As a Christian who has grown up in a Christian household with Christian communities, I have what I believe is a firm understanding of the Bible and the truths in the book. However, sometimes as I read it again and again or as people teach me new information about the books, questions do arise. I have never been shamed for asking questions, which has led me to be more inquisitive about all things than some who were shamed for asking questions about the Bible when they were younger. And, as an adult, while I still see value in asking others the questions I have, I also find value in finding the answer on my own. Because I know the Bible, I know some places to begin looking for information. There are also so many resources available to me at my fingertips because of notes that I have taken in the past, and information that I have gathered from reputable sources.
This past Christmas season I was thinking about the story of the wise men from a new angle. As one who has grown up in the church, so many people love to point out that the wise men were not there the day of Jesus’ birth. They came years later. It is also pointed out that the wise men were unnumbered- we know that they brought three gifts, but we do not know how many men actually came to bring the gifts. One thing that is referenced but not talked about is that the wise men were astrologers…people who studied the stars. They knew from prophecies that the King was going to be born and there would be a star to guide their way to him. What is not addressed is that Christians respect and honor these men for following the Star of Bethlehem to find young Jesus, but that the Old Testament tells us that we are not to worship or follow astrology ourselves. How are these potentially contradicting pieces of information both present in the scriptures?
In the Old Testament there are a host of prophecies related to the coming of the King, all of which Jesus fulfilled. But, while the wise men were likely aware of all of these, two specific ones that they may have paid attention to were Daniel 9:24-27 which gave specific information about the timing of the birth of the Christ, and Numbers 24:17 that referenced the star of Jacob. Now, Jesus is called by many titles, and I would not be surprised if the word “star” in this context was talking about Jesus himself, not the star that the wise men used to guide them. But they were the wise men. They knew the stars. The followed the celestial body and found Jesus in His early years of life. They did what they came to do- they gave the gifts they brought that were fit for a King.
So, astrology and zodiacs are okay because these wise men followed astrology- they paid attention to the stars- to find the King of the world? No! The Old Testament, specifically Deuteronomy 18:10-14, tells us that we are not to worship the stars. God created the stars and has full power over them. If we are worshiping the stars, we are worshiping creation instead of the creator (Exodus 20: 3). So, were the wise men sinning when they came to see baby Jesus? We are unsure if these wise men believed everything about the Hebrew scriptures, but we know that they followed enough of it to understand the importance of meeting the King of the world.
There needs to be a line that is drawn between worshipping the stars and observing them. There is nothing wrong with enjoying when there is a full moon or an eclipse. There is nothing wrong with finding constellations in the sky and finding that they are beautiful. But, when we give the stars more power than God has already given them- such as saying that the positions of the stars when someone was born impacts a person’s whole identity- this is when it becomes a problem. So, while the wise men followed the star that they observed was coming because of what the Hebrew scriptures said more than that the stars were speaking to them, they were following God’s commands as they honored the King with the gifts. If someone tries to use the wise men as an example to be allowed to worship the starts, they are not fully understanding what the wise men did in Jesus’ birth story.
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