Shimmering gold reflects from the cathedral high ceiling magnificently supported by imported green
columns of etched marble. The condescending shapes swirl and collide creating an illusion of
grandeur and awe. The stone floor glistens in the sunlight of the noon day. Its beauty is the greatest
in the land and there is no other architecture to compare with it. It is luminous and enticing for
those less fortunate to sustain such wealth. This is a king’s palace belonging perhaps to one of the
wealthiest and most vain kings Israel will ever know.
The cool breeze enters the massive room providing a peaceful moment in the center of anticipation and anxiety. The king is intimidating. He is vain and selfish. Over time he has gained power by manipulating those around him including his closest friends and family. He has cunningly ‘earned” his right to be king but not out of any degree of honesty or integrity. He is feared. He is hated. He is despised and yet admired for his ability to accrue and display such ominous wealth of acquisition.
The coldness of the marble floors is synonymous with his cold heart. His soul is nothing but stone. It provides an illusion of beauty but in the end is just stone. He cares for no one.
In order to be able to build his great tributes and monuments to himself that he could not afford, taxes are collected from the village people who have absolutely nothing to share. A donkey, a wine press, a butter churn are the extravagant displays of individual wealth in their poor communities. But Herod demands that even their precious items to sustain their families through the year be measured and weighed and then a percentage is stolen to pay for a concrete statue or another building of cold stone.
He has robbed the people of their dignity and their ability to care for themselves or their families. He is a wicked and cruel king. He pledges greater support but then steals from them the very foundations of their livelihood to support his callous vanity and pride.
But a new season is arriving and it is one that King Herod is not confident that he will be able to weather. He has heard through the whispers of careless and hopeful servants that a new king will be arriving to replace him. The Jews call him “the Messiah”. They claim that the prophet Isaiah spoke of this once-in-a-lifetime King.
- A king so great and magnificent that no one is able to defeat him.
- A king so powerful he could even defy death.
- A king so mighty that no stronghold physical or spiritual means could stand against him.
This king is no one that Herod knows. But a constant fear tears at his heart that this king will defeat and conquer him, leaving him powerless and without protection. This King will change his life.
In the torrid depths of his jealousy, his vengence brings about an unspeakable act under his sovereign watch. He defies the normal desires of the heart to love, cherish, and protect children who are so dear to their parents. He cruelly and maliciously orders the death of any child under the age of two who has the potential to rise up as a leader to replace him. His hate for an unknown king knows no depths but instead lathers and pampers itself in a deep well of violence.
News has reached him today that three traveling Wise Men are coming into to Jerusalem this evening. He has sent word ahead to invite them to dinner. He knows that they are the leading scientific men from the East. They are known for their intelligent gifts and abilities in the natural sciences.
In their foreign culture, a new fascination of astrology has been documented and observed. By observing the stars these Wise Men claim to know the hearts and temperaments of man. They can predict their fortune, power, and influence for the future. Even eventual love and coming death can be resolved and answered by the twilight of the heavens. Herod is confident these men will know when the Messiah will arrive in Israel.
Asking more questions of his traveling soldiers, he discovers that these Wise Men are from Babylon (which is also known as present day Bagdad, Iraq), Persia (also known as Iran), and also from Egypt. They have gathered the intelligence, culture, and languages from their countries to build a powerhouse of discovery and scientific measurement.
Wisdom is not confined to just the present age of knowledge, but has been a gift from God throughout the ages. These Wise Men know of God and are devout in serving in the knowledge that has been revealed to them.
Herod is aware of the Wise Men’s spiritual sensitivity from the rumors that have filtered down his grand halls and entrances. He knows that in order to reach their confidence and respect, he must appear to be one of them. He asks for his servants to find the storage places where the old relics of worship have been stowed away that were previously stolen from committed worshippers in the country villages. He is a thief. He greedily steals not only things but also the trust of others by selfishly manipulating their perspective and attention.
A fine banquet of the choicest meats and decadent fruits overwhelm and cascade down the long tabled platform. Guests are invited to not only eat but to admire, condescend, and to offer allegiance to the provider of this grand display of wealth and power.
Humbly the Wise Men arrive into the city with their camels heavily packed with various goods and items for several days of travel. From Bagdad to Jerusalem is 550 miles, approximately a two month journey by foot. But the journey is through the desert which offers sweltering heat during the day and freezing unmerciful temperatures at night.
Observing from his exclusive tower overlooking the palace grounds, Herod suspiciously watches the three Wise Men enter the massive gates of his intimidating surveillance. The Wise Men are weary from their journey but are offered beautiful rooms to refresh and unload the heavy burdens of their travel. The feast will begin in a few short hours.
Contemplating his next move, Herod asks his closet servant to find his prayer shawl. It has been ages since he can remember last seeing it, let alone actually bothering to wear it. On the surface King Herod has more in common with his people than he would like to be known. He chooses to remind his subjects only when there is a convenient opportunity where it is an advantage to claim himself as “one-of-the-people”.
Herod’s mother was a Jew. She was converted by the Hashmoneans. He claims to be a practicing Jew even though He has had many of his family murdered including his wife Mariamne. Even the leading Hasmonean rabbis have been killed who although they converted his mother, but then they had the audacity to oppose his dictatorship when he ruthlessly assumed power and ended their dynasty of spiritually ruling Israel.
His fears of being disposed as king daily consume him. His thoughts dwell and absorb every anxiety and trepidation he has of losing all that he has so undeservedly claimed. He cannot rest. He must constantly build and conquer. He must keep his power in front of him and the people.
It is now time for dinner - the time for discussion, debate, understanding, but also the potential opportunity for control.
The Wise Men have entered the hall. They are devout. They have prayed for God’s wisdom to fill their hearts. They have prayed to be lead under God’s guidance along their journey. They have asked for God’s protection. God has answered and provides for all of their needs both physical and spiritual.
During dinner, Herod’s cunning words are convincing and have the appearance of sincerity. He uses some of the same vocabulary of worship that the Wise Men are accustomed to. He appears to relate to their experiences. He nods his head in agreement as they share stories of their discoveries of God and what He means to them. He politely nods in mutual approval of their desire to know more of God and His plan for the world. He asks encouraging questions to promote their desire to share their stories of God’s faithfulness. Although Herod’s words are true, his heart is not. It is an illusion only visible to manipulate them.
Feeling a mutual understanding of a desire to see a fulfillment of God’s promises, the Wise Men unfortunately unwisely reveal when they believe the announcement of new Savior of the World will happen and share their quest to find where the Messiah is to be born.
Herod, although privately mockingly their spiritual worship, promises to meet them at that location so that he too may go and worship. But murder is in his heart. He has murdered many times before. His heart is made of stone.
In the twilight of the evening, the heavens beautifully fill with stars and planets hazily lighting the way to the manger. The Wise Men set off again for their journey that has been designed by God. Six miles away the North Star patiently hovers over Bethlehem. Nearby local Shepherds earlier heard a choir of angels sing in the same fields where Ruth met Boaz many years ago. The star guides them to a humble manger in a stable of farm animals.
Light softly sets in the small contained room where love has filled each space. The world will never be the same. Light has entered. A new beginning has started. Life will never mean the same again.
The three Wise Men kneel in awe and reference before the newborn Savior. - The King of the World. - The Messiah. Their hearts feel as if they will burst with joy and excitement as their soul fills with the peaceful knowledge that God has lovingly sent His Son to redeem them.
They know this is no ordinary child. He was born in the most unlikely of places and his parents are like any other person who might be a friend or neighbor. But this child is a gift. God’s personal offering to us.
The Three Kings offer him each of their token but symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts are of great wealth, healing, and for worship.
Frankincense can stubbornly grow in the hardest of places even it has been known out of solid rock. It is known for treating for bone pain, fevers, and wounds, as well as anointing and incense in worship.
Myrrh in its history has been known to have more value than gold. Myrrh is used for the healing of wounds and conditions of the heart. The sacred gifts foretell of the future that this tiny Savior will one day endure for each one of us.
As the night settles into the sleep of the Kings at rest, they are warned to not return to Herod in a dream but to go home by another route. Herod will not have the last word. God does.
Our lives are influenced by many different people. Some desire the best for us while others only seek their own interests in the disguise of friendship.
Herod was a manipulative king. He heart was not in the right place. He was only seeking to protect his own interests. He pretended to share the heart of the Wise Men in order to destroy them and the Savior they were so ardently seeking.
Evil does not win. God sent His only Son to overcome all that is not from Him. The Wise Men actively and intentionally sought a Savior. Their hearts were focused on letting God guide them where they needed to be.
There are a lot of ‘voices’ that offer more power, more prestige, more wealth, but are not offering more of God. Our hearts need to be actively set searching and intentionally seeking God’s will and direction for our life.
Allowing ourselves to be distracted from what God knows is the best for us may cause our own defeat and possibly destruction.
What ‘voices’ are you listening to?
Do you hear and recognize God’s voice speaking to you?
As you read Scripture and spend time in prayer, where is God leading you?
Are you keeping Him an active part in your life so that you are not distracted by ‘other’ voices attempting to lead you astray and away from what God knows is best for you?
Are you making time to worship the Savi
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