Among those who acknowledged the birth of the Messiah was a group of wise men, perhaps philosophers or astrologers from a land somewhere to the East of Jerusalem possibly Persia. From their astronomical observations and their reading of the Hebrew Scriptures (Numbers 24:17) they discerned that a great Jewish king had been born. They came a long way to find Him, and when they did, they were overcome with ecstatic joy and worshipped him. These men had godly faith even though they were Gentiles, and not of the Chosen people.
Herod was the half-Jewish, half Idumean King of the Jews. The Jewish chief priests, scribes and teachers at his court were the leaders of the Chosen people. They possessed the words of God and claimed to understand and interpret them. Yet they were ignorant of the signs and prophecies the Scriptures contained. They had no idea about the birth of the Messiah. They were deeply disturbed at the suggestion that he had been born. They did not believe what the Magi told them. If they had believed what they said, they would have accompanied them and worshipped as well. Instead Herod, afraid of the slightest threat to His power sought to do away with this “pretender” through savage cruelty. He did not know God at all for then he would have realized the futility of his efforts to subvert His plan. Even today many use violence to try to suppress the gospel and the messengers who bring it. All such efforts will never silence God because no one can in any way circumvent His will.
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