Oh Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levitam. Shalom, my dear friends and dear brothers and sisters. God bless you. We are going to continue the study of the Gospel of Matthew, and hopefully you have your Bibles available, and we are going to turn now into Matthew chapter 2, and we will read together the first 12 verses of the second chapter. So please follow me as I'm reading these 12 verses. We do 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, saying, Where is he that was born, king of the Jews? For we have seen his stars in the east, and I come to worship him." When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he commended of them where Christ, Messiah, should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.' Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem. And he said, Go and search diligently for the young child. And when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed. And, Lord, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being worn of God in a dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. So beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, I'm going to stop here reading from Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 to 12. And here as we are entering into the book of Matthew, into this gospel of Matthew, we are learning to see that this gospel of Matthew is a Gospel that was specifically directed to the people of Israel, to the Jewish people. Oftentimes, we will read in the Gospel of Matthew many quotations that The author, by the Spirit of God, is quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures. After all, to remind us that when the Messiah was promised to come to this world, he was promised that he will come to be the one that will come out of the virgin, that she will conceive and bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel. Emanu means with us, El means God, God with us, or with us God. That was the promise that God had given His people Israel, that the Messiah will come and He will be the one that will be God Himself, and He will come to be with us. And that God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would come to the nation of Israel in the person of the Son, the Son of God, as we do read in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse Sixth, as we read, the promise for unto us a child is born, that is the humanity of the Messiah, and unto us a son is given, that is the divinity of the Messiah. God the Son would enter into this world through a virgin, we know her to be Miriam, and she had conceived and bore a son and called his name Yeshua, Jesus, which is Jehovah the Savior. The word Emmanuel, God with us, simply means that God will enter into this world by taking union, a human nature with his divine nature, and he would be Emmanuel, with us, God, God with us. And as we learn through the Gospel of Matthew, we will see how many a time the author, by the power of the Spirit of God, quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. In Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, the passage that we have already covered in our study of the first chapter, in verse 23, the author, by the divine inspiration, quoting Isaiah chapter 7 And verse 14, when he was writing, when the first chapter was written, concerning the virgin that shall be with the child. Now we enter into chapter 2. And you notice here in this second chapter, there are four times that the Spirit of God used that word, the prophet, the prophet, the prophet. And finally, at the end of Matthew chapter 2, the usage of the word, the prophets, plural. You notice that in Matthew 2 and verse 5 we read, And they said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea, For thus it is written by the prophet. Notice verse 15 we do read, And it was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet. You notice verse 17, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet. And finally, in verse 23 of Matthew chapter 2, we read, And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, not only prophets singular, but we have here the plural, by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene. And so you notice, beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, that in the first 12 verses of Matthew chapter 2, we will read of the coming of the wise men, in Hebrew they are called Megushim, Magi, the wise men who would come from the East in order to worship the new-born King of the Jews, the new-born Melech ha-Yehudim. And so we covered the first chapter that we saw the genealogy of the King of the Jews, how he was born to the Virgin, and now we read of how the wise men from the East that were influenced by Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, already in days of old, when they were in captivity by the Babylonians. And these godly Hebrew men have influence upon many in the East. And we see now that many from the East come to worship the new-born King. While Israel is a nation, although we're anticipating the coming of the Messiah, yet we can see that wise men from the East are coming and alerting and awakening many in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel to the reality that the king will be born, the king of the Jews is going to be here on earth and they came to worship him all the way from the east. So the arrival of the Medjai's, the Magushim from at the east, they immediately came to the city of Jerusalem, the city of Yerushalayim. And so we read in verses 1 and 2, now when Jesus, his Hebrew name is Yeshua, Jehovah the Savior, when Yeshua was born in Bethlehem, of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, and notice what they say in verse 2, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. You see, beloved friends, when the time has come, And the Messiah was born. And when he was born here into this world, already you can see how God was working in the hearts of even wise men, Magushim, Magi from the East, who from Babylon, from these areas came, were influenced by the godly men Boys earlier, men and women who were taken by the Babylonians to captivity, who have stood for the God of Israel, such as Esther, such as Mordecai, such as Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, and many others, although The Jewish people were carried away to Babylon, disciplined by God, and yet you can see that they always left an influence on others. And the wise men that came from the East, these were those that were influenced by all sorts of things that were not really even godly, but they were Magushim, Magi, they were involved in many things that were not for God, and yet they were influenced, they heard from such as Daniel about the God of Israel. And as they were influenced, apparently we see them coming now because of what they have seen. So they are coming. When the Lord Jesus the Messiah was born in the city of Bethlehem, and then there was in the days when Herod, Herod was an Edomite, King Herod was known to be the one that built Metzada, built Caesarea, built and enlarged the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem. Herod was the one that is called the Great, Herod the Great. At about 40 BC, he was made King of Judah or Judea by the Romans. And now the time has come for the Messiah that was born in the city of Bethlehem. Notice what we read, and here with the king, we read, the wise man that came, it was in his days. And they asked the question, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." I want to just mention, beloved brothers and sisters, and dear friends, for us to understand that it was already predicted in days of old by the prophets of Israel that the Messiah will be born here into this world, and how He will come. to whom He will be born, at the locality of His birth. And there was so much written concerning the birth of Christ, of the Messiah by the Hebrew prophets in days of old. And here we can see the fulfillment of that which was spoken of in days of old by the prophets. And so, you notice, we read of them coming, they are initially coming to the city of Jerusalem. And as they come from the East, notice that the East, of course, it's always East from Jerusalem. It's not in the Far East. It's not in China, but it has to do with East from the city of Jerusalem. East from Jerusalem is Mesopotamia. East from Jerusalem is where Babel, Babylon was. And it was to Babylon that the Jewish people were carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar when they disobeyed the Lord and God had to remove them from the land. In that land that was foreign to them in Babylon, The godly in Israel still spoke about the God of Israel. Daniel still served the God of Israel. He ministered even to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, who saw various dreams, and he interpreted the dreams for him concerning the God of Israel and the nation of Israel, and so these wise men These Mejais coming from the East, they arrive into the city of Jerusalem, verse 1, and notice what we read, that they begin to question, where is He? Where is He? Notice this is the first question that is mentioned in the New Testament, in the Brit HaChadashah. The first question that was mentioned in days of old, what we know in the Old Testament, is found in Genesis chapter 3. Where are you? God is asking Adam. Adam, where are you? Now that the Messiah has come, God had worked it out in such a way that these wise men from the East will ask, where is he? They are looking for a person that was born King of the Jews. And so as they are questioning where is he that was born the king of the Jews, they added and they said, we have seen his star in the East. Very interesting expression. We have seen his star in the East. This star is not an ordinary star, beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters. This star was the star that represent the Shekinah glory, the Shekinah. It is the same Shekinah glory, the manifestation of the presence of God, that Israel, the nation, have experienced in days of old. To remind you, when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, God led them. with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, the Shekhinah, His manifestation in the presence of His own people to lead them in the wilderness. This is the Shekinah according to Exodus chapter 13. The Shekhinah, the Shekhinah is the presence of God that rested when the Temple was completed. Shekhinah glory rested there in the Holy of Holies. Not only in the temple, but even earlier in the tabernacle according to Exodus chapter 40. And I just want to read this to you in Exodus chapter 40 and verse 33 we read. And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. And notice what we read in verse 34. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. That cloud is the Shekinah glory. The Shekinah, the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. And so what these wise men who came from the East, these Medjai's, When they came from the East, it's because they were following His star. Notice, they say here in this chapter of ours, in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 2, they say, where is He that is born the King of the Jews? For we have seen, notice, His star. It is a star that belongs to Him, the King of the Jews. And that is the manifestation. of the presence of God that rested upon that King of the Jews that was born, the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Where is He? When God asked the first question from Adam, where are you? The question was asked because Adam sinned and turned against God, violated God's Word. When their first question in this new covenant was asked, where is he? It is because the King of the Jews that was born here into this world, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, was the sinless one who came to redeem sinners back to God. So we read, where is he that is born King of the Jews? Notice that. what we read here that the king was born a king this is exactly what the prophets of old have said that when a messiah will come he will be a king a king that will be born into this world and is going to ultimately rule as king of kings and lord of lords It was the prophet Zechariah that wrote concerning the coming of the Messiah in Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the fall of an ass. When the Messiah Yeshua Jesus was born, he was born already a king. But the purpose that he came at his first coming was not yet to rule as king, but first of all to provide salvation by offering himself as a ransom for many. I saw the wise men coming from the east in verses 1 and 2, and they're asking, where is he that is born the king of the Jews? For we have seen his shekhinah, his star, in the east, and I come to worship him. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, this star representing the presence of the Lord that rested, the presence of God that rested upon this child that was born here into this world whose name is Yeshua, Jesus, as we have read it already in chapter 1 concerning the birth of Jesus, the birth of Yeshua. And so, as we move along here, you will notice that the Magi, the wise men of the East, saw a star that was moving. Unusual star, it's not the ordinary star that we have in heaven. This star is moving from East to West. And later on, he will continue to move from north to south. It's a star that is moving because it is his star. It is the star that speaks directly concerning the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. He is the one that the star represents. the Shekhinah, the Shekinah glory, the manifestation of the presence of God. This is so beautiful for us to see as we study this passage in the Gospel of Matthew. Now, as we continue on, in verse 3, you notice that Herod the king, and again, I would like to remind you, this was Herod the Great. This Herod the Great was an Edomite. He ruled from about 36 BC to about 4 AD, and he was a bright, a brilliant man, though wicked. He was the son of a high-ranking official, and he is the one, the construction that he was able to build was fascinating. Caesarea, there by the ocean, it was done by Him, under His direction. Metzada, there by the Dead Sea, and the building there on the Mount Metzada, was done by Him. the mountain or the hill of the Herodias was done by him all this fascinating building that he has done even the enlargement of the temple mount was done by Herod the Great and so in verse 3 the one that was considered to be the king that was appointed by the Romans although he was an Edomite and had no right to be a king. But the Romans, who control in those days, were under the rule of the Roman Empire, they have set him to become a king of Judea. We read in verse 3 that Herod the king, when he had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Why was he troubled? although he was made the king of Judah by the Romans yet he was troubled because he did not want to be replaced and here the wise men from Babylon coming and they say where is he that was born the king of the Jews and obviously Herod was troubled And not only him, because apparently all Jerusalem was troubled. Because after all, when you see a large envoy of people who come from the East, coming all the way to the city of Jerusalem, you can just imagine, everyone is asking, who are these? Where are they coming from? And then they are seeking, they are looking for the King of the Jews, for Melech HaYehudim. And so, Herod was troubled, all Jerusalem was troubled according to verse 3. And so, what does Herod do? According to the next verses, beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 4, 5, and 6, the chief priests of Israel and the scribes were called by Herod to give him some information. And so in verse 4, Herod gathered all Israel's spiritual leaders and he asking them about the king that was born. Specifically, as it was predicted by the prophets of Israel, he was asking them concerning the one, the Messiah, the Mashiach that was going to be born. And so we read in verse four, and when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them, notice what he asked from them, where Christ should be born. Notice that it's very interesting because the wise man came and said, where is he that was born King of the Jews? And he had Herod asking where Christ, where Messiah was to be born. Why? Because all in Israel knew when the Messiah will come, he will be the king of the Jews. He will be the king of Israel. As Prophet Zechariah wrote, that when the king will come at his first coming, Behold, not as thy king cometh, Zechariah 9, verse 9, unto thee, he is just, he is having salvation, he is lowly, and he is riding upon an ass, and upon a cold, the fall of an ass. But then, verse 10, Zechariah continued to mention in days of old, prior to the coming of the Messiah, that, in verse 10, God says, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he, this is the king of the Jews, this is the king of Zion, he shall speak Shalom, peace, unto the heathen and his dominion, He's going to rule. He's the king. His dominion shall be from sea even to sea and from the rivers even to the ends of the earth. He is going to rule over all the world. That king that would come initially riding on a donkey in order to provide salvation. He will suffer and die. But he will ultimately come and rule and reign from sea to sea and from shore to shore. And so, Herod is calling the scribes and the chief priests, the spiritual leaders of Israel, and according to Matthew chapter 2, he's asking them in verse 4, where Messiah should be born. Where Christ, the Mashiach, should be born. And so they are responding to him and notice how it's so interesting because they knew on a basis of the prophets message in days of all that spoke by the word of the Lord concerning the coming Redeemer, the coming King of the Jews. That's how he will be coming and that's where he will be born. And so they are quoting, beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, they are quoting what Micah, the prophet of Israel, wrote in chapter 5. It says here, And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, For thus it is written, noted by the prophet." This is the first time in the second chapter that the word prophet is mentioned here in this chapter, beloved friends. And you notice as we mentioned throughout, The Gospel of Matthew, a quotation from the Hebrew prophet, will be presented again and again, much more than everywhere. Why? Because Matthew wrote this Gospel for the benefit of the Jewish people to see that the promises of God to the nation of Israel will be fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, both in His first coming, as well as His second coming. The first coming, He will come to die, to be buried, and to rise again for our justification. And He will come again to rule as the King of the Jews, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. So we already have seen the first quotation in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 1 and verse 23, where author Matthew was writing concerning the coming of the Messiah, that he would come by the prophet, as the Lord promised, by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with a child, and shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. So now the second time in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 and verse 6, they are quoting Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. In actuality, Micah 5 in the Hebrew text, it is actually verse 1. So what is the quotation? Beautiful to see. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem the Messiah, the King of the Jews, that will be born, he will be born in the city of Bethlehem. As it is written, notice, in the land of Judea, And he says here in verse, as we read here in verse 5, he will be born in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, and here's the quotation, and thou Bethlehem, verse 6, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah. Out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel. Now notice it says here in verse 6 quoting Micah chapter 5, verse 2 in the English text, verse 1 in the Hebrew text, where it says, But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the Thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come unto me that is to be a ruler in Israel." Now you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, Matthew stops here with a part of the verse of Micah chapter 2. The remaining part of the verse says, whose going forth have been of old, from of old, from everlasting. That means that the king of the Jews that will be born in the city of Bethlehem is the one that already existed in eternity past. He will come to rule over Israel in his humanity and yet whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting." He is the Eternal Son. This is so precious to understand this, my dear friend. The person of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who according to Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, quoting Isaiah 7.14, He is the Immanuel, God with us. And in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 6, quoting Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, we learn that he's going forth is from everlasting. That teaches us both of the humanity of the King of the Jews, the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, but it also tells us that He's much more than just another man. He is the one whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting, the Eternal One, the Eternal Son. enter into this world, became a man, took union humanity with his divine nature in order to become the king of the Jews. So, they continue purpose after all of the coming of the wise men from Babylon. We have come to worship Him, we read in verse 2, the purpose that they came to worship. And notice they said we came to worship Him. We have seen His star and we have come all the way from the East. So Herod troubled, Jerusalem troubled because after all beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters this is the first time in human history that God took human nature with his divine nature. It never happened before and it will never happen again. That's why it's such a unique fact that would cause all to be troubled. The city of Jerusalem and the population in Israel Because it never happened before. And let me just remind you, in the pre-incarnation of Christ, of the Messiah, there were many times in the history of Israel, whether it is with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the history of Israel, when God appears as a man, like when He came to Abraham, the three men that came to Abraham, one of them was the Lord. with whom Abraham spoke according to Genesis chapter 18. And the man that wrestled with Yaakov and changed his name from Jacob to Israel in Genesis chapter 32, he wrestled with him and he called his name, you know, Pnuel, the location, I've seen God face to face. That was a pre-incarnate appearing of the Messiah before his incarnation, before he took union, humanity with his divine nature, which only happened once. and will never be repeated, because He is now God and man in one. And He came to this world in order to die as a man for the sin of this world, to pay for our sin and sins, and provide salvation to whoever believes in Him. That's why we read here in Matthew chapter 2, quoting Micah chapter 5. In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, verse 5, verse 6 says, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the least among the princes of Judah. For out of thee, Bethlehem, out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel. And then we can read the remaining part of Micah chapter 5 and verse 2 in the English where it said, whose going forth have been from of old, from everlasting. In Hebrew the everlasting is Mimei Olam. Mimei Olam. He always existed, the Eternal Son. And now he took union, humanity through the virgin birth, Miriam, and he became a man. God and man in one. A mystery of mysteries. In John chapter 1 we read, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John 1 John This is amazing. This is the mystery of mysteries. And that's why Jerusalem and Herod and the land of Israel, everyone was troubled because where is he that born a king? The anticipated Messiah that would come to this world to be born as a king and ultimately after the Finishing of the work of redemption, He will rule and reign at His second coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is fascinating, my dear friends, dear brothers and sisters. In fact, when Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 3, he said to him in verse 16, and without doubt or without controversy, Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in flesh, justified in spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Paul emphasized the fact how God was manifested in flesh. That's what we read here in Matthew chapter 2. Where is he that was born the king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east. We have come to worship him. Well, here is the answer. As the chief priest and the scribe responded to her when they said to him, as the prophet said, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah. For out of thee, Judah, Bethlehem, shall come a governor, ruler, that shall rule my people Israel. You see, the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, will ultimately rule the nation of Israel as the King of the Jews. Although Israel, the nation at his first coming, did not receive Yeshua, Jesus, as the Messiah, Lord and Savior. And so we read, my dear brothers and sisters and dear friends, in the next verse, very interesting, because immediately in verses 7 and 8, King Herod, in a crafty way, he was really not intending to acknowledge that king of the Jews that was born. And so what does he do? In a crafty way, by dear friend and dear brothers and sisters, now he inquires the wise men about the time when they saw that star. So we read in verse 7, And Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, he inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. So what does he do? He privately called these wise men that came from the east and while He didn't want to reveal his intention to do something about this newborn king and to do away with him. He, first of all, came to this wise man and he wanted to know the timing so he can figure out about the age of the one that is born king, king of the Jews. So he asks them concerning the time. He gathers them privately, the wise men, the Magi, and he inquires of them diligently, diligently, telling them that he really wants to know in detail. What was the time that you have seen that star? When did it appear? Again, I would like just to remind us, my dear friend, according to Numbers chapter 24, there was a promise of God through the false prophet who was called to curse Israel, Bil'am. You remember? God even used him. not to curse Israel, but to bless Israel, and to provide the promise of the coming one, of the star that will come, the Messiah, the King of the Jews that will come. And in Numbers chapter 24, we read about that star, that Bil'am, who initially wanted to curse Israel, but couldn't curse Israel, he said concerning the star that will come. We read in verse 15 of Numbers chapter 24, and he took up his parable and said, Bilam, the son of Beor, has said, and a man whose eyes are open, has said, He has said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty falling into a trance, but having his eyes open. Although he came initially out of greed to curse the people of Israel, and yet God has allowed him not to curse Israel, but to give a parable that speaks about the coming Messiah, the coming King, the coming star. And so he said in verse 17 of Numbers chapter 24, I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh. There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter, he's a king, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be possession, Seir also shall be a possession, for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly. out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city." Beloved friends, Already as Israel were on the journey from Egypt, from Sinai to the promised land of Canaan, God even allowed that Bil'am the false prophet who sought to curse Israel to gain something from cursing the nation of Israel. God have did not allow him to curse, but change his words to a blessing and a promise of the coming star out of Jacob. The scepter shall rise out of Israel. And ultimately, as we read here, Israel will be the one that will bring forth that star, the Messiah who will have dominion. from sea to sea and from shore to shore. And here we read that the herald is seeking to find out when did they see that star. So the wise men are responding to him as giving him the information when did they see the star in the east where they came from, Babylon. And then in verse 7, Herod, now that he finds out some information concerning the timing, which we will see later on, when he will seek to kill the king of the Jews, And he will know more or less the age of that king of the Jews by that time, since the timing that he received from the wise men who came from the east. What did he do? Verse 8, he sent them to Bethlehem and he said to them, go and search diligently for the young child and when ye have found him, Bring me word again that I may come and worship him also." Well, he was not intending to come to worship the King of the Jews, the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah that was born, but he wanted that these wise men from the east that were following the star initially from east to west from we might say Babylon to Jerusalem and now they will follow the star that will be moving from Jerusalem to Bethlehem And as they would follow the star, they will find the king of the Jews that was born. But you notice how interesting, because here in this chapter, Herod called him a young child. In Hebrew, nar. not a babe that is in a manger according to the gospel of Luke chapter 2 but now a young child because why? Because he was seeking for the timing in which these wise men who came from the east saw the star. And they were saying that he was already born So the time that they have seen the star until the time they have arrived to the city of Jerusalem some time have passed by. And you remember where we read in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 2, we read in verse 8, Luke chapter 2 in verse 8, we do read, beloved friend, where it does say, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, an angel of the Lord came unto them upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were so afraid. And the angels said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. For unto you is born on this day in the city of David a Savior, which is the Messiah, Christ the Lord. They received the news of the birth of the Messiah this day, A Savior is born in the city of David and He is the Messiah, the Lord. Then He says, this shall be a sign unto you that you shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger. So my dear friend, in Luke chapter 2 and verse 12 We read of the person of the Lord Jesus the Lord Yeshua the Messiah as a baby that was born on that day when the angel revealed this to the shepherds. So when he was born the angels went rejoicing when the glory of God was there as the baby was born multitude of angels and heavenly hosts were praising God and saying glory to God in the highest that was at the birth of the Messiah on that day but now time passes by and that baby became a young child and that's why while in Luke 2 and verse 12 Yeshua Jesus is called a baby here in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 8 when Herod sending them to Bethlehem and said go and search diligently for them not for the baby but for the young child in Hebrew Naar And we will see that some nearly two years have passed by because when Yeshua was born, he was of course a baby, but he was in a manger in Bethlehem. But now when we arrive to chapter two, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah is no longer in a manger and he was no longer a baby, he was a young child and he was in a house. So we read in verses 9, 10, 11, and 12 of our portion for this time, beloved friend, how the wise men find the King of the Jews and they fall down to worship Him as they already expressed themselves when they've arrived to Jerusalem, when they ask, where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. So we do read in verse 9, When they heard what the king said, they departed, and lo, the star, known as the very same star who was once in the east, and he led them to Jerusalem. Now the star which they saw in the east went before them until it came and stood over where the young child, not the babe, but the young child was." So that's Shekhinah, the Shekinah glory, the manifestation of the presence of God residing, we might say, on the person of this Babe that was born became a young child. Moving from the East to the West, from the North to the South, from one place to another, He is Star, He is Shekhinah, He is Manifestation of the Presence of God. So we do read, beloved brothers and sisters, the Star went before them. That Star led them. This is not an ordinary star. This is his star. The Messiah's star, the King of the Jews' star, now stood over where the child was. In other words, moving from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. There, exactly where the house where the Messiah was there with his parents, Miriam and Yosef, with his mother and his stepfather, there the star And we read in verse 10, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. You notice how they are following the Shekinah glory led by the Spirit of God. God moved their hearts to move from the east to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and all the way to where the child, the young child was. And they were so much joyful. when they came finally to the location where they found the King of the Jews. So we read in verse 11, when they were come into the house, again notice beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, that now they enter into the house. Luke chapter 2, the Lord Jesus the Messiah was a baby in a manger in Luke 2 and verse 12. Here in Matthew 2 and verse 8 and 9 and 10 and 11, he's not a baby, he's a young child, he's not in a manger, he's in a house. And by virtue of the fact that Herod asked them about the time when they saw the star, he wanted to know how much time passed by from the time that he was born to the time that is now, as he's sending them to the city of Bethlehem and anticipating to receive some information from the wise man, so he's claiming, Herod, that he wants to come to worship him. But in actuality, he has no intention to worship the king that will replace him and set him aside. And so we read, when they came, notice that verse 11, when these wise men, when they were come into the house, they saw the young child, notice with Miriam, his mother, and here we have the reality that they were moved by the Spirit of God. Though Gentiles, though from other nations, Though initially they were not believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God of Israel. But you can see that God was working in the hearts of these Gentiles. These so-called wise men. They were really wise because they came to worship the king. And you would see it, beloved friend, in the Gospel of Matthew, that the Gospel of Matthew presents the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, as the King of the Jews, and everyone that trusts in Him is wise. The fools do not trust in Him. In fact, you would notice that you would have the wise man who came from the East in chapter 2. Later on, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, is going to have a sermon that He will give, the Sermon on the Mount, and there He will say, the wise man built his house upon the rock, and the foolish man built his house upon the sand. And then even later on we will read of the wise virgin. Five wise and five foolish. The wise maidens took lamps and they had oil in the lamps. The foolish maidens took only a lamp but didn't have any oil in the lamp. They were not really born of the Lord. They were not born of the Spirit of God. So the theme of Matthew is that you are either wise or you are foolish. Wise persons find him. And we can see the wise men, they found him. And what did they do? According to this verse 11, they found the young child, they found him in the house and they fell down and they worshiped him. They worship Him, verse 11. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Miriam, his mother, and noticed they fell down and they worshiped Him. That's the one that he was seeking for. According to verse 2 of our chapter, where is He that is born King of the Jews? The star led them from east to west, from west to south, all the way from the east, from Babylon to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. And in Bethlehem, the star stood above the house where the young child was, where the king of the Jews was. And as a young child, they came before him, they fell down and they worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasure, They presented unto him known as gifts, according to verse 11, gold, frankincense, and more. This is also very precious because in the gift that they have presented to this young child, the king of the Jews, we can see and we can learn spiritual lesson concerning to who he is and what he was going to accomplish. Let me just remind you that oftentimes because we read of these three gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh, oftentimes people assume that there were only three men because of the three gifts. But nowhere we read that only three wise men came. There must have been a caravan of many who were wise who were Magi, who came from the East. Oh yes, we read of three gifts that I mentioned here, but there were much more than just three individuals. In fact, the way that Herod and all the city of Jerusalem were troubled, According to verse 3, Herod the king that heard that he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him, they must have seen many more than just three. wise men, Medjai's, who came from the East with all their treasures, and their servants, and their horses, and their chariots, and they came in multitude to find the King of the Jews that was born. so we read that they opened their treasures and they presented the treasures unto him and so beloved brothers and sisters these treasures really present before us many spiritual lessons concerning the person of the lord jesus the messiah the gold And then the frankincense and the myrrh represent before us of all who he is and all that which he will accomplish. The gold represents the fact that he is a divine person. To remind us that in the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant And the mercy seat were all covered with gold. And that was the presence of God that represent the gold, represent the deity of God. God is holy and righteous. And the gold represent his deity. But then the frankincense represent his humanity. And just to remind you that in his humanity, he lived a life that was honoring to God. He was the one that in him, there was no sin. In him, there was no sin. He was the sinless one. He knew no sin, He did no sin, in Him there is no sin. The sinless one, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, this is the King of the Jews, the main Mashiach Christ Jesus that was born into this world. He was not only God the Son, As we have read earlier in Matthew, in verses 5 and 6, quoting Micah 5 and verse 2, that he's going forth from eternity, from everlasting. He was divine, but he also became a man. He is the Immanuel. God with us, as Matthew 1.23 quoted Isaiah 7 and verse 14. So the gold, beloved brothers and sisters, represent the divine nature of the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. And the frankincense represent His humanity. And it represent the fact that He pleased God in everything that He has done. That frankincense, this is the aroma that rose up to God and please God in the life of the Lord Jesus the Messiah in his humanity. It is so fascinating to read these verses, beloved brothers and sisters. concerning the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah when all gone astray there was one that lived here a perfect life pleasing God from the day that he was born till the day that he died. In Leviticus chapter 2 we read in verse 1 and when any will offer a meal offering unto the Lord his offering shall be of fine flour and he shall pour oil upon it and put frankincense their own and he shall bring it to Aaron and his sons the priests and he shall take thereof his handful of the flower thereof and of the oil thereof with all the fragrances thereof and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar to be an offering made by fire for, notice that, a sweet savor unto the Lord. This offering of the meal offering represents the life of the Lord Jesus here, the Messiah, here on earth. The meal offering had no blood in it, and it speaks of the life, of the perfect life of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah. So they gave him gold representing his divine nature. They gave him the gift of fragrances representing his human nature. His human nature, his perfection and the joy and the glory that he gave to God. He always pleased God from the day that he was born until the day that he died. And ultimately they also gave to Meir in Hebrew the word is bitter. And it speaks about the atoning suffering and death that the Messiah Yeshua Jesus will experience for the fact that he came to this world in order to provide salvation. And in order that he will provide salvation for sinners here in this world he must die. a substitutionary death. He must suffer and die. And so in the gifts that the Medjai's gave to the young child that was in the house who was the king of the Jews represents before us his person and his work. Yeshua, Jesus is God the Son. Gold. Yeshua Jesus is a man, a perfect man, frankincense. And Yeshua Jesus, the Messiah, had to suffer for the sin of this world, represented by the myrrh, bitter. And how He has experienced suffering and death here in this world. And the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all, my dear friend. So when we see this, and here is the last verse for us at this time, in verse 12, being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And why would God would speak to them in a dream that they will not return to Herod? Who told them earlier, you go, find where he is and then come again and tell me that I may come and worship him also. Verse 8, He did not have or did not intend to worship the newborn king of the Jews. He intended to kill him. And these Magi, these wise men were warned by God not to return to Herod and to go back to their homeland some other way. And so, my dear friends and dear brothers and sisters, what we learn from these passages, it's the coming of the wise men from the East to worship the King of the Jews. And the question, of course, to us all, that you and I worship the King of the Jews, the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, recognizing Him who is the Eternal Son, God the Son, seen in the gift of gold. He is the perfect man who lived honorably before God, who pleased Him on every hand, seen in the frankincense. and He is the One that has suffered and died for your sins and mine, for the sin of this world, seen here in the gift of the Myrrh. Are you a wise man? Are you a wise woman? Are you a wise person? Have you come to know the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah as your Lord and Savior? How important is to turn to Him, accept Him, because the only way to receive forgiveness of sins is by accepting the Messiah, Yeshua Jesus, the King of the Jews. who came from heaven in love for us all, providing Himself as the Redeemer, the Savior. May God open the hearts of many today to accept Him as the Messiah, Lord and Savior. God bless you, my dear friend. Until the next time, we say Shalom Shalom. You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitam. Gideon teaches God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0, or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom. StSq2 2.60