O Star of Wonder, Star of Night

There is great wonder and awe in the fact that our God “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.” (Psalm 147:4). And maybe the most famous star is the star of Bethlehem as featured in Matthew 2:1-2.

“Now after Jesus 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.”

This was no ordinary star. This was His star, leading Gentile men to pay homage to the Christ Child. The wise men got it right and came and worshipped Jesus. We learn a bit later in this passage that Herod got it horribly wrong, became jealous, and did evil
(Matthew 2:16).

The Bible provides numerous people who got it right – they believed that Jesus came down from heaven, was born of a virgin, lived among us, taught us countless truths (John 21:25), was crucified for the sins of the world, and rose again on the third day. Consider His cousin, John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10); the woman at the well (John 4:1-42); the poor man Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31); Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10); the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), or His twelve disciples – all of these and many more, got it right.

Sadly, there are some, who like Herod got it horribly wrong. Consider Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor from Judea, who ignored his conscience and condemned Jesus
(Mark 15:15). Or Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus to the religious officials and fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9. Or consider the multitudes, who rejected the teachings of Jesus and “withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” (John 6:66)

Today some get it right and choose to believe on Jesus, while others reject or even remain indifferent to Him. There is no neutral ground with regards to Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). This Christmas reflect on the chorus of the classic song, We Three Kings and draw near to the Light – the only true and perfect Light (John 14:6) for salvation and an everlasting peace that only He can provide (Isaiah 9:6).  

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light