While the shepherds came to worship Jesus at his birth, the wise men came to worship Him when He was “a young child” at a house. The wise men were not at the manger with the shepherds.
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the
days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
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." - Matthew 2:1-2
How did these Gentile wise men hear about this star and the
birth of the King of the Jews?
Perhaps the wise men were searching for the star spoken of
by the Gentile prophet Balaam.
"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but
not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
Israel…" - Numbers 24:17 [Star – “metaphor used of an illustrious prince” –
Gesenius Lexicon]
Isaiah prophesied of the visitation of the wise men (kings).
"And the Gentiles shall come to
thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." - Isaiah 60:3
"And he sent them to Bethlehem, and 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, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till
it came and stood over where the young child was." - Matthew 2:8-9
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the
young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when
they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and
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." -
Matthew 2:11-12
The Lord warned Joseph to take Jesus and His mother and flee
into Egypt.
"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." - Matthew 2:16
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