Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 8

 The Visit of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:8 “And he sent them to Beth-lehem, and said, 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.”

And he sent... He thought he was sending them, but they did not go there at all. They followed the star, not prophecy, to where He was born. The star led them to Nazareth, not to the stable at Bethlehem where He was born, but in "the house" at Nazareth where He had lived since being presented to the Lord 41 days after His birth (Luke 2:7, 2:21-39). He was about 2 years old by now.

and when ye... You see, Herod was a liar. He had no intention of worshipping Him. He wanted to kill Him. He was afraid of Him whom he saw as a potential threat to his throne.

bring me word...He also instructed the Magi to return and tell him the location of this King so that he might come and worship Him. That was not, however, what he had in mind.

The wise men did go and find Him as we have seen from above. Beth-lehem is only 5 miles from Jerusalem. It is a short journey. Herod thought he had tricked the wise men.

This became critical later in the account (Mat. 2:16); it showed that Herod was already contemplating a plan to get rid of this young King. He also instructed the Magi to return and tell him the location of this King so that he might come and worship Him. That was not, however, what he had in mind.