2025 January 19 Matthew 2:3-8 In Bethlehem of Judea

2025 January 19 Matthew 2:3-8 In Bethlehem of Judea Greetings to those of you watching and listening. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we love you very much. You're our priority here, and we wish to welcome you in the Lord's name for our continuing our study in the Gospel of Matthew. Of course, we're in the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus, Matthew chapter 2. We pray for you folks watching and listening in our country and abroad. You're always on our minds. We want you to know that. Thank you for contacting us when you do. and for those who wish to or feel comfortable feel free to say hello and tell us where you are and we'll certainly be praying for you we do all the time anyway and we ask for you to pray for our little church here in the U.S. those of you meeting here in person would you stand please to honor the reading of the word of the Lord Matthew chapter 2 Today's focus will begin our study verses 3 to 8, but I will go ahead and start in chapter 2, verse 1, but we're going to focus today beginning in verse 3. Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born, king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east. We have come to worship him. And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet. And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least amongst the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod secretly called the Magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and make careful search for the child. And when you have found him, report to me, that I too may come and worship him. These are the words of the Lord. Thanks be to God for them. Thank you, folks. You may be seated. Sovereign our God, our Heavenly Father, ruler of heaven and earth, we pray for your blessing by way of your Holy Spirit. Upon this, the humble proclamation of your word. Open the spiritual eyes and ears of everyone here present, those watching and listening, today, tomorrow, and the days and weeks to come, that they may receive the truth of your word, believe, and have life in Jesus'name. Thank you for the privilege of being able to film and send out abroad, as we say, the study of your word, the study of the Gospel of Matthew, the greatest story ever told, the greatest events which have ever taken place in all of history. Your visitation by way of God the Son into this world to save humanity and a fallen creation. Bless all of those watching and listening, Lord God. May the proclamation of this message achieve exactly what you wish for it to achieve and accomplish. We pray for those on our prayer request list, those who have been mentioned. Please be with them, reveal yourself to them in the ways that you know best. For each individual and for each group prayed for. May your sovereign will be done in every situation and circumstance. We thank you for helping those who have had sicknesses or illnesses or injuries from which they are recovering. We pray for your continued blessing upon them. In the sovereign name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray. Amen. So obviously we're coming into one of the passages of the birth and childhood narratives of Jesus, which frankly is a war story, which sometimes is sadly overlooked at Christmas time, and it shouldn't be. It is a war story. It is a cosmic war story of the light against the darkness, of God against Satan, of his plan against the evil machinations of evil people in a fallen world desperately in need of redemption. And the good news is God's sovereignty is seen throughout this entire narrative. Even in the tragic events surrounding Bethlehem and in spite of the tragic events surrounding Bethlehem. It's a war story, folks. Don't forget that. Pardon the slang expression. We like to get all warm and fuzzy at Christmastime and forget all the rest. This is a grim war story. God against Satan, light against darkness, the righteous against evil. And the greatest invasion, the greatest rescue mission that occurred... and all of history in the first century A.D. in Palestine, that the second person of the being of God arrived to be the ultimate hero, to conquer the darkness, to bring the light. fight to defeat evil, then and ultimately and forever at the end of history, all according to a meticulous, perfectly executed divine plan. Never forget that. And so now we'll wade deep into this war story, righteousness against evil, the true king, the messiah, the prophesied king, the divine king against the evil tyrants of this world as we now know it. Verse 3, And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled. That's putting it mildly. That's a mild English translation of Herod's reaction to news that there might be another king. A rival king to his rule. And this is coming from an evil man disturbed in mind and probably already dying in body. Who doesn't have much time left. But this is how much this evil man worships himself and his own power. It's mad, isn't it? Well, such is the evil of this world. And the evil of this world is what the Messiah came to challenge and to save us all from in the end, ultimately. He was troubled, deeply troubled, deeply disturbed, you can translate it, and all Jerusalem with him. So all of Jerusalem has been thrown into a stir in the turmoil because of the arrival of these exotic... Men of high standing and position, at least socially, religiously, and wealth-wise, from the Parthian Empire, what's becoming known as the Parthian Empire. What in the world are they doing here? Is this an official ambassadorial mission? heard the question that they're asking? They're expecting the Messiah here, the great son of David. How's this going to go over with Herod and his regime? What in the world are the Romans going to think of this and do about it? So you can imagine the stir that it caused in Judea and Jerusalem. When Herod the king heard this, he was deeply disturbed, all Jerusalem with him. So obviously with the arrival of such visitors as these Magi, along with their retinue, and that must have been a pretty impressive sight. I'd love to have seen it myself. Plus the fact that these men are asking for or about a newborn king of the Jews. This obviously causes quite a stir in Jerusalem. The question is, where did they begin their inquiry? Did they begin asking people as soon as they crossed the borders into Roman Palestine? Did they wait until they arrived in the capital city itself? Did they go to the religious rulers first? Or did they go straight to Herod's palace? Some scholars believe they may have even been tempted to have gone to the Roman fort. The Antonia Fortress, named for Mark Antony, built along the corner of the temple complex. Perhaps they should go to the Romans. After all, the Romans are the ruling power. After all, the Romans put Herod, they installed Herod in his place. Maybe they're getting ready to install a newborn king of the Jews and depose Herod. It raises a lot of questions, but certainly it didn't take long for their questions to arrive at Herod's palace on the opposite side of town, so to speak. from the Roman fortress and from the Jewish temple. Herod, hearing this, from what I've told you of Herod that we know from the ancient historical record, from all the ancient historical records, Jewish and Roman, from all they tell us about Herod, well, he reacts characteristically now, doesn't he? Just exactly as one would expect. In the Greek, you could translate... Eta sece, odd word, but this is the word in Greek that describes Herod's mental state or his emotional reaction to word of this question, whereas he was born king of the Jews. You could translate it as deeply disturbed, deep turmoil. And of course, I've explained to you Herod's mental state and paranoia, so it is believed at this particular time at the birth of Jesus towards the end of Herod's life. If I may use this old slang expression, Herod flies into a blind rage and a blind panic, as he has often done so before. committing various outrages that I've explained to you the past week or so. Let's read a textual note from your ESV study Bibles. Herod was troubled in all Jerusalem with him. The arrival of this true king of the Jews presents a threat to Herod the Great's throne and to... Now, I like this as well. It's not only a threat to Herod. It's a threat to the corrupt religious establishment. as well. It presents a threat to Herod the Great's throne and to Israel's corrupt religious and political leadership in Israel. Jerusalem, who were installed by the Romans or who are perfectly happy to work alongside with the Roman overlords. Many of these people, of course, are distrusted and held in contempt by the common folk, by the common population. You've got to realize, a new king of the Jews? That's going to overturn the apple cart, as we say. Oh my, is it? It's going to turn everything upside down and inside out for everyone. Not only Herod and his corrupt sons and corrupt ruling family, but for a corrupt religious establishment as well, who by this time is more political than they are religious. It's also going to be very much a potential threat to the Roman Empire. in the interest of the Roman Empire at this time. That explains all Jerusalem being upset along with Herod. All of Jerusalem's political and religious so-called leadership, all corrupt, even so ancient history tells us, all of them were as deeply disturbed as was Herod. And I can't help but make the remark, Jesus Christ has always had such an effect upon sinful, corrupt human rulers, hasn't he? He's always had that effect upon the corrupt rulers of this world. In the first century A.D., for the past 2,000 years, and in A.D. 2024, Jesus still has this effect on the evil, corrupt rulers of this world. Oh, is he a threat to them. And one day, by divine plan, he will put an end to them. Once and for all and forever. No wonder they're terrified of him. Even if they claim that he didn't even exist. And they don't believe in him. And therefore they won't acknowledge him. Nevertheless, they're going to have to face him. Herod's already in his judgment. But you know, Herod one day at the end of history as we know it, he's going to stand in judgment before the very person that he tried to murder. You ever thought of that? At the end of history as we know it, at the final judgment day, that baby he hated and tried to murder, now grown to adulthood, son of man, son of God, we'll judge him. In eternity and for eternity, along with all the other tyrants who have crossed Messiah's path over the thousands of years. Well, they're all in a turmoil. New king, the Messiah? The Messiah is born, really? But can you imagine the reaction of the common folks who are desperately looking for their Messiah? They're probably all rejoicing or wanting to rejoice. Praise God, the Messiah is here. It's going to be bad news to the corrupt, good news to the faithful, good news to the righteous, good news to those who have a right relationship with their God and are looking for the ancient prophecies to be fulfilled and are looking for the arrival of their Messiah. Oh my, what he is going to do to the status quo, the establishment, even Rome itself. You see, this is the reaction, this is the reception that the Messiah will receive. But what's the reception that he should have received? Well, we all know the reception that he should have received from high to low and everyone in between. They should have been rejoicing in the streets. They should have been gathering in the temple. They should have been preparing the palace and the temple to receive the divine human king. Prophesied from long ago, great son of David, yes, but a visitation of God himself. This should have been the biggest spiritual event of their lives. And everybody seems to act like they don't know what in the world is going on. And a corrupt king placed there by the Romans and a corrupt religious establishment, well, they seem to have their information right. But do they care? But we should expect this because you are all good students of the Gospel of John. Remember what the Gospel of John said? Hmm, let me remind you. Pardon me, I'm a little slow this morning, folks. A little under the weather. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Here it is. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. You could just as arguably translate as, the darkness did not comprehend, understand, or overcome the light. This is the darkness against the light. Matthew seems to be making a very deliberate contrast between Jesus as the one born King of the Jews, the prophesied one born King of the Jews in verse 2, and of course the tyrant Herod here in verse 3. The usurper King is actually Herod. The true lawful legitimate King is in fact Jesus, the one born King, prophesied to be born King, and Matthew is never going to let you forget that for a moment here. And so naturally the usurper, the half-Gentile, half-Jewish oracle. entirely Gentile, ruler Herod, installed by the pagans, the Romans, he's filled with fear that the true anointed king has arrived. And in fact, he has. He's here. Recall that Herod, again, was an Edomite, not a Jew. They've been stalled by the Romans, the conquerors. So the arrival of these magi, their message sounded like the arrival of a genuine descendant of the royal line of David as a real legitimate claimant to the throne. Leon Morris points out in his commentary of the Gospel of Matthew that Herod is far more concerned with serving his earthly position than in saving his soul. Oh my, did he say a mouthful there. Herod is far more concerned with saving his earthly position than in saving his soul. In fact, if you ask me, I think it's obvious. Herod's one of those persons who doesn't believe in anything whatsoever but himself. And the world is filled with those positions high and low to this very day, of course. Verse 4. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. Now you see how perverse this is? One has to ask, does he half believe? Does he not believe at all? Probably he doesn't believe at all. Nevertheless, he knows what? This is a spiritual matter. This is a matter of the scriptures. This is a matter of prophecy. This is a matter of religion. Dare we say this is a matter of God? He doesn't go to the political authorities, His own or the Romans. He goes to the so-called religious experts. He knows this is a matter of the prophesied Messiah. And this is how evil and warped this man is. He's going to try to fight the prophecies of ancient scripture? He's going to try to fight a divine plan? Oh, I don't believe in that. Well, I'm going to hedge my bets and find all about it anyway. So that I may be able to... You see what I'm getting at? Whether he really believes it or not, this evil man is lifting his fist against God. He's going to try to fight God Almighty. He's going to try to fight the message of God's divinely inspired prophets. He's going to fight against a divine plan given in the Word of God and preserved over centuries. How stupid can you be? be? How evil and perverse can you be? Folks never underestimate and take lightly the depravity of evil human beings under the inspiration of evil spirit beings. It's absolutely not Absolutely colossal this. This really struck me a number of times these past few weeks studying this man and studying these events. And you find evil people in leadership or rulership or positions of authority or what have you who are just as crazy and perverse to this very day. It hasn't changed. Be on your guard, people of the light. Be on your guard. Be as gentle as doves, but as wise and cunning as serpents, Jesus himself said. Know your world and what's in the world around you, and the state of things now, and where all of this is headed. So here is panic over a potential rival of the throne compels him to consult the so-called experts. Whether he believes it or not, as one may say, well, he believes it enough to take action. The chief priests and scribes, or perhaps better yet, the teachers of the law, for the people in other words religious establishment the biblical experts and the legal experts those very people interestingly enough who about in about 30 years will become will choose to be the bitterest enemies of jesus during his adulthood and during his public ministry when he is a grown man long after Herod is dead and gone, and long after this generation of religious experts is probably dead and gone, there will arise another generation of them to oppose Jesus when he is in his adulthood and in his public ministry. They're all probably members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Counselor Court. that 70-71 member, which is presided over by the high priest. But the priests would be the Sadducee class. They're more political than religious, even though they really have control of the temple and what takes place there. And at this time in history, well, let's say the Sadducees were going apostate. They were going secular. They were going materialist. They were going the way of Roman culture. In fact, many of the Sadducees were denying the very truth of the Bible that they claimed to believe in. They were denying the supernatural. You'll find in the book of Acts, Paul accosts them over their refusal to believe in a resurrection of the dead. Then there's the scribes and Pharisees. The people are supposed to know the Mosaic Law, the books of Moses, backwards and forwards. And the Pharisees, of course, is another sectarian religious group. really in conflict with the Sadducees. And the Pharisees are more popular with the common folk, but oh, as we'll see, they'll have their problems as well, really throwing over the Word of God for their own nitpicking man-made rules and regulations, which they consider more important than God's inspired Scripture, which they have inherited and are supposed to know and faithfully and accurately teach. Reminds me, very important point, Everything goes to rack and ruin when you deny this. When you deny the fundamental truth of the Word of God, everything begins to go wrong and fall apart. These people in the first century A.D. are a perfect example of that. This country, such as it is now, is a perfect example of that. Now, it's interesting that ancient history informs us that Herod and these members of the Sanhedrin, the religious establishment, they're not on friendly terms. Not really on friendly terms at all. But he summons them in to consult them to get to the bottom of this dilemma of a rival king. Isn't it interesting? There's no honor amongst thieves, as the old expression goes. Notice also, Herod has to consult them. He keeps telling the Jewish people throughout his reign, I'm one of you. I worship the one true God of the patriarchs and the prophets. Well, no he doesn't. He should know the Bible as the ruler of the people, but obviously he doesn't. He doesn't know anything about it whatsoever. He knows nothing of the Old Testament scriptures and what they may be saying concerning the Messiah. By the way, that's a major problem to this very day. If you have people in leadership and rulership that don't know anything about the Bible, you're in big trouble. Haven't we found that out the past four years? Hasn't the rest of the world as well? Things haven't changed, folks. Not in 2,000 years. Pardon me for bringing these uncomfortable truths to everyone's attention, but I think it's my duty to do so. We'll see what the next four years do. But now Herod demands to know everything now, doesn't he? Oh, all of a sudden he has a tremendous interest in the prophets and what they have to say. Isn't that interesting? Not to welcome the Messiah, but to oppose him, to kill him. How perverse an evil is that? There are still Herods to this very day. I quote from Mr. Grant Osborne from a wonderful commentary he's written I'm enjoying lately. He writes, In the first century A.D., many Jews accepted astrology. Well, they weren't supposed to, but they did. You see, that's part of the problem when Messiah enters history, is the Jewish people have been very much acculturated to Greco-Roman culture, Greco-Roman pagan culture, even accepting some of it. First century AD, many Jews accepted astrology, and perhaps Herod had accepted astrology as well. Herod believes the Magi and consults the Jewish experts, religious experts, for this king's birthplace. In other words, where the Magi will want to go in order to find the newborn king. And once again, you have to ask yourselves, was he able to see the star? Are the Jewish people in Judea able to see the star? Or is the star meant only for the Magi? I've asked that all of my life. One day we'll have the answer. The chief priests, and by the way, Herod and Rome changed chief priests all the time. If there was a chief priest that gave him some problems, out he would go, and they would just replace him with another one, probably another one just as corrupt as the former one. But this little council made up of the priests, their extended families, their friends. The heads of the priestly orders, officers of the temple guards, Grant writes, and those in charge of the temple treasury. He writes, the scribes or teachers of the law were the Jewish legal experts of the day. Lawyers, as well as theologians or teachers of the scriptural law of Moses and Jewish oral or written traditions. The chief priests were Sadducees, as I described to you before. The teachers of the law were mostly Pharisees. Again, the chief antagonists of Jesus in his adulthood. End quote. Now. He began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. So the conniving, scheming Herod wants all the info, all the data that can be had, so that he can act according to what he hears and learns. He obviously wants to track down and locate this rival king, and not for the same reasons, obviously, as the Magi do. He wishes to deliberately, willfully oppose God's Messiah. Verse 5. And they said to him, and their answer is correct. They do know their Bibles, even though they're probably not paying very much attention to it. Or the real meaning. They said to him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet. So, pardon me, ask a question and receive an answer. As we say yes, Herod's experts certainly appear at this time to know their scriptures well. Here's another lesson. Just because you know the Bible well doesn't necessarily mean that you're right with God. That fundamental truth here really slapped me in the face as I was studying this the past few weeks. They know their Bible very well. They can answer his question. They can take him straight to the answer out of the ancient scriptures, specific prophecies. But I wonder if they really believe it. or what they really think about it. After all, they weren't looking for Jesus. They seem to have not been expecting Him. Isn't that interesting? It reminds me of what's coming out of some seminaries in America and in Europe and has been for the past century. And it is to this very day. It amazes me. I find it terrifying. Of course, deeply disturbing. But you have some so-called biblical experts or biblical historical experts who know all the books of the Bible and who know basic schools of interpretation and know chapters and know the original languages, but they will bald-facedly... deny the fundamental truth of what it all says and what it all means. That's a terrifying thing. Just because you know the Bible backwards and forwards doesn't mean that you're right with God. Doesn't mean that you believe it. They're able to give Herod an immediate answer, that we've just read, a precise scriptural quote and reference. Their failure to respond appropriately or to believe was not due to ignorance. They had no excuse. Israel, or so Israel's religious leaders at this time, knew precisely where the king of the Jews would be born. But here's one of the greatest ironies of history. It's a bunch of Gentiles, a bunch of Persians, a bunch of Gentile astrologers who really wanted to see him. who really wanted to risk all to find him, and who went to tremendous lengths to find him and worship him first. How's that for irony? Not Herod, not the religious establishment. Herod wants to kill him. We have a pack of Gentiles from hundreds and hundreds of miles away who actually pay attention to the Bible, what it's actually saying, and take action on it, and believe, and want to find God's Messiah. And worship Him. Well, we did have someone who was Jewish first. Remember who they were? Gospel of Luke. The shepherds. The lowest of the low. The poorest of the poor. Those looked upon with total contempt or those completely ignored. Those flyover people. As they... They say here in America, the culturally and socially and politically totally insignificant in the eyes of the world, or in the eyes of Herod, or in the eyes of Rome, except to be exploited. They're the ones that the angels of God come to first. And probably they're pious Jews. We believe they very well may have been, were. And man, when they received their message, their message from heaven, they obeyed. They went. And who comes right after them? Well, no other Jewish people right now, but a bunch of Gentiles from Persia who read the Bible about the Messiah and take it seriously and see his sign and take off. Risking their lives. Risking everything. What are we risking? What are we willing to risk? What's the reference to prophecy? It's Micah chapter 5, verse 2. Let me take you there. Pardon me, folks. I'm a little under the weather, so I'm not at my best this morning. I'm going a little slow and I'm fumbling a little bit, so please forgive me. And you folks watching and listening, I beg you. Beg your patience and please forgive me and bear with me. I'm just not exactly at my best this morning. Please forgive me. The prophecy that they draw Herod's attention to is from the prophet Micah. And you know it as Micah chapter 5 verse 2. I'll read it for you and give you a bit of interpretation from a fine textual note from the ESV study Bible. And by the way, it's a wonderful prophecy. I read it and a hair on the back of my neck stands up. Can you imagine? This wicked, evil tyrant hearing this spoken to him from the religious experts after hearing from these magi and a consultation with them. There may have been several consultations with them, in privately and in secret. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, Ephrathah, by the way, at the time of King David's life, was the particular district in which Bethlehem was located. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, you who are considered too little to be amongst the clans of Judah, the humblest of the humble, But the great city of David, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days. The Messiah from the city of David, the descendant of the great King David, and who has been prophesied from olden times, ancient days past. In fact, some scholars believe this phrase in the Hebrew, the original Hebrew in this verse may mean from eternity past. He has been prophesied and promised and was planned to arrive. Textual note. Ephrathah is the name of the district in which Bethlehem is located and where David was born. The unlikely choice of David as king foreshadows the unlikely choice of Bethlehem as ultimately the hometown of the greater David, David's descendant, the Messiah himself. Verse 6 shows the Jewish scholars at this time, the time of Jesus'birth, read this as a prediction of the Messiah's birthplace, to be born in Bethlehem. The Messiah's reign is at God's behest. For me, God says, he will arrive. Coming forth, motzah in the Hebrew, coming forth, coming out, is from old, from ancient days. This has been taken to indicate either an ancient divinity lineage or an eternal and therefore divine origin of the predicted Messiah. I believe it's both. Both an ancient prophecy concerning David and an ancient prophecy from eternity past the divine plan of God revealed in the world. The first time-related expression from old is mechadim in the Hebrew. It generally refers to any ancient historical time, but can also refer to eternity. The second time-related expression here in the Hebrew from ancient days, Mimecholam, refers to ancient historical times, both in the prophet Micah and elsewhere throughout the Old Testament. Thus, this text is referring to the Messiah's ancient Davidic lineage, confirming that the ancient covenantal promises God made to David still stand and will take place. And this is what they read to Herod. Now, some scholars believe they also may have read to him 2 Samuel 5, 2 and 1 Chronicles 11, 2 concerning David's kingship and the Messiah will come from David. And they probably or may have read to him God's covenant that God made with David. I will build for you, David, a house, a dynasty, a lineage, and one will come from you, a descendant who will rule the world. They may have read this to Herod too, but most important was Micah 5, 2. The answer to the question, where is he supposed to be born? I.e., where can I find him? So we believe they may be giving him a combination, a conflation, of numerous Messianic passages, with the prophet Micah being the most important one. And so, of course, Jesus... As planned, as prophesied, we'll be born in Bethlehem, where David, his great ancestor, the great King David, was born. And later on, Jesus will move by divine plan. for safety to Nazareth in Galilee, and will be later known as Nazarene. Now, I can't go any further without mentioning at this particular time, this is going to be one of the excuses of the corrupt religious establishment to deny Jesus Messiah's ship when he is grown. It's going to be a problem. A convenient problem later for the religious rulers. Since Jesus grew up in Nazareth of Galilee, right? The religious establishment will try to use this as proof that Jesus could not be the Messiah. They'll say, look, he was born and raised in Nazareth. The Messiah doesn't come from Nazareth. The Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem. Well, Jesus was in fact born in Nazareth. born in Bethlehem. This is why Dr. Luke and Matthew go to great pains to tell us over and over he was born in Bethlehem as was prophesied because the religious rulers say, no, he's a Nazarene. Nothing good comes out of Nazareth. The Messiah doesn't come out of Nazareth. The scriptures say he came from Bethlehem. Yeah, that's right, he did. He did come from Bethlehem just as planned, even though his parents moved to Nazareth where he grew up. But they would have rejected and opposed Jesus anyway. They would use any excuse to do so, real or made up or imagined. And people do the same thing to this day, do they not? But Matthew makes a point to show that Jesus, according to divine plan and prophecy, he was, in fact, Born in David's hometown, Bethlehem of Judea, Jesus'birth does in fact fulfill Scripture to the letter, to the very letter. All these ancient prophecies fulfilled as planned to the letter, which tells you what? God's in control. The unseen hand of God is control. Even as wicked and vile and chaotic and crazy and out of control as things seem. Oh no! He ultimately is in control. It's all part of the plan. Bethlehem, little tiny village such as it was, inherently, intrinsically, it has no greatness or significance. Where does its greatness or significance come from? Bethlehem's greatness and significance consists only in the place that it was a location where David was born. And better yet, or greater yet, it was the location where David's great descendant, the God-man, Jesus, The Christ, the Word who became flesh. It is the place where the great Messiah was born. The point is as plain in the writings of the prophet Micah as in Matthew's Gospel. And notice it's important. For out of you, Bethlehem, shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd. My people, Israel. Did you catch that? Shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel. Remember students of the Gospel of John? According to the Gospel of John chapter 10, who does Jesus reveal himself to be? I am the I am, therefore I am the good shepherd who was prophesied by Micah to arrive in Bethlehem. And to personally come into this world to shepherd my people. He is the shepherd of Psalm 23. Go home and read Ezekiel chapter 34. It's all about God who is the great shepherd. Who will arrive personally to shepherd his people Israel and save them from the false shepherds. So Jesus is the God who is the good shepherd of his people, the God who is the good shepherd of humanity, the God who is the good shepherd of any and every human being who will believe in him and be restored to him and have salvation and real life in his name. Shepherd David born in Bethlehem, the great shepherd who is the I Am, who is the good shepherd, will be born in Bethlehem. Exactly as planned. All according to divine plan and degree. I'll read verse 6. I'll probably stop here for the day. And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. The text of Micah that I gave you shortly before. Many scholars believe that either the scribes who answer Herod, or Matthew quoting them, is somewhat paraphrasing these Old Testament passages, and I believe you are. I believe they are, pardon me. And don't be alarmed by that. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with Matthew or nothing wrong with the scribes paraphrasing the prophecy. They're not trying to twit. twist it and turn it out of its context and therefore rob it of its truth. Paraphrase is fairly accurate. But either the scribes are doing something of a paraphrase of the passage or Matthew is in quoting them. But the paraphrase does not change or alter the message or the prophecy and what it means at all. The paraphrase actually helps to explain the prophecy. frankly, and make the point, the major point of the prophecy. And so this quote obviously must have terrified Herod. For the prophecy is precise, it is clear. This Messianic king who is to rule the Jewish people, and in fact rule the world if you really pay attention to the Old Testament Messianic prophecies carefully, he is most certainly to be born in Bethlehem as David was. Not born in Jerusalem, not born in Caesarea, not born in Rome. Not Herod, not Rome will ultimately rule over the Jewish people. Will not ultimately truly be the shepherd of the Jewish people. And the Gentile world as well, who are to receive salvation as well. Now this is going to be God's way. God's prophesied messianic king. Not the one whom Rome has installed over the nation. But the one prophesied and sent by God will preside and will shepherd over God's people and will ultimately shepherd and preside over all of the Gentile world as well. These wise men who came seeking Jesus, they really are wise men. They're looking for the real power, the real authority, the real God, the real truth. And they're going to bow before Him. They are wise men. I quote Mr. Osborne again from his commentary. He writes, there's also an echo of Ezekiel chapter 34, verses 11 to 16 here, if you know your Old Testament well. Where God himself will arrive to personally become the shepherd of his people, because the false shepherds, Herod and others at this time, were corrupting the nation, corrupt leaders of the nation, such as Herod was. They have abused and scattered the Lord's flock, just as Ezekiel said. And so the Lord himself, as prophesied by Ezekiel, has... come to shepherd all of those lost sheep back to God."Oh, and go a little further. I have a few minutes left. We'll begin verse 7. You know, I have to tell you, it amazes me. Maybe I'll stop here. I'll stop here with verse 7, and we'll start verse 7 fresh next week. I know I may have gone a little out of my way today to bring some of these things to your attention, but it has amazed me these past few weeks of how relevant this is. These events 2,000 years ago and how relevant they are to what's happening, well, over the past 2,000 years, but what's happening right now in our world in A.D. 2024 and how these events of the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus makes an absolutely scathing commentary and warning upon some things that we're experiencing 2,000 years later. Folks, I hear people say, you've got to make the Bible relevant. Are you kidding me? You don't have to make it relevant. It is relevant. All you have to do is proclaim it. All you have to do is teach it. This book does not make itself relevant to us. We find our relevance in the book. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Hmm. So what's going to happen? What's going to happen? It's all divine plan, you know. And it all ends well. Evil is punished. Evil is defeated. Even in his infancy, Messiah wins, Messiah triumphs, his enemies are undone, his mission and his purpose does not fail, it is not thwarted, not in any way, shape, or form whatsoever. For the God of the universe is in control and is in charge through all of these events, every detail. I'll draw your attention, go home and read again this chapter this week, chapter 2, and notice how many times God steps in and takes charge. God steps in and gives a warning. God steps in and gives a sign. God speaks directly or by way of an angel to these Gentiles in search of him and to Joseph, a man he has chosen to be the human father. of the Messiah. It's amazing. God's in control of all of it. And man, this is dangerous. People are going to be slaughtered. People are going to be massacred. People are going to be losing their lives. But God is just. His justice doesn't sleep. His justice doesn't fail. And His plan doesn't fail. It cannot. It cannot. Welcome to the greatest story ever told. I want to give it the justice that it deserves. Each and every single solitary word of it and each and every single solitary event that Matthew gives to us. It's worth looking at. It's worth paying attention to. There are lots of lessons in and through it all. Sovereign regard our Heavenly Father, truly ruler of heaven and earth. Thank you for giving us the divine plan of all of history, so we can know who we are, what we are, why we are here, and what we're supposed to do, and how we're supposed to live. and find our place obediently in this story, our place in history, and our time in history on our way to the conclusion of history, the ultimate destination, the ultimate home, the final finish for us all. Thank you for explaining to us the divine plan. which is the story of history, that you are the author, that you are in control, and that in spite of all of the evil and opposition of a dark evil world, you are in control. You triumph. It is your plan, and you will carry it through perfectly to completion. We thank you for your mercy, your kindness, your graciousness in giving us the plan, in giving us what everything is all about, so we can live our lives wisely and well as we should, and know you, the one true Redeemer, Creator God, you who are the meaning and purpose of all things, and that we can join you. We can become a part of your life and your plan. Thank you for so kindly giving us all the information that we possibly could need. Help us by the power of your kind spirit. to bow and obey it and live wisely and well. Thank you for sending your Son, the second person of your being, Jesus, the prophesied Messiah, to step into this dark world and bring light, and by plan to ultimately make all things right, in the end and for eternity. I pray that this message sits wisely and well in the hearts and minds of all of these good folks here and those watching and listening. so that they may know the meaning and purpose of their life in you, and that they may have life, eternal life, in Jesus'name. In Jesus'holy name, we pray for your blessing upon this, the humble proclamation of your word. Bless my stumbling efforts, O Lord God Almighty, that by the power of your Spirit, some good will come from the teaching of your word here and the world over. In Christ Jesus'holy name we pray. Amen.

Of course, we're in the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus, Matthew chapter 2. We pray for you folks watching and listening in our country and abroad. You're always on our minds. We want you to know that.

Thank you for contacting us when you do. and for those who wish to or feel comfortable feel free to say hello and tell us where you are and we'll certainly be praying for you we do all the time anyway and we ask for you to pray for our little church here in the U.S. those of you meeting here in person would you stand please to honor the reading of the word of the Lord Matthew chapter 2 Today's focus will begin our study verses 3 to 8, but I will go ahead and start in chapter 2, verse 1, but we're going to focus today beginning in verse 3. Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born, king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east. We have come to worship him. And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet. And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least amongst the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod secretly called the Magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and make careful search for the child. And when you have found him, report to me, that I too may come and worship him. These are the words of the Lord. Thanks be to God for them.

Thank you, folks. You may be seated. Sovereign our God, our Heavenly Father, ruler of heaven and earth, we pray for your blessing by way of your Holy Spirit.

Upon this, the humble proclamation of your word. Open the spiritual eyes and ears of everyone here present, those watching and listening, today, tomorrow, and the days and weeks to come, that they may receive the truth of your word, believe, and have life in Jesus'name. Thank you for the privilege of being able to film and send out abroad, as we say, the study of your word, the study of the Gospel of Matthew, the greatest story ever told, the greatest events which have ever taken place in all of history. Your visitation by way of God the Son into this world to save humanity and a fallen creation.

Bless all of those watching and listening, Lord God. May the proclamation of this message achieve exactly what you wish for it to achieve and accomplish. We pray for those on our prayer request list, those who have been mentioned. Please be with them, reveal yourself to them in the ways that you know best.

For each individual and for each group prayed for. May your sovereign will be done in every situation and circumstance. We thank you for helping those who have had sicknesses or illnesses or injuries from which they are recovering. We pray for your continued blessing upon them.

In the sovereign name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray. Amen. So obviously we're coming into one of the passages of the birth and childhood narratives of Jesus, which frankly is a war story, which sometimes is sadly overlooked at Christmas time, and it shouldn't be. It is a war story. It is a cosmic war story of the light against the darkness, of God against Satan, of his plan against the evil machinations of evil people in a fallen world desperately in need of redemption.

And the good news is God's sovereignty is seen throughout this entire narrative. Even in the tragic events surrounding Bethlehem and in spite of the tragic events surrounding Bethlehem. It's a war story, folks.

Don't forget that. Pardon the slang expression. We like to get all warm and fuzzy at Christmastime and forget all the rest. This is a grim war story.

God against Satan, light against darkness, the righteous against evil. And the greatest invasion, the greatest rescue mission that occurred... and all of history in the first century A.D. in Palestine, that the second person of the being of God arrived to be the ultimate hero, to conquer the darkness, to bring the light. fight to defeat evil, then and ultimately and forever at the end of history, all according to a meticulous, perfectly executed divine plan.

Never forget that. And so now we'll wade deep into this war story, righteousness against evil, the true king, the messiah, the prophesied king, the divine king against the evil tyrants of this world as we now know it. Verse 3, And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled.

That's putting it mildly. That's a mild English translation of Herod's reaction to news that there might be another king. A rival king to his rule.

And this is coming from an evil man disturbed in mind and probably already dying in body. Who doesn't have much time left. But this is how much this evil man worships himself and his own power.

It's mad, isn't it? Well, such is the evil of this world. And the evil of this world is what the Messiah came to challenge and to save us all from in the end, ultimately. He was troubled, deeply troubled, deeply disturbed, you can translate it, and all Jerusalem with him.

So all of Jerusalem has been thrown into a stir in the turmoil because of the arrival of these exotic... Men of high standing and position, at least socially, religiously, and wealth-wise, from the Parthian Empire, what's becoming known as the Parthian Empire. What in the world are they doing here? Is this an official ambassadorial mission?

heard the question that they're asking? They're expecting the Messiah here, the great son of David. How's this going to go over with Herod and his regime? What in the world are the Romans going to think of this and do about it? So you can imagine the stir that it caused in Judea and Jerusalem.

When Herod the king heard this, he was deeply disturbed, all Jerusalem with him. So obviously with the arrival of such visitors as these Magi, along with their retinue, and that must have been a pretty impressive sight. I'd love to have seen it myself. Plus the fact that these men are asking for or about a newborn king of the Jews.

This obviously causes quite a stir in Jerusalem. The question is, where did they begin their inquiry? Did they begin asking people as soon as they crossed the borders into Roman Palestine?

Did they wait until they arrived in the capital city itself? Did they go to the religious rulers first? Or did they go straight to Herod's palace?

Some scholars believe they may have even been tempted to have gone to the Roman fort. The Antonia Fortress, named for Mark Antony, built along the corner of the temple complex. Perhaps they should go to the Romans.

After all, the Romans are the ruling power. After all, the Romans put Herod, they installed Herod in his place. Maybe they're getting ready to install a newborn king of the Jews and depose Herod. It raises a lot of questions, but certainly it didn't take long for their questions to arrive at Herod's palace on the opposite side of town, so to speak.

from the Roman fortress and from the Jewish temple. Herod, hearing this, from what I've told you of Herod that we know from the ancient historical record, from all the ancient historical records, Jewish and Roman, from all they tell us about Herod, well, he reacts characteristically now, doesn't he? Just exactly as one would expect. In the Greek, you could translate... Eta sece, odd word, but this is the word in Greek that describes Herod's mental state or his emotional reaction to word of this question, whereas he was born king of the Jews.

You could translate it as deeply disturbed, deep turmoil. And of course, I've explained to you Herod's mental state and paranoia, so it is believed at this particular time at the birth of Jesus towards the end of Herod's life. If I may use this old slang expression, Herod flies into a blind rage and a blind panic, as he has often done so before. committing various outrages that I've explained to you the past week or so. Let's read a textual note from your ESV study Bibles.

Herod was troubled in all Jerusalem with him. The arrival of this true king of the Jews presents a threat to Herod the Great's throne and to... Now, I like this as well. It's not only a threat to Herod.

It's a threat to the corrupt religious establishment. as well. It presents a threat to Herod the Great's throne and to Israel's corrupt religious and political leadership in Israel. Jerusalem, who were installed by the Romans or who are perfectly happy to work alongside with the Roman overlords.

Many of these people, of course, are distrusted and held in contempt by the common folk, by the common population. You've got to realize, a new king of the Jews? That's going to overturn the apple cart, as we say.

Oh my, is it? It's going to turn everything upside down and inside out for everyone. Not only Herod and his corrupt sons and corrupt ruling family, but for a corrupt religious establishment as well, who by this time is more political than they are religious.

It's also going to be very much a potential threat to the Roman Empire. in the interest of the Roman Empire at this time. That explains all Jerusalem being upset along with Herod. All of Jerusalem's political and religious so-called leadership, all corrupt, even so ancient history tells us, all of them were as deeply disturbed as was Herod. And I can't help but make the remark, Jesus Christ has always had such an effect upon sinful, corrupt human rulers, hasn't he?

He's always had that effect upon the corrupt rulers of this world. In the first century A.D., for the past 2,000 years, and in A.D. 2024, Jesus still has this effect on the evil, corrupt rulers of this world. Oh, is he a threat to them. And one day, by divine plan, he will put an end to them.

Once and for all and forever. No wonder they're terrified of him. Even if they claim that he didn't even exist.

And they don't believe in him. And therefore they won't acknowledge him. Nevertheless, they're going to have to face him.

Herod's already in his judgment. But you know, Herod one day at the end of history as we know it, he's going to stand in judgment before the very person that he tried to murder. You ever thought of that?

At the end of history as we know it, at the final judgment day, that baby he hated and tried to murder, now grown to adulthood, son of man, son of God, we'll judge him. In eternity and for eternity, along with all the other tyrants who have crossed Messiah's path over the thousands of years. Well, they're all in a turmoil.

New king, the Messiah? The Messiah is born, really? But can you imagine the reaction of the common folks who are desperately looking for their Messiah?

They're probably all rejoicing or wanting to rejoice. Praise God, the Messiah is here. It's going to be bad news to the corrupt, good news to the faithful, good news to the righteous, good news to those who have a right relationship with their God and are looking for the ancient prophecies to be fulfilled and are looking for the arrival of their Messiah. Oh my, what he is going to do to the status quo, the establishment, even Rome itself.

You see, this is the reaction, this is the reception that the Messiah will receive. But what's the reception that he should have received? Well, we all know the reception that he should have received from high to low and everyone in between.

They should have been rejoicing in the streets. They should have been gathering in the temple. They should have been preparing the palace and the temple to receive the divine human king.

Prophesied from long ago, great son of David, yes, but a visitation of God himself. This should have been the biggest spiritual event of their lives. And everybody seems to act like they don't know what in the world is going on. And a corrupt king placed there by the Romans and a corrupt religious establishment, well, they seem to have their information right. But do they care?

But we should expect this because you are all good students of the Gospel of John. Remember what the Gospel of John said? Hmm, let me remind you.

Pardon me, I'm a little slow this morning, folks. A little under the weather. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Here it is. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

You could just as arguably translate as, the darkness did not comprehend, understand, or overcome the light. This is the darkness against the light. Matthew seems to be making a very deliberate contrast between Jesus as the one born King of the Jews, the prophesied one born King of the Jews in verse 2, and of course the tyrant Herod here in verse 3. The usurper King is actually Herod. The true lawful legitimate King is in fact Jesus, the one born King, prophesied to be born King, and Matthew is never going to let you forget that for a moment here.

And so naturally the usurper, the half-Gentile, half-Jewish oracle. entirely Gentile, ruler Herod, installed by the pagans, the Romans, he's filled with fear that the true anointed king has arrived. And in fact, he has. He's here.

Recall that Herod, again, was an Edomite, not a Jew. They've been stalled by the Romans, the conquerors. So the arrival of these magi, their message sounded like the arrival of a genuine descendant of the royal line of David as a real legitimate claimant to the throne. Leon Morris points out in his commentary of the Gospel of Matthew that Herod is far more concerned with serving his earthly position than in saving his soul.

Oh my, did he say a mouthful there. Herod is far more concerned with saving his earthly position than in saving his soul. In fact, if you ask me, I think it's obvious. Herod's one of those persons who doesn't believe in anything whatsoever but himself.

And the world is filled with those positions high and low to this very day, of course. Verse 4. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. Now you see how perverse this is? One has to ask, does he half believe? Does he not believe at all?

Probably he doesn't believe at all. Nevertheless, he knows what? This is a spiritual matter.

This is a matter of the scriptures. This is a matter of prophecy. This is a matter of religion. Dare we say this is a matter of God? He doesn't go to the political authorities, His own or the Romans.

He goes to the so-called religious experts. He knows this is a matter of the prophesied Messiah. And this is how evil and warped this man is. He's going to try to fight the prophecies of ancient scripture? He's going to try to fight a divine plan?

Oh, I don't believe in that. Well, I'm going to hedge my bets and find all about it anyway. So that I may be able to...

You see what I'm getting at? Whether he really believes it or not, this evil man is lifting his fist against God. He's going to try to fight God Almighty. He's going to try to fight the message of God's divinely inspired prophets. He's going to fight against a divine plan given in the Word of God and preserved over centuries.

How stupid can you be? be? How evil and perverse can you be?

Folks never underestimate and take lightly the depravity of evil human beings under the inspiration of evil spirit beings. It's absolutely not Absolutely colossal this. This really struck me a number of times these past few weeks studying this man and studying these events.

And you find evil people in leadership or rulership or positions of authority or what have you who are just as crazy and perverse to this very day. It hasn't changed. Be on your guard, people of the light.

Be on your guard. Be as gentle as doves, but as wise and cunning as serpents, Jesus himself said. Know your world and what's in the world around you, and the state of things now, and where all of this is headed.

So here is panic over a potential rival of the throne compels him to consult the so-called experts. Whether he believes it or not, as one may say, well, he believes it enough to take action. The chief priests and scribes, or perhaps better yet, the teachers of the law, for the people in other words religious establishment the biblical experts and the legal experts those very people interestingly enough who about in about 30 years will become will choose to be the bitterest enemies of jesus during his adulthood and during his public ministry when he is a grown man long after Herod is dead and gone, and long after this generation of religious experts is probably dead and gone, there will arise another generation of them to oppose Jesus when he is in his adulthood and in his public ministry.

They're all probably members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Counselor Court. that 70-71 member, which is presided over by the high priest. But the priests would be the Sadducee class. They're more political than religious, even though they really have control of the temple and what takes place there.

And at this time in history, well, let's say the Sadducees were going apostate. They were going secular. They were going materialist. They were going the way of Roman culture. In fact, many of the Sadducees were denying the very truth of the Bible that they claimed to believe in.

They were denying the supernatural. You'll find in the book of Acts, Paul accosts them over their refusal to believe in a resurrection of the dead. Then there's the scribes and Pharisees.

The people are supposed to know the Mosaic Law, the books of Moses, backwards and forwards. And the Pharisees, of course, is another sectarian religious group. really in conflict with the Sadducees. And the Pharisees are more popular with the common folk, but oh, as we'll see, they'll have their problems as well, really throwing over the Word of God for their own nitpicking man-made rules and regulations, which they consider more important than God's inspired Scripture, which they have inherited and are supposed to know and faithfully and accurately teach.

Reminds me, very important point, Everything goes to rack and ruin when you deny this. When you deny the fundamental truth of the Word of God, everything begins to go wrong and fall apart. These people in the first century A.D. are a perfect example of that. This country, such as it is now, is a perfect example of that.

Now, it's interesting that ancient history informs us that Herod and these members of the Sanhedrin, the religious establishment, they're not on friendly terms. Not really on friendly terms at all. But he summons them in to consult them to get to the bottom of this dilemma of a rival king.

Isn't it interesting? There's no honor amongst thieves, as the old expression goes. Notice also, Herod has to consult them. He keeps telling the Jewish people throughout his reign, I'm one of you. I worship the one true God of the patriarchs and the prophets.

Well, no he doesn't. He should know the Bible as the ruler of the people, but obviously he doesn't. He doesn't know anything about it whatsoever.

He knows nothing of the Old Testament scriptures and what they may be saying concerning the Messiah. By the way, that's a major problem to this very day. If you have people in leadership and rulership that don't know anything about the Bible, you're in big trouble. Haven't we found that out the past four years? Hasn't the rest of the world as well?

Things haven't changed, folks. Not in 2,000 years. Pardon me for bringing these uncomfortable truths to everyone's attention, but I think it's my duty to do so. We'll see what the next four years do. But now Herod demands to know everything now, doesn't he?

Oh, all of a sudden he has a tremendous interest in the prophets and what they have to say. Isn't that interesting? Not to welcome the Messiah, but to oppose him, to kill him. How perverse an evil is that?

There are still Herods to this very day. I quote from Mr. Grant Osborne from a wonderful commentary he's written I'm enjoying lately. He writes, In the first century A.D., many Jews accepted astrology. Well, they weren't supposed to, but they did.

You see, that's part of the problem when Messiah enters history, is the Jewish people have been very much acculturated to Greco-Roman culture, Greco-Roman pagan culture, even accepting some of it. First century AD, many Jews accepted astrology, and perhaps Herod had accepted astrology as well. Herod believes the Magi and consults the Jewish experts, religious experts, for this king's birthplace. In other words, where the Magi will want to go in order to find the newborn king. And once again, you have to ask yourselves, was he able to see the star?

Are the Jewish people in Judea able to see the star? Or is the star meant only for the Magi? I've asked that all of my life.

One day we'll have the answer. The chief priests, and by the way, Herod and Rome changed chief priests all the time. If there was a chief priest that gave him some problems, out he would go, and they would just replace him with another one, probably another one just as corrupt as the former one.

But this little council made up of the priests, their extended families, their friends. The heads of the priestly orders, officers of the temple guards, Grant writes, and those in charge of the temple treasury. He writes, the scribes or teachers of the law were the Jewish legal experts of the day.

Lawyers, as well as theologians or teachers of the scriptural law of Moses and Jewish oral or written traditions. The chief priests were Sadducees, as I described to you before. The teachers of the law were mostly Pharisees.

Again, the chief antagonists of Jesus in his adulthood. End quote. Now.

He began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. So the conniving, scheming Herod wants all the info, all the data that can be had, so that he can act according to what he hears and learns. He obviously wants to track down and locate this rival king, and not for the same reasons, obviously, as the Magi do. He wishes to deliberately, willfully oppose God's Messiah.

Verse 5. And they said to him, and their answer is correct. They do know their Bibles, even though they're probably not paying very much attention to it. Or the real meaning.

They said to him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet. So, pardon me, ask a question and receive an answer. As we say yes, Herod's experts certainly appear at this time to know their scriptures well.

Here's another lesson. Just because you know the Bible well doesn't necessarily mean that you're right with God. That fundamental truth here really slapped me in the face as I was studying this the past few weeks.

They know their Bible very well. They can answer his question. They can take him straight to the answer out of the ancient scriptures, specific prophecies. But I wonder if they really believe it.

or what they really think about it. After all, they weren't looking for Jesus. They seem to have not been expecting Him. Isn't that interesting? It reminds me of what's coming out of some seminaries in America and in Europe and has been for the past century.

And it is to this very day. It amazes me. I find it terrifying. Of course, deeply disturbing. But you have some so-called biblical experts or biblical historical experts who know all the books of the Bible and who know basic schools of interpretation and know chapters and know the original languages, but they will bald-facedly...

deny the fundamental truth of what it all says and what it all means. That's a terrifying thing. Just because you know the Bible backwards and forwards doesn't mean that you're right with God.

Doesn't mean that you believe it. They're able to give Herod an immediate answer, that we've just read, a precise scriptural quote and reference. Their failure to respond appropriately or to believe was not due to ignorance.

They had no excuse. Israel, or so Israel's religious leaders at this time, knew precisely where the king of the Jews would be born. But here's one of the greatest ironies of history.

It's a bunch of Gentiles, a bunch of Persians, a bunch of Gentile astrologers who really wanted to see him. who really wanted to risk all to find him, and who went to tremendous lengths to find him and worship him first. How's that for irony?

Not Herod, not the religious establishment. Herod wants to kill him. We have a pack of Gentiles from hundreds and hundreds of miles away who actually pay attention to the Bible, what it's actually saying, and take action on it, and believe, and want to find God's Messiah.

And worship Him. Well, we did have someone who was Jewish first. Remember who they were?

Gospel of Luke. The shepherds. The lowest of the low.

The poorest of the poor. Those looked upon with total contempt or those completely ignored. Those flyover people. As they... They say here in America, the culturally and socially and politically totally insignificant in the eyes of the world, or in the eyes of Herod, or in the eyes of Rome, except to be exploited.

They're the ones that the angels of God come to first. And probably they're pious Jews. We believe they very well may have been, were.

And man, when they received their message, their message from heaven, they obeyed. They went. And who comes right after them? Well, no other Jewish people right now, but a bunch of Gentiles from Persia who read the Bible about the Messiah and take it seriously and see his sign and take off.

Risking their lives. Risking everything. What are we risking?

What are we willing to risk? What's the reference to prophecy? It's Micah chapter 5, verse 2. Let me take you there.

Pardon me, folks. I'm a little under the weather, so I'm not at my best this morning. I'm going a little slow and I'm fumbling a little bit, so please forgive me.

And you folks watching and listening, I beg you. Beg your patience and please forgive me and bear with me. I'm just not exactly at my best this morning. Please forgive me.

The prophecy that they draw Herod's attention to is from the prophet Micah. And you know it as Micah chapter 5 verse 2. I'll read it for you and give you a bit of interpretation from a fine textual note from the ESV study Bible. And by the way, it's a wonderful prophecy.

I read it and a hair on the back of my neck stands up. Can you imagine? This wicked, evil tyrant hearing this spoken to him from the religious experts after hearing from these magi and a consultation with them.

There may have been several consultations with them, in privately and in secret. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, Ephrathah, by the way, at the time of King David's life, was the particular district in which Bethlehem was located. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, you who are considered too little to be amongst the clans of Judah, the humblest of the humble, But the great city of David, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.

The Messiah from the city of David, the descendant of the great King David, and who has been prophesied from olden times, ancient days past. In fact, some scholars believe this phrase in the Hebrew, the original Hebrew in this verse may mean from eternity past. He has been prophesied and promised and was planned to arrive.

Textual note. Ephrathah is the name of the district in which Bethlehem is located and where David was born. The unlikely choice of David as king foreshadows the unlikely choice of Bethlehem as ultimately the hometown of the greater David, David's descendant, the Messiah himself. Verse 6 shows the Jewish scholars at this time, the time of Jesus'birth, read this as a prediction of the Messiah's birthplace, to be born in Bethlehem. The Messiah's reign is at God's behest.

For me, God says, he will arrive. Coming forth, motzah in the Hebrew, coming forth, coming out, is from old, from ancient days. This has been taken to indicate either an ancient divinity lineage or an eternal and therefore divine origin of the predicted Messiah. I believe it's both.

Both an ancient prophecy concerning David and an ancient prophecy from eternity past the divine plan of God revealed in the world. The first time-related expression from old is mechadim in the Hebrew. It generally refers to any ancient historical time, but can also refer to eternity.

The second time-related expression here in the Hebrew from ancient days, Mimecholam, refers to ancient historical times, both in the prophet Micah and elsewhere throughout the Old Testament. Thus, this text is referring to the Messiah's ancient Davidic lineage, confirming that the ancient covenantal promises God made to David still stand and will take place. And this is what they read to Herod. Now, some scholars believe they also may have read to him 2 Samuel 5, 2 and 1 Chronicles 11, 2 concerning David's kingship and the Messiah will come from David.

And they probably or may have read to him God's covenant that God made with David. I will build for you, David, a house, a dynasty, a lineage, and one will come from you, a descendant who will rule the world. They may have read this to Herod too, but most important was Micah 5, 2. The answer to the question, where is he supposed to be born?

I.e., where can I find him? So we believe they may be giving him a combination, a conflation, of numerous Messianic passages, with the prophet Micah being the most important one. And so, of course, Jesus...

As planned, as prophesied, we'll be born in Bethlehem, where David, his great ancestor, the great King David, was born. And later on, Jesus will move by divine plan. for safety to Nazareth in Galilee, and will be later known as Nazarene.

Now, I can't go any further without mentioning at this particular time, this is going to be one of the excuses of the corrupt religious establishment to deny Jesus Messiah's ship when he is grown. It's going to be a problem. A convenient problem later for the religious rulers. Since Jesus grew up in Nazareth of Galilee, right? The religious establishment will try to use this as proof that Jesus could not be the Messiah.

They'll say, look, he was born and raised in Nazareth. The Messiah doesn't come from Nazareth. The Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem.

Well, Jesus was in fact born in Nazareth. born in Bethlehem. This is why Dr. Luke and Matthew go to great pains to tell us over and over he was born in Bethlehem as was prophesied because the religious rulers say, no, he's a Nazarene.

Nothing good comes out of Nazareth. The Messiah doesn't come out of Nazareth. The scriptures say he came from Bethlehem.

Yeah, that's right, he did. He did come from Bethlehem just as planned, even though his parents moved to Nazareth where he grew up. But they would have rejected and opposed Jesus anyway. They would use any excuse to do so, real or made up or imagined. And people do the same thing to this day, do they not?

But Matthew makes a point to show that Jesus, according to divine plan and prophecy, he was, in fact, Born in David's hometown, Bethlehem of Judea, Jesus'birth does in fact fulfill Scripture to the letter, to the very letter. All these ancient prophecies fulfilled as planned to the letter, which tells you what? God's in control.

The unseen hand of God is control. Even as wicked and vile and chaotic and crazy and out of control as things seem. Oh no! He ultimately is in control. It's all part of the plan.

Bethlehem, little tiny village such as it was, inherently, intrinsically, it has no greatness or significance. Where does its greatness or significance come from? Bethlehem's greatness and significance consists only in the place that it was a location where David was born.

And better yet, or greater yet, it was the location where David's great descendant, the God-man, Jesus, The Christ, the Word who became flesh. It is the place where the great Messiah was born. The point is as plain in the writings of the prophet Micah as in Matthew's Gospel.

And notice it's important. For out of you, Bethlehem, shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd. My people, Israel. Did you catch that? Shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel.

Remember students of the Gospel of John? According to the Gospel of John chapter 10, who does Jesus reveal himself to be? I am the I am, therefore I am the good shepherd who was prophesied by Micah to arrive in Bethlehem. And to personally come into this world to shepherd my people.

He is the shepherd of Psalm 23. Go home and read Ezekiel chapter 34. It's all about God who is the great shepherd. Who will arrive personally to shepherd his people Israel and save them from the false shepherds. So Jesus is the God who is the good shepherd of his people, the God who is the good shepherd of humanity, the God who is the good shepherd of any and every human being who will believe in him and be restored to him and have salvation and real life in his name. Shepherd David born in Bethlehem, the great shepherd who is the I Am, who is the good shepherd, will be born in Bethlehem.

Exactly as planned. All according to divine plan and degree. I'll read verse 6. I'll probably stop here for the day.

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. The text of Micah that I gave you shortly before. Many scholars believe that either the scribes who answer Herod, or Matthew quoting them, is somewhat paraphrasing these Old Testament passages, and I believe you are.

I believe they are, pardon me. And don't be alarmed by that. There's nothing wrong with that.

There's nothing wrong with Matthew or nothing wrong with the scribes paraphrasing the prophecy. They're not trying to twit. twist it and turn it out of its context and therefore rob it of its truth. Paraphrase is fairly accurate. But either the scribes are doing something of a paraphrase of the passage or Matthew is in quoting them.

But the paraphrase does not change or alter the message or the prophecy and what it means at all. The paraphrase actually helps to explain the prophecy. frankly, and make the point, the major point of the prophecy. And so this quote obviously must have terrified Herod. For the prophecy is precise, it is clear.

This Messianic king who is to rule the Jewish people, and in fact rule the world if you really pay attention to the Old Testament Messianic prophecies carefully, he is most certainly to be born in Bethlehem as David was. Not born in Jerusalem, not born in Caesarea, not born in Rome. Not Herod, not Rome will ultimately rule over the Jewish people.

Will not ultimately truly be the shepherd of the Jewish people. And the Gentile world as well, who are to receive salvation as well. Now this is going to be God's way. God's prophesied messianic king. Not the one whom Rome has installed over the nation.

But the one prophesied and sent by God will preside and will shepherd over God's people and will ultimately shepherd and preside over all of the Gentile world as well. These wise men who came seeking Jesus, they really are wise men. They're looking for the real power, the real authority, the real God, the real truth. And they're going to bow before Him.

They are wise men. I quote Mr. Osborne again from his commentary. He writes, there's also an echo of Ezekiel chapter 34, verses 11 to 16 here, if you know your Old Testament well. Where God himself will arrive to personally become the shepherd of his people, because the false shepherds, Herod and others at this time, were corrupting the nation, corrupt leaders of the nation, such as Herod was.

They have abused and scattered the Lord's flock, just as Ezekiel said. And so the Lord himself, as prophesied by Ezekiel, has... come to shepherd all of those lost sheep back to God."Oh, and go a little further. I have a few minutes left. We'll begin verse 7. You know, I have to tell you, it amazes me. Maybe I'll stop here. I'll stop here with verse 7, and we'll start verse 7 fresh next week. I know I may have gone a little out of my way today to bring some of these things to your attention, but it has amazed me these past few weeks of how relevant this is. These events 2,000 years ago and how relevant they are to what's happening, well, over the past 2,000 years, but what's happening right now in our world in A.D. 2024 and how these events of the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus makes an absolutely scathing commentary and warning upon some things that we're experiencing 2,000 years later. Folks, I hear people say, you've got to make the Bible relevant. Are you kidding me? You don't have to make it relevant. It is relevant. All you have to do is proclaim it. All you have to do is teach it. This book does not make itself relevant to us. We find our relevance in the book. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Hmm. So what's going to happen? What's going to happen? It's all divine plan, you know. And it all ends well. Evil is punished. Evil is defeated. Even in his infancy, Messiah wins, Messiah triumphs, his enemies are undone, his mission and his purpose does not fail, it is not thwarted, not in any way, shape, or form whatsoever. For the God of the universe is in control and is in charge through all of these events, every detail. I'll draw your attention, go home and read again this chapter this week, chapter 2, and notice how many times God steps in and takes charge. God steps in and gives a warning. God steps in and gives a sign. God speaks directly or by way of an angel to these Gentiles in search of him and to Joseph, a man he has chosen to be the human father. of the Messiah. It's amazing. God's in control of all of it. And man, this is dangerous. People are going to be slaughtered. People are going to be massacred. People are going to be losing their lives. But God is just. His justice doesn't sleep. His justice doesn't fail. And His plan doesn't fail. It cannot. It cannot. Welcome to the greatest story ever told. I want to give it the justice that it deserves. Each and every single solitary word of it and each and every single solitary event that Matthew gives to us. It's worth looking at. It's worth paying attention to. There are lots of lessons in and through it all. Sovereign regard our Heavenly Father, truly ruler of heaven and earth. Thank you for giving us the divine plan of all of history, so we can know who we are, what we are, why we are here, and what we're supposed to do, and how we're supposed to live. and find our place obediently in this story, our place in history, and our time in history on our way to the conclusion of history, the ultimate destination, the ultimate home, the final finish for us all. Thank you for explaining to us the divine plan. which is the story of history, that you are the author, that you are in control, and that in spite of all of the evil and opposition of a dark evil world, you are in control. You triumph. It is your plan, and you will carry it through perfectly to completion. We thank you for your mercy, your kindness, your graciousness in giving us the plan, in giving us what everything is all about, so we can live our lives wisely and well as we should, and know you, the one true Redeemer, Creator God, you who are the meaning and purpose of all things, and that we can join you. We can become a part of your life and your plan. Thank you for so kindly giving us all the information that we possibly could need. Help us by the power of your kind spirit. to bow and obey it and live wisely and well. Thank you for sending your Son, the second person of your being, Jesus, the prophesied Messiah, to step into this dark world and bring light, and by plan to ultimately make all things right, in the end and for eternity. I pray that this message sits wisely and well in the hearts and minds of all of these good folks here and those watching and listening. so that they may know the meaning and purpose of their life in you, and that they may have life, eternal life, in Jesus'name. In Jesus'holy name, we pray for your blessing upon this, the humble proclamation of your word. Bless my stumbling efforts, O Lord God Almighty, that by the power of your Spirit, some good will come from the teaching of your word here and the world over. In Christ Jesus'holy name we pray. Amen.

Transcript for:2025 January 19 Matthew 2:3-8 In Bethlehem of Judea

Transcript for:
2025 January 19 Matthew 2:3-8 In Bethlehem of Judea