How to listen to God

Joshua Clark
Mar 24
6 min read

Updated: May 15

Matthew 2

Jesus is now born, and immediately, the drama unfolds. Random Magi (mix of scholars and sorcerers who were respected advisors to the kings in the eastern countries, likely Babylon in this case) appear at the temple in Jerusalem searching for the newborn King of the Jews. This concerned the religious elites, who sent word to King Herod. Clearly, there was a close relationship between the political and religious leaders at this time, and both parties seemed very concerned with the idea of the messiah’s birth. This is interesting. King Herod knew enough of Jewish traditions to understand the expectations for the messiah to become the king of the Jews. King Herod was the king of the Jews, so this was an issue. To add to the mix, the Magi came from the East, a constant looming threat due to Herod's problems with the Eastern Kings. So, he begins his evil plot to suppress this threat.

A king feeling threatened by a possible revolt is not surprising. Kings love power and want to keep it. However, the religious leaders have upheld the prophecies of a coming messiah; they were right, and now he has arrived. Shouldn’t they be excited or, at the very least, curious? Instead, they feel threatened and become part of the plan to kill this baby. We do not know how much influence they had on the king to give the actual kill orders, but they certainly played a part, and their response is concerning [1].

The Only Position God Cares About is One Pointed Toward Him

The religious leaders find out about the birth of Jesus, and they are disturbed. Instead of working to find a child and join in the coming of the new kingdom, they try to stop it to protect their prestige. Their positions of authority and “expertise” in the religion blind them to the miracle at hand. This depicts how pride and power can stop someone from earnestly receiving God. The Magi were not Jewish; they were outsiders and immediately responded to the message of Jesus Christ. They knew enough of the Jewish prophecies to recognize the star mentioned in Numbers 24:17 “…A star will come out of Jacob,” and when they saw it, they followed it. This star was an Angel of the lord, who guided them to the exact point of where Jesus was born. They saw it and believed. Even though they were not in the right religion or of the same race as the Jewish people, they were still used by God. They still responded to him, and when they saw Him, they worshipped him. Remarkably, God does not care about origin, position, or authority. Instead, all He desires is that we seek and worship him, no matter who we are. There doesn’t need to be a fancy temple, born of a particular race, nor the pedigree of the elite. Instead, you can follow the light to the cold and musky barn and worship God alone.

Power Comes from God, and He Will Use It.

Judea is the country where all this takes place and was ruled by King Herod the Great. He was the most powerful non-Roman person in this particular time and place. He was an intelligent man who built up his kingdom from practically nothing and did so at whatever cost necessary. He was brutal. This comes to light when he sends out the kill orders for all the baby boys who were born around the time/place of Jesus. This is not the first time in the bible where an evil ruler gives similar orders. The same happened at the time of Moses, when the Pharoah ruled over ancient Egypt[2]. The next generation is always a threat to the one currently in power. King Herod the Great and the Pharoh failed to realize that power does not come from man alone, but from God[3]. This is beautifully depicted in the birth of Jesus. A mighty king is sent into a fury, trying to kill the biggest threat to his kingdom – a naked, crying infant. King Herod the Great spends the rest of his life chasing after this baby and fails terribly. Two teenage parents and their baby boy outwit a violent king. All of this happens through the courage of these humble parents, empowered by the spirit of God who guides them through each challenging situation. It happens one step at a time, and each step is an act of faith. Step by step, across the desert sands, Joseph and Mary guided their son to safety. Their prayers were answered.

Matthew says very little about the death of King Herod the Great. It’s barely mentioned[4], yet accounts outside of the bible tell us that he suffered a terrible and gruesome death[5]. He’s inflicted with an illness that wrecked his kidneys and broke out into a painful, maggot-infested rash across his genitals. He rots from the outside in and tries to kill himself to end the pain. Even this does not soften his heart, and one of his last commands is for many of the distinguished leaders of the land to be gathered and killed. All because he feared that no one would mourn his death. If he killed the leaders when he died, no one could tell who they were mourning. Thankfully, his family does not go through with the orders. Power comes not from people but God alone.

God Provides Vision and Provision in Unlikely Ways

To the Magi, the angel of God comes in the form of a Star. To Joseph, they come as dreams in his sleep. Five times, an angel appears to send word from God, all in creative ways. Before the unfolding events in these passages, people were likely concerned about what seemed to be contradicting prophecies about the messiah's birth. They were told that he would be born in Bethlehem, the town of David[6], but would also come out of Egypt[7] but then somehow be called a Nazarene[8]. Very confusing. For someone to be called a Nazarene, they must be from there. People then did not have last names; they were often labeled with some identifier to accompany their name, such as a hometown name. So, in this case, Jesus would be known as Jesus the Nazarene. Early Christians were not called Christians but instead known as the sect of the Nazarene.

Until this point, all the prophecies would have seemed unlikely and improbable. Yet again, God works it out in beautiful fashion to fulfill each. Joseph and Mary are from Nazareth, where Jesus was conceived. Then they moved to Bethlehem for the Roman census and gave birth to Jesus. Then, from there, they escape the murder orders and flee to Egypt. After a couple of years, they head toward Bethlehem again but are led by the Angel back to Nazareth. The story comes full circle, and the three prophecies of the Messiah’s origin are fulfilled. For readers today, we can see that God works out things in mysterious ways. He can take tragedy and work it out for our good. God did not order nor desire that King Herod kill those baby boys. Yet, it did not stop him from fulfilling his will. God can take the tragedy we face and use it for our good. Our deepest hurts, regrets, and sorrows can be lessons for others. They can give us the soft and gentle hearts needed to love others. No matter how horrible and unlikely your situation looks, God can use it for his will. He can bring you out of Egypt. Seek him, and you will find that escape.

[1] Matthew 2:3

[2] Exodus 1:15-16

[3] 1 Peter 5:11. See also Romans 13:1-7 where Paul encourages the Christian churches to live civilly under the Roman rule and not to fear the wrath of human judgment but know that God is in complete authority.

[4] Matthew 2:19

[5] Lindsay, G. (1977). John the Baptist the Forerunner. Christ for the Nations.

[6] Micah 5:2

[7] Hosea 11:1

[8] Isaiha 11:1. Wilkins et al.., (2015) Recognized the resemblance between the “shoot” in Isaiah 11:1 and the meaning of the word Nazareth which means branch, sprout or off shoot.

Matthew 2: Reflection Questions

Reflect on these questions and use the spaces below to write down your thoughts.

What is your current position of faith? Are you well-seasoned? Or is this your first time exploring the idea, and it all seems a bit overwhelming? Are you focused on God or something else? What do you need to grow in your faith?

How do you hear from God? Do you have trouble hearing His promptings? What is something getting in the way of hearing Him clearly?

What is one area of your life where you need the power of God? What is something you keep trying to fix or do yourself but cannot? What would giving up control over this look like in your life?