“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.”
Genesis 1:1-8 NIV
http://bible.com/111/gen.1.1-8.niv
““I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.”
Numbers 24:17 NIV
http://bible.com/111/num.24.17.niv
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”
Psalm 147:4 NIV
http://bible.com/111/psa.147.4.
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,”
Psalm 8:3 NIV
http://bible.com/111/psa.8.3.
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
Matthew 2:1-12 NIV
http://bible.com/111/mat.2.1-12.
The Creator spoke and it was. The Angels looked on, marveling at His Mighty Works. It seemed El Elyon – The Most High God – had a specific place and purpose for everything He was creating. Now what did He call these shiny twinkling things that filled the night sky? Oh yeah! He called them stars. The Mighty God hung each star in a specific place. “They tell my story,” He told the Angels who were watching Him create. “See that grouping over there, in the shape of a woman, they speak of a virgin mother.” Each Angel could tell He enjoyed creating. He would speak and the Son, who is the very Word of God, would hang each star and the Spirit of God hovered over all that was being created and breathed life into everything. The whole act of Creation was awe inspiring and each Angel just couldn’t turn away. After hanging each of the stars in a specific place the Father handed the Son a specific star to hold onto for a specific time in space. “One day Son, we will hang this star together and it will hold a special purpose for those who notice it.” The Trinity went back to work on the rest of Creation.
Elyasar noticed it first. He was the wisest of the wise. He had all the mathematical figures down. He had studied the stars for all his life. He knew the locations of each. The stars had guided his way on countless times of travel. Now, the kings of the east had called upon him and his fellow astrologers to help them interpret the stars for them so that they can make decisions based on the alignment of the stars. This was they way of their religion. The stars guided their life. As head Astologist, it was his duty to scan the night skies, so of course his charts were accurate. This was why he noticed it first. This was a new star. It’s twinkling light had never appeared before in all his days. Even the way it shined amongst all the other stars was different, brighter, bolder, higher clarity. He pulled out old parchments from among his historical shelves. He specifically searched among the prophets of the Jewish people. He recalled stories that had been handed down through the ages during the time the nation of Isreal were exiled among his people and his land. The stories they told of a Most High God and how He created all things and hung the stars in specific places to tell a story of redemption. Somehow Elyasar knew this new heavenly body shining so brightly in the night sky was part of El Elyon’s story of salvation. He gathered belongings, and he gathered his fellow star gazers, for he was about to start a journey. He was going to follow the star to wherever it led him. Elyasar knew in the depths of his being, that who they found under this unusual star was worth they long arduous journey that lay ahead of him! Somehow Elyasar knew this star would lead him to a King.
Of course, I am in my story telling mode. I have no idea what the names of the wise men were. The bible doesn’t give them. Their names are not important, but what is important is what they did when they discovered this new star that had just risen in the east. They set out on their camels and followed it. They let this star be their guide to help them find a new king. We also have a guide that leads us to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The very word of God. Our bible. Does yours have dust on it? For a season in my life recently, mine had layers and layers of dust on it. I had replaced my bible for emails and Facebook. My life seemed to be going nowhere. I had no guidance. My soul was longing for God’s guidance but I was feeding it social media. I was slowly swiveling. I had lost my way. As I unpacked in my new house, I unpacked a couple of boxes of books. I had a front room with a bookcase. I wanted to fill it. I held my old bible that was worn out and had the binding falling off. It seemed as if it was calling me. Just as Elyasar knew the new star would lead him to a King, I knew this book I held in my hand with its tattered binding and edges could guide me back to where I belong.
Take a good long look at your bible. Does it have dust on it?
My prayer is that my bible will worn and tattered and free from dust.