Star of Bethlehem

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.  --Isaiah 9:2

 No Christmas tree is fully decorated until the star is carefully placed on the top-most point.  It is a tradition in many homes for the youngest person in the family to place the star on top of the tree, usually held up by the strong arms of the father so that she can reach it.  It is worthwhile to use this as a teaching moment, because the star is symbolic in a lot of ways, and its placement is steeped in tradition.

Most of us can recite the story by heart of how the wise men from the east were guided by a bright star until they found the Christ child.  This is more than just a sample of divine GPS.  The meaning goes much deeper.  As the Psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

You will recall that by the time Joseph and Mary were betrothed, there had been no direct word from God for some 400 years.  This period of spiritual darkness, which many call the "inter-testamental period," was ended with the sighting of an unusual celestial body.  This bright heavenly body, a source of light, was observed by people far away from Israel.  These Gentiles must have heard of Israel's God, must have read some sacred text brought to them by the diaspora, for when they reached Jerusalem, they knew enough to ask, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose [in the East] and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2).

This is not the first time that people outside of the Jewish faith had given testimony to the truth.  In Numbers 24, we see that the enemies of Israel hired a seer, a prophet named Balaam, to bring down curses upon the Jewish armies.  You may recall the story of Balaam's donkey, who saw the angel hidden from the eyes of Balaam, and spoke.   When Balaam's eyes were opened, God gave him words of blessing to speak over Israel, not cursing.  One of those words of blessing is found in Numbers 24:17 where it says, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth."

Balaam foresaw the Son of God manifesting as a star some 1400 years before Jesus was born.   The star was seen by the Magi more than 900 miles away.  But the Jews were still in the dark. Isaiah 60:1-3 says, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise up on you, and his glory will be seen upon you.  And the nations shall come to your light, and Kings to the brightness of your rising."

Centuries before modern navigational systems, sailors would set out for distant lands with only the stars as their guide.  Their movements on the oceans did not stop when the sun went down.  They did not weigh anchor and wait for the dawn.  In the same way, people during the inter-testamental period did not lose hope.  They were still going about their daily lives, even in a period of spiritual darkness.  They relied on the ancient texts, the light that they were given.  2 Peter 1:19 says, "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

We know that Jesus is that morning star.  Revelation 22:16 says, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.  I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."  2 Corinthians 4:6  says, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  This is the meaning of the star of Bethlehem, the star that we commemorate in our Christmas tree decorations.  

Next time you lift your child up to place the star on the top of your tree, remind her of it's significance.  If your tree is already trimmed, it may be worth straightening just to teach this lesson again.