Matthew 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born
Wouldn’t it be great if you just knew exactly what you should do every day because God gave you direct guidance on it? It would be great if you knew what you should say, what you should do, what you should think, and how you should respond. In Matthew 2 we find the story of the wise men coming to see the Christ child, and we find an abundance of examples of God giving guidance to a variety of people.
When I recently read this, I counted fourteen references to God’s guidance. For instance, the wise men famously said to Herod, “We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” There are numerous references to the star and how it gave them guidance. There are multiple examples of God using dreams to direct people. In verse 12 it says, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they [the wise men] departed into their own country another way.” So, you have the star, the dream, and you also have an angel. In verse 13 it says, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph.”
So, there are so many ways that God gave guidance to a variety of people in the story of Matthew 2. The question is, “Are you waiting for a star? Are you waiting for some dream? Are you waiting for God to send an angel and give you specific directions in the middle of the night?” The question is not “Could God do these things?” Of course, God can do these things. God can do and God has the ability to do anything God wants to do. The question is, “Is that what you should expect and wait for?”
Now there is one more mode of communication that you read of here in Matthew 2, and that is what is written, the ancient Scriptures. When Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where Christ was to be born, they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet.” The reason you know that God used a star, a dream, and an angel to give direction is because you read about it in the Word of God, which is referenced here several times as well. It is ironic that the chief priests and scribes who knew the Bible so well and knew where to find the Christ child were not among the first to welcome Him. In fact, they seemed to be totally indifferent. They rejected what they knew and got no more guidance from God.
You see, you will not hear God’s voice until you heed His Word. If you are waiting for a dream, some circumstance, an angel, or a star, then you are waiting for the wrong things. God is perfectly capable of giving you all the guidance you need today, but the place you need to begin is with what God has said in His Word. Even prayer, which is crucial, is something that can be used as an excuse not to obey what God has already said. Sometimes someone will be faced with a decision and they will say, “I’ll pray about it.” You should pray about it unless what is in question is something that has already been clearly delineated in the Bible. I don’t need to pray about whether I should lie or whether I should have a foul mouth because I already know what God wants. Now, there may be many other things that I need to know and need God’s guidance about, but I need to begin with the Word of God.
Notice how Joseph responded when the angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee unto Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” Basically, the message was to get out of there because Herod was going to try to destroy the Christ child. It would have been foolish for Joseph to say, “Hey, let me think about it,” or “Let me pray about it.” No veneer of piety will ever make up for a lack of obedience to what God has already said.
So, God wants to give guidance today. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Today, as you know what God has said and as you respond in obedience you will have all the light you need in the days to come.