Matthew
shared concerning the birth of Jesus that,
“all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being
raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and
took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth
her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS”,
and in chapter two and verse one of his book, Matthew shared how
Joseph, “Jesus
was born in Bethlehem” where
we read:
Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
king,
behold,
there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
The
verse reads, “Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
king, ...”
Matthew began with the word, “now”
which means “moreover and” “when
Jesus”
or “at the time and moment Jesus whose name means Jehovah is
Salvation” “was born”
or “begotten, engendered and brought forth” “in
Bethlehem”
which means “within the town of Bethlehem which means house of
bread and was a village about six miles south of Jerusalem” “of
Judea”
which means “he shall be praised” and refers to “belonging to
the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of the Jordan
and the Dead Sea to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea, and
Idumaea” “in the days”
or “within the general times and days” “of
Herod”
which means “heroic” and refers to “the name of a royal family
that flourished among the Jews in the times of Christ and the
Apostles” “the king”
or “the leader of the people, prince, commander and lord of the
land”. Matthew.
The
verse continues, “...
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”
Matthew added the word, “behold”
which means “lo and see”, “there
came” or
“there approached and made public appearance” “wise
men”
which means “the oriental astrologers who having discovered by the
rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born”
“from
the east”
or “departing from and making physical distance from the rising of
the sun and stars” “to
Jerusalem”
which means “toward Jerusalem which means set you double peace”
and refers to “the city itself and the inhabitants”.
Matthew shared how oriental wise astrologers came from the eastern
lands into the city of Jerusalem.
When
we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the world
was to be involved in the coming of the Messiah. These “wise
men” from eastern countries came to the city of “Jerusalem”
while “Herod the king” reigned. This was part of God's
design, and as this story continues to unfold, we shall see how God
was intentional in His plan to save mankind. The Messiah was born,
and even the skies have called the attention of leaders in the world
to discover Him.
Next
time Matthew shares how the wise men asked, “Where
is he that is born King of the Jews? ”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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