3-Day Bible Reading Plan: “The Wise Men Part 2 [Herod]”
Have you ever looked at a nativity scene and pictured yourself as one of the characters? Have you imagined yourself within that scene, a character in the unfolding drama of Christmas? Perhaps a shepherd, drawn by the celestial announcement; a wise man, guided by a star to a King; Joseph, steadfast in his devotion; or Mary, mother of God? Each role offers a powerful perspective on the miraculous birth of Christ. But there's one character I doubt many of you readily identify with: Herod. The bloodthirsty tyrant, the oppressor of the Jews, a figure so steeped in darkness that he cast a shadow across the joyous light of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. - Pastor Paul Crandell, 12/8/24
Day 1
Featured Verse: Matthew 2:1-6 - “Where is He Who Has Been Born King of the Jews?”
Cross References:
Numbers 24:17 - “A Star Shall Come Out of Jacob”
Why did the Wise Men perceive that a new star in the sky was the “sign” that a new King had been born?
Revelation 22:16 - “I Am the Root and Descendent of David, the Bright Morning Star”
Of all the names of Christ, some associate Him with a star - the Bright Morning Star, the Daystar, even the Sun of Righteousness. Why is Christ likened to a star? Do these names harken back to the star of Bethlehem? Why or why not?
Matthew 27:11 - “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Christ was called the King of the Jews at His birth and at His death—the bookends of His life. Notice those who called Him this title (the Wise Men and Pilate) were Gentiles. Why didn’t the Jews recognize or acknowledge their own King?
“The spiritual darkness that covered the earth was about to be rolled away. The way of pardon and peace with God was about to be thrown open to all mankind. The knowledge of God was no longer confined to the Jews but was an offer to the whole Gentile world. The first stone of God’s kingdom was about to be set up. If this was not ‘good news,’ there never were tidings that deserved the name.” - J.C. Ryle
Day 2
Featured Verse: Matthew 2:16-18 - “Rachel Weeping For Her Children”
Cross References:
Jeremiah 31:15 - “She Refuses To Be Comforted For Her Children, Because They Are No More”
Matthew directly ties Herod’s heinous act to the words of the prophet Jeremiah and pronounces them fulfilled. Consider: God can use a man’s twisted depravity and demonic activity in the spiritual realm to fulfill His own Word.
Genesis 35:19 - “Rachel Died, and She Was Buried On the Way to Ephrath (That Is, Bethlehem)”
Jacob buried Rachel at Bethlehem. By Jeremiah tying Rachel to the prophecy of murdered children, he taps into her own tragic story—a barren woman who eventually bore two children, Joseph and Benjamin, yet sadly dies in childbirth with Benjamin. How does knowing Rachel’s story make the massacre at Bethlehem all the more tragic?
Jeremiah 10:20 - “There is No One to Spread My Tent Again”
Why was it so devastating in the ancient Near East to lose a child, especially a boy child?
“There is sweet comfort in the thought that he who is this day God, was once an infant; so that, if my cares are little, and even trivial and comparatively infantile, I may go to him with them, for he was once a child.” - Charles Spurgeon
Day 3
Featured Verse: Revelation 12:3-6 - “Behold, a Great Red Dragon”
Cross References:
Daniel 7:7 - “Behold, A Fourth Beast, Terrifying and Dreadful…It Had Ten Horns”
Considering the descriptions of Satan in Scripture, how do those under demonic influence resemble the evil one?
Isaiah 27:1 - “He Will Slay the Dragon That Is In the Sea”
Consider: We eagerly await the day when Christ returns to “slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Though there will be a final day of reckoning for Satan, he is already a defeated foe; Christ slayed him upon His cross.
Psalm 91:13 (KJV) - “...And The Dragon Shalt Thou Trample Under Feet”
Psalm 91 is full of promises for the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High.” One of these promises is to trample the dragon under our feet. How does God give us victory over Satan even now before Glory?
“‘Emmanuel.’ ’Tis the sufferer’s comfort, ’tis the balm for his woe, ’tis the alleviation of his misery, ’tis the sleep which God giveth to his beloved, ’tis their rest after exertion and toil. Ah! and more than that; ’tis eternity’s sonnet, ’tis heaven’s hallelujah, ’tis the shout of the glorified, ’tis the song of the redeemed, ’tis the chorus of angels, ’tis the everlasting oratorio of the grand orchestra of the sky.” - Charles Spurgeon