Advent Devotional 12.20.21

 

 

Monday, December 20, 2021

 

 

 

God’s Divine Purpose

After this interview the wise men went their way.  And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Matthew 2: 9-12

 

As a child, I recall seeing Nativity scenes that were set up around town during the Christmas season. I would stare in wonder at the baby Jesus in the manger, surrounded by Mary and Joseph, a few animals, and those three strange men bowed before Him with treasure chests. Who were they, and where did they come from? Were they kings, magicians, scholars, or something else? Why did they call them “the Wise Men?” And why did they travel to pay homage to this child?

Although the Bible is rather vague about all of this, it is one of the world’s greatest stories — that God is really in charge.  In His way, He is doing something so significant, that it transforms the darkness of human history into hope and light. Everything is intended to serve His divine purpose. In His way, He has set the Wise Men on a path from the East to seek out the Messiah.

This is a sign that the Messiah is for all the people, and not just the Jews. He uses nature in the form of a guiding star to direct them to the child. He provided the Wise Men with gifts of gold (for a king), frankincense (for a priest) and myrrh (for anointing the dead). Did these gifts provide prophetic insights into Jesus’ life ahead?

And finally in the end, God uses the world of dreams to warn them of the danger posed by Herod, and orchestrates their safe passage back to the East, where they can continue to spread the word of the Christ child.

 

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, let this be the day that I worship and adore You in all that I think, say and do. Please set me on a path and guide my actions so I can better serve You. Accept this as my gift to You, Father. My heart is Yours this day and forevermore.

Amen

Chuck Bodiford