Shalom, my dear friends and dear brothers and sisters. God bless you. We are going to continue the study of the Gospel of Matthew, and hopefully you have your Bibles available. And we are going to turn now into Matthew chapter 2, and we will read together the first 12 verses of the second chapter. And so please follow me as I am reading these 12 verses. We do read: "Now when Jesus was born in Beit Lechem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he that was born king of the Jews? For we have seen he starved in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he commanded of them where Christ, Messiah, should be born. And they said unto him in Beit Lechem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: And thou, Beit Lechem, 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." Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Beit Lechem. And he 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. When they had heard the king, they departed. And, Lord, the star which they saw in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And so, beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, I'm going to stop here reading from Matthew 2:1-12. And as soon as we are entering into the book of Matthew, into this Gospel of Matthew, we are learning to see that this Gospel of Matthew is a Gospel that was specifically directed to the people of Israel, to the Jewish people. Often times, we will read in the Gospel of Matthew, many quotations that the author, by the Spirit of God, is quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures.

After all, to remind us that when the Messiah was promised to come to this world, He was promised that He will come to be the one that will come out of the Virgin, that she will conceive and bear a son, and she shall call His name Emmanuel. Emanu means with us, El means God, God with us, or with us God. That was the promise that God had given His people Israel, that the Messiah will come, and He will be the one that will be God Himself, and He will come to be with us. And that God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, would come to the nation of Israel in the person of the Son, the Son of God.

As we do read in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, as we read the promise for unto us a child is born, that is the humanity of the Messiah, and unto us a Son is given, that is the divinity of the Messiah. God the Son would enter into this world through a virgin, we know her to be Miriam, and she had conceived and bore a son and call His name Yeshua, Jesus, which is Jehovah the Savior. The word Emmanuel, God with us, God with us simply means that God will enter into this world by taking union, a human nature with His divine nature, and He would be Emmanuel with us, God, God with us.

And as we learn through the gospel of Matthew, we will see how many a time the author, by the power of the Spirit of God, quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. In Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, the passage that we have already covered in our study of the first chapter, in verse 23, 3, the author, by the divine inspiration, quoting Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14, when he was writing, when the first chapter was written, concerning the virgin that shall be with a child. Now we enter into chapter 2, and you notice here in this second chapter, there are four times that the Spirit of God, use that word, the prophet, the prophet, the prophet, and finally at the end of Matthew chapter 2, the usage of the word, the prophets, plural.

You notice that? In Matthew 2 and verse 5, we read, And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet. Notice verse 15, notice verse 15, we do read, And he was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet. You notice verse 17, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet. And finally, in verse 23 of Matthew chapter 2, we read, And he came and dwelt in the city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets, not only prophets singular, but we have here the plural, by the prophets.

And so you notice, beloved friends and sisters, that in the first 12 verses of Matthew chapter 2, We will read of the coming of the wise men, in Hebrew they are called Megushim, the wise men who would come from the east in order to worship the newborn king of the Jews, the newborn Melech HaYehudim. And so we covered the first chapter that we saw the genealogy of the king of the Jews, how he was born to the virgin. And now we read of how the wise men from the east, that were influenced by Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, already in days of all, when they were in captivity by the Babylonian.

And these godly Hebrew men have influenced upon many in the east. And we see now that many from the east come to worship the newborn king. While Israel is a nation, although we're anticipating the coming of the Messiah, yet we can see that wise men from the east are coming and alerting and awakening many in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel to the reality that the king will be born. So the king of the king of the Jews is going to be here on earth and they came to worship him all the way from the east. So the arrival of the Magis, the Magushim from the east, they immediately came to the city of Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem.

And so we read in verses 1 and 2, now when Jesus, his Hebrew name is Yeshua, Jehovah the Savior. When Yeshua was born in Beit Lechem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. And notice what they say in verse 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. You see, beloved friend, when the time has come and the Messiah was born. And when he was born here into this world, already you can see how God was working in the hearts of even wise men.

Magushim, Magi from the east, who from Babylon, from these areas came, were influenced by the godly men. Boys earlier, men and women who were taken by the Babylonians to captivity, who have stood for the God of Israel, such as the Esther, such as Mordecai, such as Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, and many others. Although the Jewish people were carried away to Babylon, disciplined by God, and yet you can see that there always left an influence on others. And the wise men that came from the east, these were those that were influenced by all sorts of things that were not really even godly. But they were Magushim, Magi, they were involved in many things that were not for God, and yet they were influenced.

They heard from such as Daniel about the God of Israel. And as they were influenced, apparently we see them coming now because of what they have seen. So they are coming. When the Lord Jesus the Messiah was born in the city of Bethlehem, and then there was in the days when Herod, Herod was an Edomite. King Herod, Herod was known to be the one that built Metzada, built Kessiah, Cesaria, built an enlarged temple mount in the city of Jerusalem. Herod was the one that is called the Great. Herod the Great, at about 40 BC, he was made king of Judah or Judea by the Romans. And now the time has come for the Messiah that was born in the city of Bethlehem.

Notice what we read. And Herod the king, we read the wise man that came, it was in his days. And they asked the question, 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. Now I want to just mention, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, for us to understand that it was already predicted in days of all by the prophets of Israel that the Messiah will be born here into this world. And how he will come, to whom he will be born, at the locality of his birth. And there was so much written concerning the birth of Christ, of the Messiah by the Hebrew prophets in days of all.

And here we can see the fulfillment of that which was spoken of in days of all by the prophets. And so, you notice, we read of them coming, they are initially coming to the city of Jerusalem. And as they come from the east, notice that the east, of course, it's always east from Jerusalem. It's not in the far east, it's not in China, but it has to do with east from the city of Jerusalem. East from Jerusalem is Mesopotamia. East from Jerusalem is where Babel, Babylon was. And it was to Babylon that the Jewish people were carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar when they disobeyed the Lord and God had to remove them from the land.

In that land that was foreign to them in Babylon, the godly in Israel still spoke about the God of Israel. Daniel still served the God of Israel. He ministered even to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, who saw various dreams, and he interpreted the dreams for him concerning the God of Israel and the nation of Israel. And so these wise men, these Magis coming from the east, they arrived into the city of Jerusalem, verse 1. And notice what we read, that they began to question, where is he? Where is he? Notice, this is the first question that is mentioned in the New Testament, in the Brit HaChadashah. The first question that was mentioned in days of old, what we know in the Old Testament, is found in Genesis chapter 3.

Now that the Messiah has come, God had worked it out in such a way that these wise men from the east will ask, where is he? They are looking for a person that was born king of the Jews. And so as they are questioning, where is he that was born, the king of the Jews, they added and they said, we have seen his star in the east. Very interesting expression. We have seen his star in the east. This star is not an ordinary star. Beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, this star was the star that represents the Shekinah glory, the Shekinah. It is the same Shekinah glory, the manifestation of the presence of God, that Israel, the nation, have experienced in days of old.

To remind you, when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, God led them with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, the Shekinah, his manifestation in the presence of his own people to lead them in the wilderness. This is the Shekinah, according to Exodus chapter 13. The Shekinah, the Shekinah, is the one, is the presence of God that rested when the temple was completed. Shekinah glory rested there in the Holy of Holies. Not only in the temple, but even earlier in the tabernacle, according to Exodus chapter 40. And I just want to read this to you in Exodus chapter 40 and verse 33 we read.

And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. And notice what we read in verse 34. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. That cloud is the Shekinah glory. The Shekinah, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And so what these wise men who came from the east, these Magi, when they came from the east is because they were following his star. Notice they say here in this chapter of ours, in Matthew chapter 2 and verse 2, they say, Where is he that is born the king of the Jews?

For we have seen not as his star. It is a star that belongs to him, the king of the Jews. And that is the manifestation of the presence of God that rested upon that king of the Jews that was born, the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Where is he? When God asked the first question from Adam, where are you? The question was asked because Adam sinned and turned against God, violated God's word. When their first question in this new covenant was asked, where is he? It is because the king of the Jews that was born here into this world, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, was the sinless one who came to redeem sinners back to God.

And so we read, where is he that is born king of the Jews? Notice that what we read here, that the king was born a king. This is exactly what the prophets of old have said, that when a Messiah will come, he will be a king. A king that will be born into this world and is going to ultimately rule as king of kings and lord of lords. It was the prophet Zechariah that wrote concerning the coming of the Messiah in Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy king cometh unto thee. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a cold, the fall of an ass.

When a Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus was born, he was born already a king. But the purpose that he came at his first coming was not yet to rule as king, but first of all, to provide salvation by offering himself as a ransom for many. So the wise men coming from the east in verses 1 and 2, and they're asking, Where is he that is born, where is he that is born, the king of the Jews? For we have seen his shekhinah, shekhinah glory, his star in the east, and I come to worship him. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, this star representing the presence of the Lord that rested, the presence of God that rested upon this child that was born here into this world, whose name is Yeshua, Jesus, as we have read it already in chapter 1 concerning the birth of Jesus, the birth of Yeshua.

And so, as we move along here, you will notice that the Magi, the wise men of the east, saw a star that was moving, unusual star. It's not the ordinary star that we have in heaven. This star is moving from east to west. And later on, he will continue to move from north to south. It's a star that is moving because it is his star. It is the star that speaks directly concerning the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. He is the one that the star represents. The shekhinah, the shekhinah glory, the manifestation of the presence of God. This is so beautiful for us to see as we study this passage in the Gospel of Matthew.

Now, as we continue on, in verse 3, you notice that Herod, the king, and again, I would like to remind you, this was Herod the Great. This Herod the Great was an Edomite. He ruled from about 36 B.C. to about 4 A.D. And he was a bright, a brilliant man, though wicked. He was the son of a high-ranking official, and he is the one, the construction that he was able to build was fascinating. Caesarea, there by the ocean, it was done by him under his direction. Metzada, there by the Dead Sea, and the building there on the Mount Metzada was done by him. The mountain or the hill of the Herodias was done by him, all this fascinating building that he has done.

Even the enlargement of the Temple Mount was done by Herod the Great. And so, in verse 3, the one that was considered to be the king that was appointed by the Romans, although he was an Edomite and had no right to be a king, but the Romans who controlled in those days, were under the rule of the Romans' empire, they have set him to become a king of Judea. We're reading in verse 3 that Herod the king, when he had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Why was he troubled? Although he was made the king of Judah by the Romans, yet he was troubled because he did not want to be replaced.

And here, the wise men from Babylon are coming, and they say, where is he that was born, the king of the Jews? And obviously, Herod was troubled. And not only him, because apparently all Jerusalem was troubled, because after all, when you see a large envoy of people who come from the east, coming all the way to the city of Yerushalayim, you can just imagine, everyone is asking, who are these? Where are they coming from? And then they are seeking, they are looking for the king of the Jews, for Melech HaYehudin. And so, Herod was troubled. All Jerusalem was troubled, according to verse 3. And so, what does Herod do?

According to the next verses, beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 4, 5, and 6, the chief priests of Israel and the scribes were called by Herod to give him some information. And so, in verse 4, Herod gathered all Israel's spiritual leaders. And he's asking them about the king that was born. Specifically, as it was predicted by the prophets of Israel, he was asking them concerning the one, the Messiah, the Mashiach that was going to be born. And so, we read in verse 4, when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them. Notice what he asked from them. Where Christ should be born?

Notice that. It's very interesting. Because the wise men came and said, where is he that was born king of the Jews? And yet, Herod asking where Christ, where Messiah, was to be born. Why? Because all in Israel knew when the Messiah will come, he will be the king of the Jews. He will be the king of Israel. As Prophet Zechariah wrote, that when the king will come at his first coming, behold, nor that thy king cometh, Zechariah 9, verse 9, unto thee, he is just, he is having salvation, he is lowly, and he is riding upon an earth, and upon a cold, the fall of an earth.

But then, verse 10, Zechariah continued to mention, in days of old, prior to the coming of the Messiah, that, in verse 10, God says, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle ball shall be cut off, and he, this is the king of the Jews, this is the king of Zion, and he shall speak shalom, peace, unto the heathen, and his dominion, he's going to rule, he's the king, his dominion shall be from sea, even to sea, and from the rivers, even to the ends of the earth. He is going to rule over all the world. That king, that would come, initially, riding on a donkey, in order to provide salvation, he will suffer and die, but he will ultimately come, and rule, and reign, from sea to sea, and from shore to shore.

And so, Herod is calling, the scribes, and the chief priests, the spiritual leaders of Israel, and according to, Matthew chapter 2, he is asking them, in verse 4, where, Messiah should be born, where Christ, the Mashiach, should be born. And so, they are responding to him, and notice how, it's so interesting, because they knew, on a basis of the prophets, message in days of all, that spoke by the word of the Lord, concerning the coming redeemer, the coming king of the Jews, that's how he will be coming, and that's where he will be born. And so the quoting, beloved friends, and dear brothers and sisters, they are quoting, what, Micah, Micah, the prophets of Israel, wrote in chapter 5.

It says here, and they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus, it is written, noted by the prophet. This is the first time, in the second chapter, that the word, prophet, is mentioned here, in this chapter, beloved friends. And you notice, as we mentioned, throughout the gospel of Matthew, a quotation from the Hebrew prophet, will be presented again, and again, much more than everywhere. Why? Because, Matthew, wrote this gospel, for the benefit of the Jewish people, to see, that the promises of God, to the nation of Israel, will be fulfilled, in the coming of the Messiah, both in his first coming, as well as his second coming.

The first coming, he will come to die, to be buried, and to rise again, for our justification, and he will come again, to rule as, the king of the Jews, the king of kings, and lord of lords. So, we already have seen, the first quotation, in the gospel of Matthew, in chapter 1, and verse 23, where author, Matthew, was writing, concerning, the coming of the Messiah, that he would come, by the prophet, as the Lord promised, by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin, shall be with a child, and shall bring forth a son, and shall call his name, Emmanuel. So, now, the second time, in the gospel of Matthew, in chapter 2, and verse 6, they are quoting, Micah chapter 5, and verse 2.

In actuality, Micah 5, in the Hebrew text, it is actually, verse 1. So, what is the quotation? Beautiful to see. And they said unto him, in Bethlehem, the Messiah, the king, of the Jews, that will be born, he will be born, in the city of Bethlehem. As it is written, notice, in the land of Judea, and he says here, in verse, as we read here, in verse 5, he will be born, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written, by the prophet, and here is the quotation, and thou, Bethlehem, verse 6, in the land of Judea, are not the least among the princes of Judea, out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Now, notice, it says here, in verse 6, quoting Micah, chapter 5, verse 2, in the English text, verse 1, in the Hebrew text, where it says, Now, you notice, that is to be a ruler, that is to be a ruler, in Israel. Now, you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, Matthew, stop here, with a part of the verse, of Micah, chapter 2, the remaining part, of the verse says, whose going forth, have been, of all, from of all, from everlasting. That means, that the king of the Jews, that will be born, in the city of Bethlehem, is the one, that already existed, in eternity past. He will come to rule over Israel, in his humanity, and yet, whose going forth, have been, from of all, from everlasting.

He is the eternal son, this is so precious, to understand this, my dear friend. The person, of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who according, to Matthew, chapter 1, and verse 23, quoting Isaiah 7, 14, he is the Emmanuel, God with us. And, in Matthew, chapter 2, and verse 6, quoting Micah, chapter 5, and verse 2, we learn, that his going forth, is from everlasting. That teaches us, both, of the humanity, of the king of the Jews, the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, but it also, tells us, that he is much more, than just another man, he is the one, whose going forth, have been, from of all, from everlasting, everlasting, the eternal one, the eternal son, enter, into this world, became a man, took union, humanity, with his divine nature, in order to become, the king, of the Jews.

So, they continue, purpose, after all of the, of the coming, of the wise men, from Babylon, we have come to worship him, we read, in verse 2, the purpose, that they came to worship, and notice, they said, we came to worship him, we have seen, his star, and we have come, all the way, from the east.

So, Herod, troubled, Jerusalem, troubled, because after all, beloved friends, and dear brothers, and sisters, this is the first time, in human history, that God, took human nature, with his divine nature, it never happened before, and it will never happen again, that's why, it's such a unique, fact, that would cause, all to be trouble, the city of Jerusalem, and the population, in Israel, because it never happened before, and let me just remind you, in the, pre-incarnation, of Christ, of the Messiah, there were many times, in the history of Israel, whether it is with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and, and the history of Israel, when God, appears, as a man, like, when he came to Abraham,

the three men, that came to Abraham, one of them, was the Lord, with whom Abraham, spoke, according to Genesis, chapter 18, and the men, that wrestled, with Yaakov, and changed his name, from Jacob, to Israel, in Genesis, chapter 32, he wrestled with him, and he called, his name, you know, Pnuel, the location, I've seen God, face to face, that was a pre-incarnate, appearing, of the, of the Messiah, before his incarnation, before he took union, humanity, with his divine nature, which only happened once, and will never be repeated, because he is, now God, and man, in one, and he came to this world, in order to, die, as a man, for the sin of this world,

to pay for our, sin and sins, and provide salvation, to whoever, believe, on him, that's why, we read here, in Matthew, chapter 2, quoting, Micah, chapter 5, in Bethlehem, of Judea, for thus, it is written by the prophet, verse 5, verse 6 said, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are not, the least among, the princes of Judah, for out of thee, Bethlehem, out of thee, shall come, a governor, that shall rule, my people, Israel.

and then, we can read, the remaining, part of, Micah, chapter 5, and verse 2, in the English, where it said, who is going forth, have been from of all, from everlasting, in Hebrew, the everlasting, is, meymei olam, meymei olam, he always existed, the eternal son, and now, he took union, humanity, through the virgin birth, Miriam, and he, became, a man, God, and man, in one, a mystery, of mysteries, in John, chapter 1, we read, in the beginning, was the word, and the word, was with God, and the word, was God, John 1, 1, John 1, 14, and the word, became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld, his glory, the glorious, of the only

begotten, of the father, full of grace, and truth, this is amazing, this is the mystery, of mysteries, and that's why, Jerusalem, and Herod, and the land of Israel, everyone was troubled, because where, is he that born a king, the anticipated, Messiah, that would come, to this world, to be born, as a king, and ultimately, after the, finishing, of the work of redemption, he will rule, and reign, at his second coming, as king, of kings, and lord, of lords, this is fascinating, my dear friends, dear brothers, and sisters, in fact, when the apostle Paul, wrote to Timothy, in 1 Timothy chapter 3, he said to him, in verse 16, and without doubt, or without controversy, great

is the mystery, of godliness, God, was manifest, in flesh, justified, in spirit, seen, of angels, of angels, preached, unto the Gentiles, believed on, in the world, received up, into glory, Paul emphasized, the fact, how God, was manifested, in flesh, that's, what we read here, in Matthew chapter 2, where is he, where is he, that was born, the king of the Jews, we have seen, his star in the east, we have come, to worship him, well, here is the answer, as the, chief priest, and the scribe, responded to her, where they said to him, as the prophet said, and thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not, the least, among the princes, of Judah, for

out of thee, Judah, Bethlehem, shall come, a governor, ruler, that shall rule, my people Israel, you see, the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, will ultimately, rule, the nation of Israel, as the king, of the Jews, although, Israel, the nation, at his first coming, did not, receive, Yeshua, Jesus, as the Messiah, Lord, and Savior, and so we read, my dear, brothers and sisters, and dear friends, in the next verse, very interesting, because immediately, in verses 7 and 8, King Herod, in a crafty way, he was really, not intending, to acknowledge, that king of the Jews, that was born, and so what does he do, in a crafty way, my dear friend, and dear brothers, and sisters,

now he inquired, the wise men, about the time, when they saw, that star, and so we read, in verse 7, and Herod, when he had, privately, called the wise men, he is inquired, of them, diligently, what time, the star, appeared, and so, what does he do, he privately, called these wise men, that came from the east, and, while, he didn't want to reveal, his intention, to do something, about this newborn king, and to do away with him, he first of all, came to these wise men, and he wanted to know, the timing, so he can figure out, about the age, of the one, that is born king, king of the Jews, so he asked, them,

concerning the time, he gathered them privately, the wise men, the Magi, and he inquired, of them diligently, diligently, he tells you, that he really wants to know, detail, when, when, what was the time, that you have seen, that star, when did he appear, again, I would like just to remind us, my dear friend, according to, Numbers chapter 24, there was a promise, of God, through that false prophet, who was called, to curse Israel, Bil'am, you remember, God, even used him, not to curse Israel, but to bless Israel, but to bless Israel, to provide the promise, of the coming, one, of the star, that will come, the Messiah, the king of the Jews, that will come,

and in Numbers chapter 24, we read about that star, that Bil'am, who initially, wanted to curse Israel, but couldn't curse Israel, he said, concerning, the star, that will come, we read in verse 15, of Numbers chapter 24, and he took up, his parable, and said, Bil'am, the son of Beor, have said, and the men, whose eyes are open, have said, he has said, which heard, the words of God, and knew, the knowledge, of the most high, which saw, the vision, of the almighty, falling, into a trance, but having, his eyes open, although, he came initially, out of greed, to curse the people, of Israel, and yet, God have, allowed him, not to curse Israel, but

to give, a parable, that speak, about the coming Messiah, the coming king, the coming star, and so he said, in verse 17, of Numbers chapter 24, I shall see him, but not now, I shall behold him, but not now, there shall come, a star, out of Jacob, and a scepter, you see, the king, and a scepter, shall rise out, of Israel, and shall smite, the corners of Moab, and destroy, all the children, of shit, and a dom, shall be possession, Zeir also, shall be a possession, for his enemies, and Israel, shall do valiantly, out of Jacob, shall come he, that shall have, dominion, and shall destroy him, that remaineth, of the city, beloved friend, beloved

friend, already, as Israel, were on the journey, from Egypt, from Sinai, to the promised land, of Canaan, God, even, allowed, that Bilam, the false prophet, who sought to curse, Israel, to gain something, from cursing, the nation of Israel, God have, did not allow him, to curse, but change, his words, to a blessing, and a promise, of the coming star, out of Jacob, the scepter, shall rise out, of Israel, and ultimately, as we read here, Israel, will be the one, that will bring, forth that star, the Messiah, who will have, dominion, from sea to sea, and from shore to shore, and here, we read, that the, herald, is seeking, to find out, when did they, see

that star, and so the wise men, are responding, to him, as giving him, the information, when did they, see the star, in the east, where they came from, Babylon, and then, in verse 7, a herald, now that he, find out, some information, concerning the timing, which we will see, later on, when he will, seek to kill, the king of the Jews, and he will know, more or less, the age of that, king of the Jews, by that time, since the timing, that he received, from the, wise men, who came from the east, what did he do, verse 8, he sent them, to Bethlehem, and he said to them, 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, well, he was not intending, to come, to worship, the king of the Jews, the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, that was born, but he wanted, that these, wise men, from the east, that were following the star, initially, from east to west, from, we might say, Babylon, to Jerusalem, and now, they will follow the star, that will be moving, from Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, and as they would, follow the star, they will, find, the, king of the Jews, that was born, but you notice, how interesting, because here, in this, chapter, Herod, called him, a young child, in Hebrew,

not a babe, that is in a manger, according to, the gospel of Luke, chapter 2, but now, a young child, because why, because he was, seeking for the timing, in which, these, wise men, who came from the east, saw the star, and they were saying, that he was already, born, so the time, that they have seen the star, until the time, they have arrived, to the city of Jerusalem, some time, have passed by, and you remember, where we read, in the gospel of Luke, in chapter 2, we read, in verse 8, Luke chapter 2, in verse 8, we do read, beloved friend, where he does say, and there were in the same country, shepherds, abiding

in the field, keeping watch over, their flock by night, and lo, an angel of the Lord, came unto them, upon them, and the glory of the Lord, shone around, about them, and they were, so afraid, and the angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring to you, good tidings, of great joy, which shall, be for all people, for unto you, is born, not as this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is the Messiah, Christ, the Lord, they received the news, of the birth of the Messiah, this day, a Savior, is born, in the city, of David, and he is the Messiah, the Lord, then he says, this shall be a

sign unto you, you shall find the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger, so my dear friend, in Luke chapter 2, and verse 12, we read of the person, of the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, as a baby, that was born, on that day, when the angel, revealed this, to the shepherds, and so, when he was born, the angels, went, rejoicing, when the glory of God, was there, as the baby was born, multitude of angels, and heavenly hosts, were praising God, and saying glory to God, in the highest, that was at the birth, of the Messiah, on that day, but now, time passes by, and that babe, became a young child,

and that's why, while in Luke 2, and verse 12, Yeshua, Jesus is called a babe, here, in Matthew chapter 2, and verse 8, when Herod, sending them to Bethlehem, and said, go, and search, diligently, for the, not for the baby, but for the young child, in Hebrew, Naar, and we will see, that some, nearly two years, have passed by, because, when Yeshua, was born, he was, of course, a baby, but he was in a manger, in Bethlehem, but now, when we arrive, to chapter 2, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is no longer, in a manger, and he was, no longer a babe, he was a young child, and he was, in a house, so we

read, in verses 9, 10, 11, and 12, of our portion, for this time, beloved friend, how the wise men, find the king, of the Jews, and they, fall down, to worship him, as they, already, express themselves, when they have, arrived to Jerusalem, when they ask, 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, so we do read, in verse 9, when they heard, with the king, they departed, and Lord, the star, not as the very same star, who was once, in the east, and he led them, to Jerusalem, now the star, which they saw, in the east, went before

them, until it came, and stood, over where, the young child, not the babe, but the young child, was, so that's, Shekinah, the Shekinah glory, the manifestation, of the presence of God, residing, we might say, on the person, of this, babe, that was born, became a young child, moving, from the east, to the west, from the north, to the south, from one place, to another, his star, his Shekinah, his manifestation, of the presence, of God, so we do read, beloved brothers, and sisters, this star, went before them, that star, led them, this is not, an ordinary stars, this is his star, the Messiah star, the king of the Jews star, now, stood, over, where the child,

was, in other words, moving, moving from, Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, there, exactly, where, the house, where the Messiah, was, there, with his parents, Miriam, and Yosef, with his mother, and his stepfather, there, the star, stood, we read, in verse 10, when they, saw the star, they rejoiced, with exceeding, great joy, you notice, how they are, following, the Shekinah glory, led, by the spirit of God, God, moved their hearts, to move, from the east, to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, and all the way, to where the child, the young child, was, and they were, so much, joyful, when they, came finally, to the location, when they, found, the king, of the Jews, so we read, in verse

11, when they, were come, into the house, again notice, beloved brothers, and sisters, and dear friends, that now, they enter, into the house, Luke chapter 2, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, was a baby, in a manger, in Luke 2, and verse 12, here in Matthew 2, and verse 8, and 9, and 10, and 11, he is not a baby, he is a young child, he is not in a manger, he is in a house, and by virtue, of the fact, that Herod, asked them, about the time, when they, saw the star, he wanted to know, how much time, passed by, from the time, that he was born, to the time, that is now, as he

is sending them, to the city, of Bethlehem, and anticipating, to receive, some information, from the wise men, so he, claiming, Herod, that he wants, to come, to worship him, but in actuality, he has no intention, to worship, the king, that will replace him, and set him aside, and so we read, when they came, notice that verse 11, when these wise men, when they were, come into the house, they saw the young child, notice with Miriam, his mother, and here we have, the reality, that they, they were moved, by the spirit of God, though Gentiles, though from other nations, though initially, they were, not believers, in the God, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God

of Israel, but you can see, that God was working, in the hearts, of these Gentiles, these so called wise men, they were really wise, because they came, to worship the king, and you would see it, beloved friend, in the gospel of Matthew, that the gospel of Matthew, presents the person, of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, as the king of the Jews, and everyone, that trusted in him, is wise, the fools, do not trust in him, in fact, you would notice, that you would have, the wise men, who came from the east, in chapter 2, later on, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, is going to, have a sermon, that he will give, the sermon on the

mount, and he will say, the wise men, built his house, upon the rock, and the foolish men, built his house, upon the sand, and then, even later on, we will read, of the wise virgin, five wise, and five are foolish, the wise, maidens, took lamps, and they had oil, in the lamps, the foolish, maidens, took only a lamp, but didn't have any oil, in the lamp, they were not really, born of the Lord, they were not born, of the spirit of God, so the theme, of Matthew, is that you are, either wise, or you are foolish, wise, persons, find him, and we can see, the wise men, they found him, and what do they do,

according to, this verse 11, they found, the young child, they found him, in the house, and they fell down, and they worshipped him, they worshipped him, verse 11, and when they had come, into the house, they saw the young child, with Miriam his mother, and notice, they fell down, and they worshipped him, that's the one, that he was seeking for, according to verse 2, of our chapter, where is he, that is, born, king of the Jews, the star, led them, from east to west, from west to south, all the way from, the east, from Babylon, to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, and in Bethlehem, the star, stood above the house, where the young child, was,

when the king, of the Jews, was, and as a young child, they came before him, they fell down, and they worshipped him, and when they had opened, their treasures, they presented, unto him, known as gifts, according to verse 11, gold, frankincense, and more, this is also, very precious, because, in the gift, that they have presented, to this young child, the king of the Jews, we can see, and we can learn, spiritual lessons, concerning, to who he is, and what he was going, to accomplish, let me just remind you, that often time, because we read, of these three, gifts, a gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, often time, people assume, that there were, only three, men, because

of the, three gifts, but nowhere, we read, that only three, wise men, came, there must have been, a caravan, of many, who were wise, who were magi, who came, from the east, oh yes, we read, of three gifts, that are mentioned here, but, there were much more, than just three, individuals, in fact, the way, that Herod, and all the city, of Jerusalem, were troubled, according to the, verse three, Herod, the king, that heard, that he was troubled, and all Jerusalem, with him, they must have seen, many, more, than just three, wise, men, magi, who came, from the east, with all their treasures, and their servants, and their horses, and their chariots, and they came, a

multitude, to find, the king, of the Jews, that was born, and so, we read, that they opened, their treasures, and they, presented, the treasures, unto him, and so, beloved brothers, and sisters, these, treasures, really, present, before us, many spiritual lessons, concerning the person, of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the gold, and then, the frankincense, and the myrrh, represent, before us, of all, who he is, and all that, which he, will accomplish, to remind us, that in the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, and the mercy seat, were all covered, with gold, and that was, the presence of God, that represent, the gold, represent the deity, of God, God is, holy, and righteous, and the gold,

represent his deity, but then, the frankincense, represent, his humanity, and just, to remind you, that in, his humanity, he lived, a life, that was honoring, to God, he was the one, that in him, there was no sin, in him, there was no sin, he was the sinless one, he knew no sin, he did no sin, in him, there is no sin, the sinless one, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, this is the, king of the Jews, the man, Mashiach, Christ Jesus, that was born, into this world, he was not only, God, the son, as we have read, in, earlier, in Matthew, in verses, five and six, quoting Micah five, and verse two, that he's going

forth, is from, eternity, from everlasting, he was divine, but he also, became a man, he is the Emmanuel, God with us, as Matthew one, twenty three, quoted Isaiah seven, and verse fourteen, so the gold, beloved brothers, and sisters, represent the divine nature, of the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, and the frankincense, represent his humanity, and it represents, the fact that, he pleased God, in everything that he has done, that frankincense, this is the aroma, that rose up, to God, and pleased God, in the life, of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, in his humanity, it is so fascinating, to read, these verses, beloved brothers, and sisters, concerning, the person, of the Lord, Jesus the Messiah, when

all gone astray, there was one, that lived here, a perfect life, pleasing God, from the day, that he was born, till the day, that he died, in Leviticus chapter two, we read in verse one, and when any, will offer, a meal offering, unto the Lord, his offering, shall be of fine flour, and he shall, pour oil upon it, and put frankincense, thereon, and he shall, bring it to Aaron, and his sons, the priests, and he shall, take thereof, his handful, of the flour, thereof, and of the oil, thereof, with all the frankincense, thereof, and the priests, shall burn, the memorial, of it, upon the altar, to be an offering, made by fire, for notice that,

a sweet saviour, unto the Lord, this offering, of the meal offering, represent, the life, of the Lord Jesus, here, the Messiah, here on earth, the meal offering, had no blood in it, and it speaks, of the life, of the perfect life, of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, so, they gave him gold, representing his divine nature, they gave him the gift, of frankincense, represent his human nature, his human nature, his perfection, and the joy, and the glory, that he gave to God, he always pleased God, from the day, that he was born, until the day, that he died, and ultimately, they also gave to myrrh, in Hebrew, the word is bitter, and it speaks about, the atoning,

suffering, and death, that the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, will experience, for the fact, that he came, to this world, in order to provide, salvation, and in order, that he will provide, salvation, for sinners, here in this world, he must die, a substitutionary, death, he must suffer, and die, and so, in the gifts, that the Magis, gave, to the young child, that was in the house, who was the king, of the Jews, represent, before us, his person, and his work, Yeshua, Jesus, is God, the Son, gold, Yeshua, Jesus, is a man, a perfect man, frankincense, and Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, had to suffer, for the sin, of this world, represented, by the myrrh, bitter, and how, he

have experienced, suffering, and death, here in this world, and the Lord, have laid, upon him, the iniquities, of us all, my dear friend, and so, when we see this, and here is the last, verse for us, at this time, in verse 12, being warned of God, in a dream, that they should not, return to Herod, they departed, into their own country, another way, and why would God, would speak to them, in a dream, that they will not, return to Herod, who told them earlier, you go, find where he is, and then come again, and tell me, that I may come, and worship him also, verse 8, he did not, Herod did not, intend to worship,

the newborn, king of the Jews, he intended, to kill him, and these, Magi, these wise men, were warned, by God, not to return, to Herod, and to go back, to their homeland, some other way, and so, my dear friends, and dear brothers, and sisters, what we learn, from these passages, it's the coming, of the wise men, from the east, to worship, the king of the Jews, and the question, of course, to us all, do you, and I worship, the king of the Jews, the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, recognizing him, who is, the eternal son, God, the son, seen, in the gift, of gold, He is the perfect man, who lives, honorably before God, who

pleased him, on every hand, seen in the frankincense, and He is the one, that has suffered, and died, for your sins, and mine, for the sin of this world, seen here, in the gift, of the myrrh, are you a wise man, are you a wise woman, are you a wise person, have you come, to know the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, as your Lord, and Savior, how important, is to turn to him, accept him, because, the only way, to receive forgiveness, of sins, is by accepting, the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, the King of the Jews, who came from heaven, in love for us all, providing himself, as the Redeemer, the Savior, may God, open the hearts,

of many today, to accept him, as the Messiah, Lord, and Savior, God bless you, my dear friend, until the next time, we say, Shalom, Shalom.