It helps, but there is a condition: the living, instant guidance, the guidance of this very moment to lead us to the very spot where Jesus is, is indispensable…. It is the living guidance that brings us to Jesus so that we may worship Him and offer our gifts to Him. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1,”New Testament Service,” pp. 278-280)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1970, vol. 3,”Being Delivered from Religious Rituals and Walking according to the Spirit,” chs. 2, 10; CWWN, vol. 15, ch. 2