After living in this world for seventy plus years, I’m learning I cannot always trust what people say to me.  (I know, right?!)  You have probably discovered this, too.  It only takes a small amount of time on earth to realize that trust is precious and can be broken by those you love and care about most.  Trust is broken when lies are told and lataer discovered.  Trust is broken when those you think have your back are really putting you down behind your back.  Trickery, slander, deceit, pretension, and lies are all characteristics of our real enemy, Satan, and we fall for it.  Satan, was kicked out of heaven for wanting to take God’s place as God.  As we know, that didn’t work, so he continually torments, tempts and lies to God’s people and everyone else God has created, telling them they deserve more than what they are getting in order to discredit God by discrediting God’s Holy Spirit who lives in us upon rebirth. 

The moment we say yes to Jesus, we enter a battle with the one who hates Jesus.  So we must diligently see to know God, know His Word, know to whom you belong and can trust unreservedly but also know your enemy and don’t be surprised at this attacks on your being as he uses others to do his dirty work.  Be a “wise guy” who sees the Star of Truth and seeks to find Truth in the person of Jesus Christ. 

John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, helps us to decern truth from fiction:

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” (1 John 4:1-6)

As we begin our new study of the gospels, beginning with Matthew, we realize how important and good it was to camp with the prophets before diving into the New Testament.  ALL that the words given to the prophets by God will now be fulfilled in Jesus, His Son.  The words of the prophets connect the old with the new.  We reach back in time and now we will see how it all plays out as God leads.  Every detailed of what God said He would do is fulfilled in His Son, Jesus.

“God with us” has come to earth and moved into the neighborhood of humanity as Son of Man and Son of God.  Jesus will be mentored by Joseph, his father on earth while being guided by His Father in Heaven.  God will provide for this unique and amazing journey in ways that surprise even Joseph and Mary, his devoted parents on earth.

Battles with the enemy begin right now.  Herod is used by the enemy to hunt down the Child with intentions to kill Him who came to earth to save us.  Spoiler alert:  Satan does not win.

Matthew 2, The Message

Scholars from the East

^1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”

^3-4 When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

^5-6 They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
    no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
    who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”

^7-8 Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.”

^9-10 Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!

¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

¹² In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.

* * *

¹³ After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.”

^14-15 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

^16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s revelation was fulfilled:

A sound was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
    Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
    dead and buried.

^19-20 Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: “Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.”

^21-23 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn…

• Every prophecy about Jesus’ life on earth is fulfilled.
• Wise guys with seeking hearts found who they were looking for and worshiped Him.
• God speaks and Joseph obeys immediately as if God and Joseph are working in tandem, in complete unity of Spirit.  I love that, don’t you?
• God spoke to Mary who treasured all these happenings in her heart forever.
• God provided gifts from the scholars so Joseph, Mary and a toddler can immediately make the journey to Egypt!  Where God guides, God provides!
• The enemy is defeated by our all knowing God.

Reaction to Jesus’ birth was mixed. The wise men came to worship Jesus, while King Herod tried to kill him.  Mankind will always have a choice to make.  What’s your choice?  Life in Jesus who made it possible for us to have an intimately loving relationship with God, our Father in Heaven who says we are more than enough to come and live with him forever?  OR Satan’s way that leads to death because of living in ways against God—the views of this fleeting world of betrayal, envy, jealousy, lies, deceit, cover ups, scandal, distrust, hate…all things opposite of God?  There is no middle ground to stand on.

Two choices.  Choose to be a wise guy!  Seek the Savior!  When you find Him, bow down before Him, believe that He is Truth, repent of sins, and be saved to live forever with Jesus.

Just as God said…happened.  Our trust builds when we continually see truth fulfilled.

Lord,

Thank you for coming to earth, leaving the throne of heaven, to come down as a human baby with caring, God-devoted parents to oversee and care for you.  You trusted them as they trusted you.  Wow, just that thought alone is amazing to me.  Trust is so precious and can be broken so easily here on earth.  I trust in you, Jesus, for all my life with nothing held back.  You are God and I am not.  You accept me, save me and make me whole to receive all you want to give that will help me grow even more deeply in love with you.  Your love, mercy and grace are truly amazing.  There is no one like you!

Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and feed my soul, and restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen.  I believe.