When
we think of astrology verses astronomy, we think of the latter as scientific
and objective, and the former as mystical, superstitious or downright demonic. These divisions aren’t as clear as we might
think. Early astrologists made some
incredible scientific observations and discoveries, and modern astronomy isn’t
so divorced from religion. On my
conspiracy theory rabbit trail, I discovered that occultists were heavily
involved in the origins of NASA. Let me just say, Jack Parsons, and leave it at that. People
have worshipped the stars and planets as gods.
Others have tried to discover the mysteries of the stars so that they
could be gods. And many have looked to
the stars to know the will of God.
The stars do tell a story. The
constellations of the northern hemisphere have been recognized the same way
across cultures of the world but with different names. The Hebrew term for constellations of the
Zodiac is Mazzaroth. The Jewish calendar
is based on them. Each of the 12 tribes
of Israel were identified by one of them.
Psalm 19:1-4
says, “The
heavens declare the glory of God.
The skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night
after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech; they use no
words. No sound is heard from them, yet their voice goes out
into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” The heavens tell the
story from Creation to the new creation, and the ancient Israelites understood
them as such. It’s not so surprising
then that God would use the stars to tell of the birth of Jesus, since the
coming of Jesus to earth was always a part of God’s plan for the redemption of
humankind. God speaks through the heavenly bodies.
But the story found in the skies is not separate from God’s Word.
The second half of Psalm 19 speaks
of God’s law. For a long time, I thought
the jump from a psalm about creation to David abruptly switching subjects was
strange, almost as if they should be 2 different psalms, but it makes
sense. We can’t know what the stars mean
apart from the word, and creation adds a visual representation to what we hear
in the Word. In our gospel reading
today, we see God using both creation and word to guide the magi to Jesus. And the magi responded to God’s guidance
because they were seeking it. In their
conversation with Herod, and Herod’s consultation with the chief priests and
scribes we can see that both the stars and the word were used to determine
where the King of the Jews was to be born.
The magi clearly tell Herod that they have come to worship the new king,
who was not just a king, but Messiah.
Herod knows that this is a prediction of Messiah. The difference is that the magi were
expecting and looking for the Messiah and Herod and the chief priests and
scribes, who knew the prophecy about the Messiah weren’t looking for Him. They weren’t paying attention to the stars,
nor were they excited about His birth, but fearful. God was speaking all along. Those who were seeking His guidance heard and
followed.
God still speaks. The book of Hebrews opens with the words,
“God, after He spoke long ago to the ancestors in the prophets, at many times
and in various ways, in these last days has spoken to us through His Son whom
He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world.” Jesus is the revelation of God. He is the One
to whom the stars point. He is the one
of whom the Scriptures speak. I had a
Bible teacher once whose answer to people who want to know what God’s will for
their life was would say, “Jesus Christ is God’s will for your life.” What does that mean? Obviously, it is to believe in Him for
salvation, but it is more than that.
Romans 8:29 says that God has planned for us to be “conformed to the
image of His Son.” In Philippians 2,
Paul exhorts us to have the mind of Christ, which in I Corinthians 2:16 he says
we already have. In other words, we are
to think like Christ, which we can do because He has given us His mind. We are also to act like Christ. What does it mean to act like Christ? We go back to the Scriptures, particularly
the gospels to see how lived. Jesus
Himself told us to do things like love one another—His most repeated command,
forgive one another, serve one another, love our enemies and bless them. It’s not always that hard to figure out what
God is saying to us.
Jesus also said He and the Father would speak to
us by the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to live in us. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would lead
us into all truth. The Holy Spirit also
guides us by convicting us when we are not doing what God is telling us to
do. How do we hear what the Holy Spirit
is saying to us? We hear through the
Spirit illuminating our consciences. We
hear through the same communication channels that God used to guide the wise
men—the written word and creation and through other people. I was visiting
George this week, and we were talking about God speaking to us. He mentioned how God has used His word to
speak to him, when he has run across the right verse at the right time or how
sometimes it’s just a little phrase, maybe of 4 words that sticks out. He talked how a verse can have one
application at one time and a different application at another time. When it comes to God speaking through people,
we can infer that the magi consulted with each other as to what star meant and
the way they should go. We also seeing
them consulting with the Jewish religious leaders through Herod. Sometimes God speaks through people who
aren’t seeking Him, and in fact, are resistant to Him. God can speak through anyone or
anything. It is the Holy Spirit who
helps us to hear the message God is speaking through an unknowing or even
hostile messenger without their knowledge.
Have you ever heard God speak through an unlikely person? Of course, God speaks through other believers
as well. Proverbs speaks of getting
counsel from other people. Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an
abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise
man is he who listens to counsel.” And Proverbs 15:22 “Without consultation,
plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
Another way we can hear God speak to us is through prayer. Our text doesn’t tell us that the magi
prayed, but it is certainly a communication channel offered to them. We do see them worshipping Jesus. Worshipping is a form of prayer but prayer
also involves listening to God.
Sometimes God speaks to us in prayer through silence. Sometimes God speaks to us in prayer through
action, by answering our prayer even in the moment. Sometimes God speaks to us in prayer through
our own words that as we speak, we get clarification for God’s direction for
our lives.
God also speaks to us through circumstances. There are events in our lives where things
come together in such a way that we know God is speaking to us. The right opening comes at the right time. Sometimes God speaks to us to take an
action. Sometimes God speaks to us so
that we will stop and rest in Him. Sometimes
God speaks to us through circumstances just so that we will know His love and
care for us. I have God use
circumstances in all three ways at various times.
You really know God is speaking to you when multiple things come
together at once. You read something in
Scripture, then you might hear something about what you read on a radio program
or in conversation with a friend, then circumstances come together to reinforce
it, then you pray about it, and it is very clear what God is up to in your
life.
There is a saying that you often see on Christmas cards or bumper stickers that says, “Wise men still seek Him.” This is true! Those who are wise seek God and those who want to be wise will seek God. God is still speaking. God isn’t silent. God wants to be found. God reveals Himself in various ways, but we have to be paying attention. Probably most of us do not make New Year’s resolutions anymore, but one thing we can commit to seeking to be more like Jesus, which we can do when we follow God’s guidance. May we always to listen to God’s voice. To that end, I have made us star words for this year. Each has a Scripture verse and a word. Maybe God will speak to you through the verse, the word, or both as you meditate on it. You might want to put it on your refrigerator or mirror or keep it in your Bible. Let God guide you this year through the Word, Creation, prayer, circumstances, and people.
