Welcome to part two of connecting the covenants! I have decided to put the New Covenant scriptures in red and the corresponding Hebrew scriptures in blue throughout this series. I've updated my first post with this information. We continue today with Matthew chapter 2. The first two verses contain numerous connections.
Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
Our first connection is to Micah 5:2, where we learn the birthplace of the Messiah: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.
Bethlehem Ephrathah is used to distinguish which Bethlehem, as there were several in Israel in the time of Yeshua. Ephrathah was in Judea, and is also there today. The modern Jewish town called Efrat is just outside the Palestinian Authority-controlled Bethlehem.
Micah describes this town of Bethlehem as small, and indeed it was back then, even though it was the ancestral home of King David. Located six miles south of Jerusalem, it was quite tiny. Many of the Judean descendants of David, in line for the throne of Israel, fled from Bethlehem during the persecution by the Greeks under Antiochus in the 160's BC. Where did they go? Galilee. Specifically Nazareth. More on Nazareth at the end of this post.
By the way, Bethlehem means house of bread and ephrathah means fruitful.
So. who were these wise men, what was this star they spoke of, and how did they know about it?
The book of Daniel gives us numerous examples of the king's men in Babylon. In Daniel 2:2, the Septuagint (Hebrew scriptures translated into Greek about 200 years before Yeshua was born) uses, among others, the Greek word magi to describe the king's "magicians." These magicians, sorcerers, and diviners were advisors to the king. Daniel himself was elevated to the position of advisor to various kings in Babylon. Magi is the word used in Matthew 2:2 for wise men.
After the seventy years of exile were up for the Jews in Babylon, a small percentage of them returned to Jerusalem, but the majority remained in Babylon. Did the Jewish presence in Babylon over the years have influence over the wise men and astrologers there? Were they familiar with the Hebrew scriptures?
Numbers 24:17 is a prophecy uttered by Balaam, the Gentile who was unable to curse the Israelites but instead blessed them: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.
Also, there are numerous Hebrew scriptures that speak of nations and kings bowing down to the Messiah. The wise men came to the feet of Messiah from the nations to give homage to the newborn king. Technically, they were not kings, but they served kings.
Psalm 72 says, May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
Isaiah 60:3 says, And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Continuing the story in Matthew... The wise men went to Jerusalem and asked around about Israel's coming king. Herod caught wind of this and was beside himself - and all of Jerusalem with him. He was an evil man who killed his wives and sons out of paranoia that someone would usurp his throne. The people of Jerusalem knew that if Herod wasn't happy, ain't nobody happy. Herod left no stone unturned and summoned his own wise men... the Jewish leaders, to find out where this king would be born. They told Herod where this would be, quoting Micah 5:2... right there in Matthew 2:6.
Herod then summoned the Eastern wise men and grilled them about the timing, and then commanded them to go find the kid and bring him word so that he too could worship him.
The magi listened to the king and then went on their way, following the star and it led them to the house where the child was.
Stop.
I have no idea how a star in the sky can rest over a house in the physical realm. May I suggest an idea?
The last verse of Revelation chapter 1 says this about John's vision: As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
The Greek word for angel, angelos, means a messenger, an envoy, one who is sent. Could the star that led the magi to the house have been a messenger or envoy of some kind? I believe it makes sense.
Note that these wise men did not go to Yeshua's original birthplace... the cave, the stable, or wherever it was. The child was now a little older and was at the house where he and his parents were staying (but still in Bethlehem). The magi entered the house, saw the child with his mother, and fell down and worshiped. Gentiles from afar worshipping the Jewish Messiah. They gave the child gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (This is why we assume there were three magi - three gifts. But there could have been an entire ensemble of magi).
Isaiah 60:6 says, They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of Yahweh. Did you notice that there is no myrrh mentioned here? This is an example of a near/far prophecy. Myrrh was a gift included at His first coming because it is a spice that represents death. However, when He returns as the King of glory, no myrrh will be required.
It is interesting that Luke 2 records the first worshippers of the Messiah - the Jewish shepherds. They went straight to Yeshua's place of birth after being told where to find Him by an angel. This order fits the repeated biblical pattern of the Jew first and then the nations. The magi came later.
After worshipping the baby king, the magi dreamt that they were not to return to Herod, and so they didn't. They snuck out the back door of Judea, so to speak.
Time for another angelic dream, this time for Joseph, telling him to get his family out of there pronto. Joseph wasted no time, and they all left for Egypt under the cover of darkness. Matthew 2:15 says they remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Oooo, another connection. Hosea 11:1 says, When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. This prophecy has so many layers! Both Abraham (Genesis 12) and Moses (Exodus 12) left Egypt with great treasures. Joseph and Mary eventually left Egypt and returned to Israel with the greatest treasure of all - the Messiah!
Meanwhile, back in Bethlehem... Herod was furious at being tricked by the wise men, and he put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and surrounding areas ages two and under. Matthew 2:18 records a prophecy from Jeremiah: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.
Going back to Jeremiah, it is interesting to note the context of this verse. Jeremiah 31 is filled with promises of hope and restoration for Israel. The comfort and reassurance in that chapter is so great that verse 15 stands out as such a contrast - that of Rachel weeping for her children. Ramah was well north of Bethlehem, so the prophecy isn't location-specific. I believe the contrast of that one verse of mourning in the midst of great hope is intentional.
In the same way, the celebration and joy of the Messiah's earthly arrival is tempered by the tragic murders in Bethlehem.
Herod was not the only despot to murder Jewish baby boys. We also have a connection back to Exodus chapter 1, where the evil Pharaoh commanded the deaths of all the Israelite baby boys.
In both of those cases, the future deliverer of his people was rescued from death as a baby. First Moses, then Yeshua.
Matthew chapter 2 concludes with Joseph being given another dream to return to Israel. The final verse says, And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
This prophecy isn't so clear, as it is not a direct quote of a verse - at least not in the English. However, check out Isaiah 11:1... There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. That word for branch is netzer. The name Nazareth comes from this word and means branch town. It is the town where the branch of the stump of Jesse, the promised Messiah, would grow up. Even today in Israel, followers of Yeshua are called Notzrim, a title that stems (pun intended) from the same root (pun also intended) word.
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