Dec 19 The King Is Coming

Day 19 - The King is Coming!

Matthew 2:7-12 NKJV 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

What would cause grown men to fall down and worship a baby? Who was this tiny child? I just looked up the distance from Persia to Bethlehem. It’s well over 900 miles. These wise men would have traveled by camel and on an average day, a camel can travel about 20 miles. Rough math means it would take at least 45 days to reach Bethlehem and that’s if they didn’t stop along the way! We know they did, so the journey likely took several months. That’s quite a journey and quite the commitment!! This was a monumental expedition. The verses above mention that they went to a house to see Jesus. This little family was no longer in a stable but had been able to secure a place to live. Remarkably, the star was still visible in the sky as the wise men made their way to see Him.