(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
To Receive These (And Other) Free Bible Studies And Updates Via Email, Contact Mark Tabata @ 606-216-1757 (Text Message) Or hazardhomecoc@gmail.com (Email)
Matthew 2:1-10-Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘BUT YOU, BETHLEHEM, IN THE LAND OF JUDAH, ARE NOT THE LEAST AMONG THE RULERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ “. 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
The Bible teaches that a “star” led the wisemen (I.e., the Magi) to the home where the Child Jesus was.
Over the years, there has been a lot of speculation about what that “star” actually was. Some suggested ideas include various planets, asteroids, comets, etc.
However, there is another possibility of what the “star of Bethlehem” actually may have been.
Let’s study.
The word “star” in the Bible could actually reference several different phenomena. From the very beginning of Genesis, we are told that stars are were meant to serve mankind as reminders of God’s goodness and greatness.
Genesis 1:14-15-Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
Often in the Bible, stars are connected with angels (both good and evil).
1 Kings 22:19, 21-Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left…Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’
Jeremiah 19:13-And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Tophet, because of all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the host of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to other gods.” ‘
Zephaniah 1:5-Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But who also swear by Milcom;
Now, please don’t misunderstand: the Bible does not teach that stars are actually angels. As Currid points out regarding Genesis 1:
“No names are assigned to the luminaries in Genesis 1: 16; they are simply called “the greater light,” “the lesser light,” and “the stars.” 37 This clearly distinguishes Israelite religion from other ancient Near Eastern worldviews that believe those astral entities to be deities with god-names. In Egypt, for instance, the sun-god in its various forms was the chief deity. In numerous texts this god is pictured as creating himself and then bringing into existence the lesser gods of the cosmos. 38 The Hebrew conception of the luminaries is that they are merely material objects with no life of their own, and they are never to be worshiped (see Deut. 4: 19). As Hasel remarks, “They share in the creatureliness of all creation and have no autonomous divine quality.” 39 Genesis 1: 14–19 is a strong and conscious polemic against other ancient Near Eastern cultures. Gerhard von Rad has this mind-set when he says, “The entire passage vs. 14-19 breathes a strong anti-mythical pathos.” 40 To the biblical writers, the luminaries are simply created things, mere material entities, and nothing else.” (John D. Currid, Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament, 52-53 (Kindle Edition): Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway; emphasis added)
Heiser points out some of the reasons that stars and angels are often connected:
“3.“ Stars” (kōḵeḇı̂m) Since the members of God’s heavenly host are referred to as “heavenly ones,” it should come as no surprise that they are also called “stars” (kōḵeḇı̂m). Indeed, the very designation “host” draws on descriptions of celestial bodies in the Old Testament (e.g., Gen 2: 1; Jer 8: 2): The identification of personified stars with angels of the heavenly hosts is well accepted within a totally monotheistic religious system: the stars stand in God’s presence, to the right and the left of His throne (1 Kgs 22: 19; 2 Chr 18: 18); they serve Him (Ps 103: 21; Neh 9: 6).… At the head of the heavenly hosts stands a “Prince of the army” (Josh 5: 14–15; Dan 8: 11), probably the highest star and the farthest from the earth, even if the actual leader is God, to whom the starry army belongs. From this conception derives the syntagm “LORD/ God of hosts” (Yhwh ʾĕlōhê ṣĕbāʾôt) occurring in numerous biblical passages. 16 Perhaps the most familiar passage in this regard is Job 38: 5–7, where God asks Job: Who determined [the earth’s] measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang [kōḵeḇê bōqer] together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? As we’ll note later in our discussion, “sons of God” is a term for the divine members of God’s divine family-entourage. The heavenly sons of God who watched the creation of the earth are described as “morning stars.” In Isaiah 14: 13, the hubris of the king of Babylon is analogized with that of a rebel who sought to displace the God of heaven: “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God [kōḵeḇê ʾēl] I will set my throne on high.” Scholars have long known that these lines in Isaiah 14 draw on a tale of divine rebellion present in Ugaritic texts, where the gods of El’s council are referred to as the “assembly of the stars [kkbm].” 17 The point of star language for divine members of the heavenly host should be obvious. The members of Yahweh’s host are not of earth. They are celestial, transcendent beings whose home is in the heavenly realm, the abode of God.” (Michael S. Heiser, Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host, 25-26 (Kindle Edition): Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press)
Now, with all this in mind, it is possible that the “star of Bethlehem” was actually an angel that was directing the wisemen to the Child Jesus.
“The Greek word for “star” (aster) used in the New Testament had a variety of meanings in ancient literature, including planet, comet, angel, or light, including a divine light (cf. Matthew 2: 1-10; Revelation 1: 20). The Hebrew word kokav, which is commonly rendered as “star,” is also often used to refer to angels and equated with “the sons of God,” or angelic beings (cf. Job 38: 7; Daniel 8: 10). Divine lights were also used to guide the Israelites, and one appeared before Paul on the road to Damascus (Exodus 13: 21; Acts 9: 3). Thus, it is linguistically possible that the “star” could mean an angel or a divinely sent light, and not just a star, comet, or planet. If the “star” was a planet or a comet, only certain dates for the appearance of the star are possible. A conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn dating from 7 BC has been proposed, or alternatively with Jupiter and Venus in the Leo conjunction in 2 BC. Conjunctions, however, are regular astronomical occurrences and not unique events. Comets have also been suggested, but the closest known comet dates to 11 BC, years before the birth of Jesus, they were often interpreted as bad omens, and they move rapidly across the sky rather than linger and reappear over a long period of time. In addition to the chronological restrictions—two of which from 11 BC and 2 BC do not agree with known historical information associated with the birth of Jesus found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke—the language used in the Matthew narrative does not accommodate planets, comets, or even stars. The account of Matthew states that it was the “star” of Jesus and that this “star” moved and went directly over the specific house where Jesus and his family were residing. “The star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found” (Matthew 2: 9). The “star” was described in anthropomorphic terms, as if it were an angelic being or being controlled by an intelligent agent. Matthew states only that a star appeared, as if it had not existed or was not visible before. The star then disappeared by the time the magi arrived in Jerusalem and saw Herod, which was approximately three weeks of travel from the Babylon area. Finally, once the magi were told of the prophecy about Bethlehem and left their audience with Herod in Jerusalem, the star reappeared with perfect timing, leading them to the exact house and standing over where the child Jesus was with his family in Nazareth (Matthew 2: 9; cf. Luke 2: 21-39). The way in which this “star” and its actions are described makes a star, comet, or planet interpretation impossible. Stars, comets, and planets cannot pinpoint an exact location such as a house in the small village of Nazareth. Stars do not disappear and reappear, do not move through the atmosphere of the earth, and do not come to rest over a house. That the star was “leading” the magi is language pointing to a sentient agent, such as an angel or divinely controlled light. Significantly, the earliest sources outside of the Gospels and the description in Matthew all agree on a single understanding for the star, increasing the probability of a correct interpretation. The Protoevangelium of James, composed about AD 140–170, with an existing manuscript from the 3rd century AD, describes the “star of Bethlehem” as an angel that guided the magi. This is the earliest known manuscript that describes the star associated with Jesus.” (Titus Kennedy, Excavating the Evidence for Jesus: The Archaeology and History of Christ and the Gospels, 39-40 (Kindle Edition): Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers)
Regardless of “what” the star of Bethlehem was (or wasn’t), let’s not miss the forest for the trees here: everything points to Jesus!
Nature points to Jesus.
The Word of God points to Jesus.
Angels on high point to Jesus.
If we are truly wise, we will seek Jesus, just as the wisemen did all of those years ago!
Lord, give us wise hearts to seek You first and foremost. Amen.