Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 9

 The Visit of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:9 “When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.”

They followed the star, not prophecy, to where He was born. The star led them to Nazareth as we saw above.

These wise men of old followed the star in the east and they were led to Him.

The journey of the Magi from Jerusalem wrought a further miracle. The star they had seen in the East now reappeared and led them to a specific house where they found the Child Jesus.

Book of Joel Chapter 2 Vs. 7

 The Day of the Lord

They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Joel 2:7

They shall run... Alas for the... The 2nd section of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 1:15-2:11, unfulfilled; will be fulfilled in the day of the Lord, the battle of Armageddon, and the second coming of Christ). Next, Joel 2:12.

Forty-four Predictions—Unfulfilled:

1. The day of the Lord is at hand (Joel 1:15).

2. It will be a day of destruction from the Almighty.

3. All worship and rejoicing will be cut off from the temple (Joel 1:16).

4. There will be a crop failure (Joel 1:17).

5. The garners will be desolate.

6. The barns will be broken down.

7. There will be a great drought (Joel 1:18)

8. The pastures and trees will be destroyed (Joel 1:19).

9. The beasts of the field will cry to God because the waters are dried up (Joel 1:20).

10. Fire will devour the pastures of the wilderness.

11. The day of the Lord is near (Joel 2:1).

12. A day of darkness and gloominess.

13. A day of clouds and thick darkness.

14. There will come a great and strong people upon the land (Joel 2:2)

15. There never has been nor ever will be again, even for many generations, a people coming into the land like this.

16. A fire will devour before them (Joel 2:3).

17. Behind them a flame will burn.

18. The land before them will be like the garden of Eden; and what they have gone over will be like a wilderness.

19. Nothing will escape them.

20. Their appearance is like horses and horsemen; so shall they run (Joel 2:4).

21. Their noise will be like chariots on the tops of the mountains (Joel 2:5).

22. It will be like the flame of fire that devours stubble.

23. They will be as a strong people in battle array.

24. Before their face the people will be much pained (Joel 2:6)

25. All faces will gather darkness.

26. They will run like mighty men (Joel 2:7)

27. They will climb the wall like men of war.

28. They will march every one on his ways.

29. They will not break their ranks.

30. They will not thrust one another (Joel 2:8).

31. They will walk every one in his path.

32. When they fall upon the sword they will not be wounded.

33. They will run to and fro in the city (Joel 2:9).

34. They will run upon the wall.

35. They will climb upon the houses.

36. They will enter the windows.

37. The earth will shake before them.

38. The heavens will tremble (Joel 2:10).

39. The sun and moon will be dark.

40. The stars will withdraw their shining.

41. The Lord will be their commander and utter His voice before His army (Joel 2:11).

42. His camp will be very great.

43. He is strong that will execute His word.

44. The day of the Lord will be great and very terrible.

Like men of war, in a hostile way, as soldiers run upon their enemy with undaunted courage and bravery. Bochart from Pisidas describes the locusts’ manner of fighting, who says, they strike not standing, but running.

they shall climb... Scale the walls of cities as besiegers do; walls and bulwarks cannot keep them out; all places are accessible to them, walled cities, towns, yea, even houses (Exo. 10:6).

they shall march... In his proper path, following one another, and keeping just distance.

and they shall... Or “pervert their ways”, as the word signifies in the Arabic language, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, observe; that is, decline not from their paths, as the Septuagint version; proceed in an orderly way, keep rank and file.

So they are said to go forth in bands (Pro. 30:27); and to encamp (Nah. 3:17).

Jerom on the text relates what he saw with his own eyes: “this we lately saw (says he), in this province (Israel); for when swarms of locusts came, and filled the air between heaven and earth.

They flew in such order, by the disposition and command of God, that they kept their place like checkered squares in a pavement fixed by the hands of skilled craftsmen; so as not to decline a point, nor even I may say a very small measure.

This is speaking of them being in swarms that do not separate out, but move as a unit. A wall would be nothing to them. They would just go over it and destroy behind it. The wall might slow down a natural army, but not these locusts. The movement across the land is swift, and their destruction is total. Gods army on the move.

Once more the relentless advance of the army is emphasized (cf. Joe. 2:4-5). Again the language applies both to locusts (cf. Driver, The Books of Joel and Amos, pp. 54-5; and Keil, “Joel,” in Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, 10:193, n. 1) and to a literal army.

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.

Book of Joel Chapter 2 Vs. 6

 The Day of the Lord

Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. Joel 2:6

Before their face... Or, “at their presence”; at the sight of them they shall be in pain, as a woman in travail. Into such distress an army of locusts would throw them, since they might justly fear all the fruits of the earth would be devoured by them, and they should have nothing left to live upon.

all faces shall... Like that of a pot, as the word signifies; or such as appears in persons dying, or in fits and swoons; and this here, through fear and hunger (see Nah. 2:10).

Some of the translators say this is speaking of a paleness that comes over the face, when the blood runs out. Their hearts would fail them for fear of things coming upon the earth. It could very well be speaking of mourning, to the extent that the face became black with death.

The relentless charge of the Lord’s army

The response to this awesome army of God was widespread terror, for it involved nations. In anguish (ḥûl) literally refers to writhing, as when a woman is overcome by labor pains (cf. ḥûl in Isa. 26:17; Jer. 4:31; Mic. 4:10). This same response is seen elsewhere in contexts where the Lord comes to do battle (cf. Exo. 15:14; Deut. 2:25; Psm. 77:16; 97:4; Isa. 13:8; Hab. 3:10).

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 7

 The Visit of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:7 “Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.”

This answer from the people’s chief priests and teachers of the Law (scribes, KJV) was apparently carried back to the Magi by Herod himself. Then Herod asked them when they had first seen their star (Mat. 2:7). 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.

Book of Joel Chapter 2 Vs. 5

 The Day of the Lord

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Joel 2:5

Like the noise... The motion of the locusts is leaping from place to place; for which the locusts have legs peculiarly made, their hindermost being the longest; wherefore Pliny observes, that insects which have their hindermost legs, are the long leap locusts.

To which agrees the Scripture description of them: “which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; even those of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind” (Lev. 11:21).

of chariots on... There sound resembles the jumping of chariots on mountains and hills, which are uneven, and usually have stones lie scattered about, which, with the chains and irons about chariots, cause a great rattling; and the noise of locusts is compared to the noise of these, which is represented as very great.

Some say they can be heard six miles off as they make such a noise with their wings when they fly, that they are thought to be other winged fowls (see Rev. 9:9).

Like the noise... As they are before compared to fire, and a flame of fire that devoured all things as easily as the fire devours stubble, so here to the crackling noise of it see (Eccl. 7:6).

as a strong... That is, as the noise of a mighty army prepared for battle, just going to make the onset, when they lift up their voices aloud, and give a terrible shout; for this clause, as the other two, refer to the noise made by the locusts in their march. God's army is set in battle array.

There will not even be stubble left, because the 4 types of locusts even destroy the stubble. This is speaking of literally millions of locusts as stated in the Book of Revelation. There would be a deafening roar from their wings. This would leave the land in terrible shape, as if it had been devastated by a fire.

Nothing can impede the invaders’ swift approach. God's army seemingly leap over the mountaintops. The Hebrew verb for “leap over” (rāqaḏ) suggests both flying locusts and speeding chariots (on the latter, cf. Nah. 3:2, where rāqaḏ is trans. “jolting”).

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 6

 The Visit of the Wise Men

Matthew 2:6 “And thou Beth-lehem, [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.”

And thou Bethlehem,... The 2nd Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Matthew (Mat. 2:6; Mic. 5:2). Next, Mat. 2:15.

come a Governor,... This portion of Matthew’s quote actually seems to be a reference to God’s words to David when Israel’s kingdom was originally established (2Sam. 5:2; 1Ch. 11:2). The Greek word for “ruler” evokes the image of strong, even stern, leadership. “Shepherd” emphasizes tender care. Christ’s rule involves both (Rev. 12:5).

that shall rule... Christ will rule Israel and all other nations from His second coming into eternity (Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 7:27; Zec. 14:1-21; Luke 1:32-33; Rev. 11:15; 20:1-15; 22:4-5).

my people Israel... Israel is made up of thirteen tribes, not only the ten so-called lost tribes. The terms "Jews" and "Israel" are used interchangeably.

come a Governor,... This portion of Matthew’s quote actually seems to be a reference to God’s words to David when Israel’s kingdom was originally established (2 Sam. 5:2; 1 Chron. 11:2). The Greek word for “ruler” evokes the image of strong, even stern, leadership. “Shepherd” emphasizes tender care. Christ’s rule involves both (Rev. 12:5).

You see, these religious people knew where He was to be born. They just did not want to give up their literal way of looking at the law. They were expecting a mighty king, who would rule them and overthrow the Romans.

The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2). This answer from the people’s chief priests and teachers of the Law (scribes, KJV).