FOLLOWING THE STAR.
While Joseph and Mary and the Holy Child were still staying in
Bethlehem, some Wise Men came from an Eastern country to Jerusalem,
asking,
"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."
No one knows who these men were, but it may be that they were Jews who
lived in Persia, as David had done long before, and were learned in all
the wisdom of the Chaldeans, who studied the stars, and believed that
they had much to do with the lives of people on the earth. These wise
men were called Magi. They had heard that a great One would be born
about this time, and that He would be the King of the Jews.
When they saw a strange and beautiful Star near the earth away toward
Jerusalem they prepared to go and see if it would lead them to the
King. Their servants loaded the camels with food and water and some
costly gifts, for they were rich men, and mounted on beautiful saddles
covered with blue and crimson cloth they rode away toward Jerusalem.
They had deserts of yellow sand to cross, and they were tired at the
end of the hot day, but at night they saw the beautiful Star shining
before them low in the sky, and watched it from their tents on the sand
where they rested for the night, and rose to follow it before it faded
in the morning. They were glad when they came to the fresh green
mountain country of the Jews, and rode through the flowery valleys till
they came to the gates of Jerusalem. Perhaps they expected to hear all
about the new King, and to find the people feasting and rejoicing, but
they did not.
[Illustration: Following the star]
When they asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" the
people were surprised, and only wondered who these men were who looked
liked princes from a foreign court, for they had armed servants, and
from their camels hung tinkling silver bells, and swinging tassels of
silk and gold.
They searched Jerusalem for the king, and Herod heard of it and was
troubled. He wished always to be king himself. He set the scribes to
searching for the prophecies of the Messiah's birth. They knew very
well where to find them, and they read to the king these words from the
prophet Micah:--
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, which art little among the families of
Judah, out of thee shall One come forth unto me that is to be the ruler
of Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days."
Then the king sent for the wise men, for he had a secret plan. They
came in their best robes, hoping perhaps, to find the newly born King
in the beautiful palace of Herod on Mount Zion, but they found only the
gloomy old King Herod waiting for them. He asked them when they first
saw the Star, and when they had told him, 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."
They were very glad to hear about Bethlehem, and as they came down the
marble steps of Herod's palace it was evening, and there, low down
before them in the sky was the Star! They went out through the
Bethlehem gate toward the south, and followed the Star again over the
hills until the white walls of Bethlehem shown in the moonlight before
them, and they saw the Star standing still and shining down upon a
little house within the walls. Then they rejoiced with exceeding great
joy, for they had come to the end of their long journey, and they had
found the King! When they came to the house where Mary and Joseph were
staying they told their servants to unpack the presents of gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh, and they went in. Then they found the lovely
young mother and the Holy Child, and they fell down before Him and
offered their gifts.
They did not go away at once. They slept in Bethlehem that night, and
the Lord showed them in a dream that they must not go back to tell King
Herod that they had found the Christ. They told Joseph of their dream,
and went away by another road that led past Hebron to their own country.