“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.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
–Matthew 2:1-6
The wise men followed the star of Bethlehem. They assumed it was leading them to King Herod’s palace. It’s logical that the prophesied savior would be born in a palace, but because they stopped following God’s leading they went a direction which diverted from Jesus. Herod was alarmed by the wise men’s news of a savior and because of his fear, he had all the baby boys in Bethlehem murdered. It’s possible that if the wise men had just kept following the star, Herod would not have known about Jesus, nor would he have murdered the babies.
This should serve as a reminder to us of the importance of having faith in God’s leading and not simply assuming what His will is. Even though the wise men diverted from the path God intended for them, He was still in control. He warned Joseph and Mary and protected Jesus from harm.
God allows us to choose our own path in life. He allowed the wise men to go to Herod’s palace. He allowed Herod to cause the great suffering prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15;
“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.”
I used to be anxious and fearful that I would stray from God’s will. Simply by reading the Bible, or the news for that matter, we can see the terrible consequences which come from disobeying God. Now, however, I take comfort in knowing that God is always in control even when we make mistakes. It was God giving freedom of choice to Herod which allowed him to kill those babies. Those little boys were too small to know right from wrong and must have gone to heaven. It was only the families left behind who suffered unbearable grief.
In all the chaos, God still carried out His plan:
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.’ And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and 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.'” -Matthew 2:13-15
God protected Jesus, His own son, until the right time. Then He allowed Him to be tortured to death for our sins and share in the grief and suffering of humanity. Now we have the option to be adopted as God’s children and join our loved ones in heaven. We can have faith and take comfort in knowing that God has our best interests at heart. He can see “the greater good.” I dare say He IS the greater good. God is able to fulfill His will despite our mistakes.
Furthermore, just as the wise men went back to following the star when they didn’t find Jesus at the palace, it’s never too late for us to turn back to God’s will for us. He’ll always be there, eager to lead us where He wants us to go. James 1:5 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Trust that God is bigger than your mistakes. Trust that He loves you and that you can rest in Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” -Proverbs 3:5-6
Anna Sojourning 