Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 2

 The Visit of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:2 “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.”

Where is he... Question 1. Next, Mat. 3:7.

King of the... Tacitus and Sueronius testify that in the East at this time there was a general expectation of a king to be born in Judea who was to rule the whole world. Daniel predicted His coming and being "cut off" to be 483 years after the post-Babylonian captivity commandment to restore Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24-26). Jesus was born to rule and will do so forever after His second coming (Luke 1:32-33; John 18:37; Isa. 9:6-7; Rev. 11:15; 22:1-5).

star in the... The Tenfold Prophecy of the Messiah:

1. I (Balaam) shall see Him, but not now (Num. 24:17). Balaam and all other men will see Him, for every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess His Lordship (Phlp. 2:9-11). Even all rebels in hell will be tormented forever in His presence (Rev. 14:9-11; cp. Isa. 66:22-24). The literal meaning here is, "I shall have a full view of Him, but the time is far distant"; that is, the person I am prophesying about does not now exist among these Israelites, nor shall He appear in this generation.

2. He shall rise as a Star out of Jacob (Num. 24:17). The star has been a symbol of regal power among all nations, being often used to herald the rise of, and future glory of, a monarch.

3. A Sceptre shall rise out of Israel (Num. 24:17). This same thing was predicted by the prophet Jacob (Gen. 49:10; cp. Psm. 45:6; Heb. 1:8). It expresses the ruling power of the Messiah who was to come (Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 7:13-14; Luke 1:32-33; Rev. 11:15).

4. He shall smite the corners (extremity or uttermost parts) of Moab (Num. 24:17; cp. Psm. 60:8; Isa. 11:14; 16:1-5; 25:10; Jer. 48:47; Dan. 11:40-41).

5. He shall destroy the children of Sheth (Seth, Num. 24:17; cp. 1Ch. 1:1). Seth here refers to all mankind, for all descended from Seth through Noah (Gen. 5:1-32); that is, none but Sethites were preserved through Noah and his sons. Messiah will reign until all enemies are put under His feet—those of the human race and otherwise (2Cor. 15:24-28).

6. He shall possess Edom (Num. 24:18; cp. Psm. 60:8-9; Isa. 11:14; 63:1-5; Dan. 11:40-41; Amos 9:12; Oba. 1:11-21). Edom, Seir, and Esau refer to the same country (Gen. 32:3; 36:8, 36:21).

7. He shall cause Israel to do valiantly (Num. 24:18; cp. Isa. 11:14; Zec. 12:5-9; 14:14).

8. He shall come out of Jacob (Num. 24:17, 24:19; cp. Gen. 49:10; Isa. 9:6-9; 49:26; 65:9; Mat. 1:1-2; Luke 1:32-33).

9. He shall have dominion (Num. 24:18; cp. Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 7:13-14; Zec. 9:10; 14:9; 2Cor. 15:24-28; Rev. 11:15; 20:1-10; 22:4-5).

10. He shall destroy him that remains in the city (Num. 24:19). This pictures a conqueror who defeats his enemies in battle and then seeks out those that have escaped, to deal with them accordingly. This Christ will do after Armageddon when He gathers the nations and determines who shall or shall not enter the kingdom (Mat. 25:31-46).

Bethlehem (Ephratah), means house of bread, and it is appropriate for the Bread of Life (Jesus) to be born there.

Contrary to the belief of many, there were not a specific number of wise men. These wise men (called Magi by some), were probably men who were able to interpret dreams and understand prophecy, as well as being able to discern the heavens.

They knew Messiah was prophesied. They knew that His star would appear in the east. They knew this star proclaimed the promised Messiah, and being wise, they came to worship Him.

Star... This could not have been a supernova or a conjunction of planets, as some modern theories suggest, because of the way the star moved and settled over one place (verse 9). It is more likely a supernatural reality similar to the Shekinah that guided the Israelites in the days of Moses (Exo. 16:21).

Again, This special revelation may simply have been in the sky, as might be indicated by their title “Magi” (specialists in astronomy) and by the fact they referred to a star which they saw. Or this revelation could have come through some contact with Jewish scholars who had migrated to the East with copies of Old Testament manuscripts. Many feel the Magi’s comments reflected a knowledge of Balaam’s prophecy concerning the “star” that would “come out of Jacob” (Num. 24:17). Whatever the source, they came to Jerusalem to worship the newborn King of the Jews. (According to tradition three Magi traveled to Bethlehem. But the Bible does not say how many there were.)

Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 20

The day of the Lord

 

The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. Joel 1:20

The beasts of... As well as the prophet, in their way; which may be mentioned, both as a rebuke to such who had no sense of the judgments upon them, and called not on the Lord; and to express the greatness of the calamity, of which the brute creatures were sensible, and made piteous moans, as for food, so for drink.

cry also unto... Panting thorough excessive heat and vehement thirst, as the hart, after the water brooks, of which this word is only used (Psm. 42:1); but in vain.

for the rivers... Not only springs, and rivulets and brooks of water, but rivers, places where there were large deep waters. By the excessive heat and scorching beams of the sun, by which such effects are produced.

and the fire... Whereas the word rendered pastures signifies both "them" and "habitations". (Joel 1:19)

This drought has been so severe, that the rivers and streams have dried up. There is no water for the crops. There is no water for the people or the cattle either. Their only chance for help is to cry out to God.

We read in Jeremiah of a drought where the cows had their calves early and lost them. This was no ordinary dry period. This was a drought so great that nothing could live. This speaks of horror beyond our imagination.

As we see, even the streams had dried up, causing the dehydrated wild animals to pant for water. People will need to cry out to the Lord.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 1

 

The Visit of the Wise Men

Verses 1-2: “Beth-lehem of Judea” was also called Ephrath. The town is five miles south of Jerusalem. Its name in Hebrew means “House of Bread.” This Judean city was the birthplace of King David. It was the original city of Joseph’s ancestors. According to (Luke 2:1-7), Joseph and Mary traveled there from Nazareth and Jesus was born in a stable after they arrived.

“Herod the king” was known as Herod the Great, and was the son of Antipater, an Edomite. He became king by Roman decree in 43 B.C.

“Wise men” were originally the priestly caste among the Persians and Babylonians. These Magi from the East were experts in the study of the stars. Tradition claims that there were three royal visitors who were also kings. However, there is no real historical evidence to verify this.

“Born King of the Jews:” The wise men naturally come to Jerusalem, the royal capital of Israel, seeking one whom they thought was to be born a king, on the basis of their calculations of the stars.

“His star” could not have been merely a natural phenomenon, since it led the wise men to Jerusalem and later to Bethlehem. It almost certainly was a divine manifestation used by God to indicate the fact and place of the Messiah’s birth.

Matthew 2:1 “Now when Jesus was born in Beth-lehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”

in Bethlehem of... Fulfilling Mic. 5:2. Bethlehem was 5 miles south of Jerusalem.

Beth-lehem is known as the city of David. This is the city of the birth of David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ (Luke 2:4-7), as predicted by Micah the prophet (5:2; Mat. 2:5-6). In the New Testament it is mentioned only in the Gospels and always in reference to Christ’s birth.

came wise men... Greek: magoi, wise men. Their number, nationality, and country are unknown. They were a priestly hereditary caste that uttered prophecies, explained omens, interpreted dreams, and practiced divination (Dan. 2:2, 2:48; 4:9).

days of Herod... known in history as Herod the Great, because of his loyalty to Rome, was given authority over Israel and the title of king (37 to 4 B.C.). To win the favor of both Romans and Jews he carried out lavish building projects, including the cities of Caesarea and Samaria, and the new temple at Jerusalem. Herod had 10 wives and the deserved reputation of being a cruel, unscrupulous despot.

Because of hatred and ambitions for power among families, and because of Herod’s consuming suspicion that someone might usurp his throne, he even executed one of his wives and his three oldest sons. Thus, the act of murdering all of the young male children in the region of Bethlehem, in an effort to eliminate the One whom the Magi had called King of the Jews, fits Herod’s character (verses 1-16). When Herod died, Rome divided his kingdom among three sons: Archelaus (verse 22), Antipas “the tetrarch” (verse 14:1), and Philip (Luke 3:1).

In A.D. 325 Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine built a church over some caves traditionally regarded as the birth site. In the sixth century Emperor Justinian I, built on the same site a larger church which is now called the “Church of the Nativity.” No archaeological remains from the first three centuries of the Christian era have been discovered. Today, Bethlehem is primarily an Arab town called Beit Lahm with about 15,000 inhabitants.

His Infancy

Though not all scholars agree on the timing of the arrival of the Magi from the East, they apparently came some time after the birth of Jesus. Jesus and Mary and Joseph, though still in Bethlehem, were now in a house (Mat. 2:11), and Jesus was called a Child (paidion, Mat. 2:9, 2:11) rather than a newborn Infant (brephos, Luke 2:12).

The exact identity of the Magi is impossible to determine, though several ideas have been suggested. They have been given traditional names and identified as representatives of the three groups of peoples that descended from Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. More likely they were Gentiles of high position from a country, perhaps Parthia, northeast of Babylon, who were given a special revelation by God of the birth of the King of the Jews.

Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 19

The day of the Lord

 

O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Joel 1:19

O Lord, to... As the first to call to repentance, the prophet had to be the first to heed the warning. He had to lead by example and motivate the people to respond. In the midst of proclaiming judgment, God’s prophets often led in intercessory prayer for mercy and forgiveness (Exo. 32:11-14; Jer. 42:1-4; Dan. 9:1-19; Amos 7:1-6).

This is the same problem we read about in Isaiah. There was a drought. There was fire that burned what did spring up, and there were swords which killed, as well. It seems that all of nature was in opposition to them. The truth is that God has sent a curse upon man, and beast, and the crops of the field. The day of the Lord is approaching.

The prophet, who clearly identified with his suffering nation (cf. “my” which occurs three times in Joel 1:6-7), cried out to the Lord in his anguish. He compared the locusts to a fire (in both Joel 1:19 and 1:20) which destroys everything in its path.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 1 Vs. 25

 The Birth of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:25 “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

knew her not... Hebrew idiom for cohabitation and fatherhood (Gen. 4:1, 4:17, 4:25; 19:5).

till she had... She had other sons (see, Luke 8:19).

In these verses, we see several things:

1. That God does truly speak to some people in dreams. Not all dreams are from God. When a dream is God speaking to you, there will be no doubt.

2. Joseph heeded God’s message in marrying Mary.

3. Joseph’s restraint from living with Mary until the Christ child was born. This took great discipline on his part.

4. His following instructions to the utmost in naming the baby JESUS as the angel had instructed him.

Again, There was no sexual relationship between them until after the birth of this Child, Jesus. Matthew simply noted the birth of the Child and the fact that He was named Jesus, whereas Luke, the physician (Col. 4:14), recorded several details surrounding the birth (Luke 2:1-7).

Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 18

 The day of the Lord

How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. Joel 1:18

How do the... Not only are the people out of food, but even the grass of the field is not producing, and the cattle and sheep are starving. The drought and the locusts have destroyed everything that even resembles grain. For want of fodder, all green grass and herbs being eaten up by the locusts; and also for want of water to quench their thirst.

The herds of... The larger cattle, as oxen; these were in the utmost perplexity, not knowing where to go for food or drink.

yea, the flocks... Which have shepherds to lead and direct them to pastures, and can feed on commons, where the grass is short, which other cattle cannot. Yet even these were in great distress, and wasted away, and were consumed for want of nourishment.

With no harvest available, the storehouses and granaries had been left to deteriorate. The domesticated animals (cattle.… herds… flocks of sheep) were suffering from starvation.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 1 Vs. 24

 

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:24 “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:”

When the angel told Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy, he “took her as his wife”, i.e. he took her into his home. But they did not consummate their marriage until after the birth of Jesus. Therefore, technically they were still betrothed.

His Birth

As soon as Joseph awakened from this dream, he obeyed. He violated all custom by immediately taking Mary into his home rather than waiting till the one-year time period of betrothal had passed. Joseph was probably thinking of what would be best for Mary in her condition. He brought her home and began to care and provide for her.