"We Come To Worship Our King" D uring the tenure of the great orator Henry Ward Beecher, a visiting minister (Beecher's brother) once substituted for the popular pastor. A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and when the substitute pastor stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners began to move toward the exits. That's when the minister stood and said loudly, "All who have come here today to worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the church. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!" A.W. Tozer asked, What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven. To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity glorifying God or giving glory to God, and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man (Ps. 29:2; 96:6; 1 Cor. 10:31). [James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, July 1986, p. 15.] But the worship in song, prayer, and testimony that we speak when we come together on Sunday, is only real to the degree that our lives have actually changed because of who God is and what He has done. If my life is not showing His worth each and every day, then the words I speak in worship are just noise without meaning. If my life is not constantly changing its direction to line up with the things Jesus knows as true, the character of the Spirit s new life as seen in Jesus, and the activities of serving and loving others like Jesus, then I can t honestly say He is of greatest worth to me that I love Him more than all else. FOR DISCUSSION Some people love classic cars or football or gardening. A man and woman may truly and deeply love each other for their entire lives. What kinds of things or changes might you see in someone who loves that reveals the object and depth of their love? ENCOUNTER Read God s word so that He can speak to you. Matthew 2:1-6, 13-18, 21-23 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 21 So he [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." EXAMINE what the passage says before you decide what it means. Circle the word worship in the above passage, and look for its recurrence in the rest of Matthew 2. Underline prophet has written (verse 5) and each use of fulfilled EXPLORE God s Word by asking questions of what you saw. The notes which follow may help you to think through these questions. 1) What were the motivations behind the actions of the wise men? Of Herod? Of the Scribes and people of Jerusalem? Today, why do some people want to worship Jesus and others don t? 2) To worship means to declare the worth or value. What do the following verses say about the worthiness or value of Jesus? 2:6 2:15 2:17-18
2:23 What value or worthiness do you see in Jesus? 3) The worship of the wise men was not expressed simply in an hour of private singing and prayer - it changed the course of their lives for two years, it was their focus, it cost them dearly in more than the expense of gifts. And it was visible by others. If you were to worship God in this way, what kind of action and changes would He desire from you? How could this be visible to your brothers and sisters in Christ? How could this be made visible to your neighborhood and those far from God? 4) What could we, the church, do to invite others to really worship God and how could we show them what that means? NOTES ON THE PASSAGE (Adapted from Thomas Constable, Expository Notes) 1-2 From ancient times the term Magi or Wise Men had reference to a priestly caste of Medes with special power to interpret dreams (Dan 1:20; 2:2; 4:7). The title came to loosely cover a wide variety of men interested in dreams, astrology, magic, books; it included true seekers of truth and the deceptive (Acts 8:9; 13:6,8). The tradition that these were kings is traced back to Tertullian, based on OT passages that say kings will come and worship Messiah (Pss 68:29,31; 72:10-11; Isa 49:7). From the east possibly Babylon, where there was a large Jewish settlement [note the long time of travel implied (2:16)]. It is possible they were looking for a sign because of the expectation created by the timetable outlined in Daniel 9:24-26 --the promise of Messiah s death 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (444 B.C.); and perhaps the prophecy of "star" in Num 24:17. "Could it be that 'the star' which the Magi saw and which led them to a specific house was the Shekinah glory of God? That same glory had led the children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years as a pillar of fire and cloud. Perhaps this was what they saw in the East, and for want of a better term they called it a 'star'" (Louis A. Barbieri Jr., "Matthew," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, p. 15). When did the Magi visit Jesus in Bethlehem? There
are several factors that point to a time about a year after Jesus' birth. First, Matthew described Jesus as a "child" (Gr. paidion, v. 11), not an "infant" (Gr. brephos, cf. Luke 2:27). Second, Jesus' family was residing in a house (v. 11), not beside a manger (cf. Luke 2:1-20). Third, Herod's edict to destroy all the male children two years old and under (v. 16) suggests that Jesus fell within this age span. Fourth, Joseph and Mary brought the offering of poor people to the temple when they dedicated Jesus about 40 days after His birth (Luke 2:24). After receiving the Magi's gifts, they could have presented the normal offering (cf. Lev. 12). Fifth, Joseph and Mary's decision to return to Judea from Egypt (v. 22) implies that Judea is where they had lived before they took refuge in Egypt. 3 - Herod was an Edomite usurper; not Jewish and not the rightful King of the Jews. He was scared, for the birth of a king threatened his right to rule. There was a strong expectation among the nations of the coming of a great One. The wise men recognize He is more than a king-- they have come to worship. 4-6 Bethlehem was the ancestral hometown of King David. Matthew's rendering of the Micah 5:2 prophecy adds the fact that the Ruler would shepherd the Israelites. This statement, from 2 Samuel 5:2, originally referred to David. Thus Matthew again showed the connection between the prophecies of Messiah and the Davidic line, a connection he also made in chapter 1. The Scribes knew the Scriptures but cared more about Herod's anger. Though the city was in an uproar, not one person went to see the new-born King! 9-11 - The reaction of the wise men to discovering "the child" and His mother was to bow and worship Him. It was customary in the ancient Near East to present gifts when approaching a superior (cf. Gen. 43:11; 1 Sam. 9:7-8; 1 Kings 10:2). The wise men produced these from their "treasures" or coffers. The expensive gifts reflected the great honor the Magi bestowed on the Christ child. The gold probably financed Joseph and Mary's trip to Egypt (vv. 14-21). Frankincense is a gum obtained from the resin of certain trees that was particularly fragrant. Myrrh was also a sap-like substance that came from a tree that grew in Arabia. People used it as a spice and as a perfume often in embalming as well as in other applications. Many commentators, ancient and modern, have seen symbolic significance in these three gifts. Some have said gold suggests royalty while others have seen deity. Some say incense represents deity while others believe it better represents perfect humanity. Most expositors view myrrh as prefiguring Jesus' death and burial. It is unlikely that the Magi saw this significance, but Matthew may have intended his readers to see it. This act by Gentile leaders also prefigures the wealth that the Old Testament prophets said the Gentiles would one day present to Israel's Messiah (Ps. 72:10-11, 15; Isa. 60:5, 11; 61:6; 66:20; Zeph. 3:10; Hag. 2:7-8). This will occur in the fullest sense at the Second Coming of Christ. 13-15 The statement of fulfillment in verse 15 comes from Hosea 11:1; but the verse in Hosea is not a prophecy but a rehearsal of Israel s past exodus from Egypt. Yet the context of Hosea 11 is all about Israel s return to exile because she refused to truly and only worship God. The promise is also that God will not abandon Israel to a second captivity, but will completely and forever bring the nation back to Himself in the future. In Exodus 4:22 Israel is called God s son. In Isaiah 49:3 the Messiah, YHWH s faithful Servant, is identified with Israel, the unfaithful servant. Jesus fulfills for Israel what they failed to completely experience. The significance of this quote is not so much in the trip from Egypt, but in the fulfillment of Messiah s identity with Israel. As he came out of Egypt, He will be the One to bring Israel out of captivity
(which they were still experiencing in Rome and still are today until the Kingdom comes). The statement of fulfillment in verse 18 comes from Jer. 31:15. Jeremiah 31 is a context of hope (the promise of a New Covenant) the promise of deliverance and restoration. The exile from Jeremiah s day continues mothers are still weeping, the Kingdom of David is still gone. But Jesus will bring the full realization of deliverance, though it will be through the suffering of the nation (destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the judgments of the Tribulation). 19-23 - Herod s son Archelaus was just as evil but not as smart or as great a builder. He would soon be removed by Rome because of his incompetence. Nazareth a violent and coarse town (note: the environment doesn't determine the outcome). It was a despised village (see John 1:46). Nowhere does the OT say the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. It does say He will be despised and rejected (Isa. 53). Jews from Nazareth were viewed as despised and contemptible for their association with Gentiles. Matthew cites the prophets generally to show fulfillment: Jesus is the suffering King who will save people from sins. GOING FURTHER One thing we can do to train ourselves to remember, is to memorize a part of what our Father has said to us. The Holy Spirit can use this to change our thinking so that our heads are more like Jesus. This week, memorize Matthews 1:21