Would God have led to the newborn Jesus persons whose practices He condemned?

Question

Those Magi were actually astrologers from the east. (Matt. 2:1, 2, NW; NE) Although astrology is popular among many people today, the practice is strongly disapproved in the Bible. (Deut. 18:10-12)

Answer 1

Matthew 2:1-16 shows that the star led the astrologers first to King Herod and then to Jesus and that Herod then sought to have Jesus killed. No mention is made that anyone other than the astrologers saw the “star.” After they left, Jehovah’s angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to safeguard the child. Was that “star” a sign from God or was it from someone who was seeking to have God’s Son destroyed?

Note that the Bible account does not say that they found the babe Jesus in a manger, as customarily depicted in Christmas art. When the astrologers arrived, Jesus and his parents were living in a house. As to Jesus’ age at that time, remember that, based on what Herod had learned from the astrologers, he decreed that all the boys in the district of Bethlehem two years of age and under were to be destroyed.—Matt. 2:1, 11, 16.
Does it make sense then that God would want Jesus killed at an early age? Then why send these people to Herod who wanted to kill Jesus? Have you ever thought that maybe it wasn't God who put the star in the sky to lead the Magi to Jesus? Maybe it was Satan - who wanted Jesus dead.

And then after the Magi had found Jesus they were warned by an angel to travel a different route and not to go back to Herod.

Answer 2

The Magi were probably a Persian caste of wise men who were experts in mathematics, interpreting dreams, and the study of the stars. They were advisers to kings and rulers. Astronomy, which is the scientific study of the stars (and planets, though they were not called planets then), and astrology, which is the occult interpretation of the position and movement of the stars (and planets), were one and the same at that time. The physical study of the stars, astronomy, had not been defined or developed and was combined with astrology, a divinatory art. Therefore, the Magi were probably practicing a mixture of astronomy and astrology.

The passage does not give much information on the star that was seen by the Magi. Contemporary astronomers have tried to figure out if there was a particular astronomical event in the time period when it is believed Jesus was born that would account for an unusual or bright configuration, but so far nothing satisfactory has been proposed although some books have been written on it. Verse 9 of Matthew, chapter 2, states that the star "rested" or "stood" over the house where Jesus was. This does not indicate the normal behavior of a natural star or planet since no heavenly body that far away could actually stand over a specific area as small as a house. Some Bible scholars believe that the star was an unusually bright light, the Shekinah, -- the light of the glory of God -- the same light that was the pillar of fire for the Israelites in the desert and the fire seen by Moses in the burning bush. Why did the Magi believe this was a star? We are not told. Perhaps the light appeared as an unusual star to them just as God’s presence appeared as a pillar of fire in the wilderness. It is also possible that the star was a supernatural star created by God that He used to lead the Magi eventually to Christ.

The Magi went to Jerusalem, which is where a Jewish King would be reigning. They asked Herod, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" Herod’s chief priests and scribes indicated that the Jewish prophecy foretold the birth of a Ruler in Bethlehem. The Magi left for Bethlehem, and the text then says, "the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was." The star was apparently only for the Magi and led them directly to Christ after Herod was told of their mission. This was obviously a supernatural episode, involving a supernatural star or light.

In the context of passages before and after this, we see more supernatural events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The passage before the Magi story (Matthew chapter one, verses 18-25) tells about Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit, and God’s angel visiting Joseph in a dream to confirm to him that Mary will give birth to Jesus, who "will save his people from their sins," (chapter 1, verse 21). In the passage following the Magi’s visit to Jesus (chapter 2, verses 12-15), an angel warns the Magi in a dream not to return to Herod, and an angel again appears in Joseph’s dream, warning him of Herod’s plan to slay "the child" and telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Thus, the account of the Magi and the unusual star rests solidly between accounts of other supernatural events, showing God’s hand in the birth of Jesus.

Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 9) and Bar-Jesus (Acts 13) were magicians, men who used powers and/or trickery to entertain and impress. The word "magician" is from "Magi" but the meaning is used more for the practice of occult arts for the display of power or for entertainment. There is no indication that astrology was used to find Jesus, although the Magi undoubtedly practiced the kind of astrology used then to counsel rulers. The Magi, who were royal advisers from a pagan culture, were the first people recorded to worship Jesus (verse 11).

Since God clearly condemns occult divination (astrology is a divinatory tool) in passages such as Deut. 18:10-12, and He condemns astrology in passages like Isaiah 47, there is no question that the use of astrology is always against God. God’s use of the Magi does not endorse astrology.

Answer 3

Absolutely He woul have led those whose practises He condemned to Jesus: have you never read John 3:16?
But remember that the magi were from the east, probably Babylon, certainly Persia. These magi would remember in their writings and their traditions how Daniel, a prophet of God, saved the lives of their forebears when he gave Nebuchadnezzar both the dream Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, and its interpretation. As such, Daniel -- and the God he served -- would feature high in their learning, and they would almost certainly have read the rest of the OT/TeNaKh.
They (possibly with the Holy Spirit's prompting) would have realised the significance of the star (Num. 24:17), & therefore sought this One Who is to be King of the Jews. Whether they realised He was the ONLY God, the Second of the Triune Godhead in human form, I have no idea; but they WORSHIPPED Him (Mt. 2:11). Surely, knowing that the God of the Hebrews forbade worshipping anything, or anyone, other than God, they realised He was the Messiah, & therefore God (Is. 9:6). Te gifts symbolised various things, too:
Gold -- representing His Sovereignty (always presented to kings thought worthy of kingship)

Frankincense (an aromatic spice used during offerings of sacrifice to God, and also as a perfume) -- denotes Jesus' Divinity

Myrrh (used as an antiseptic, a perfume, and as an embalming resin for corpses) -- signifies Jesus' death, but also His preserving of those who accept Him as God, Lord and Saviour, and the savour of His sacrifice being sweetness itself to God the Father, thereby winning eternal life for those who trust Christ's finished work on the cross.

May God bless all who truly seek Him.

Answer 4

He lead people to the adult Jesus whose practices he condemned.

He gave the honor of the birth of Christ to a woman whose practices he condemned. And let a couple raise him who were as sinful as every other human being on the planet. 'Cause God doesn't differentiate between sin. By the standards of Christian belief, if you think of calling somebody a fool (idiot. other hateful names) you're as guilty as if you murdered them. Look lustfully at a woman, you're guilty of adultry (it's in Matthiew somewhere). And in Romans, it states that if you break even one law, you're held to all of them. There wasn't a difference from the Magi to Mary Magdelene to the Apostles to you or to me.

Oh, and the arguement that astrology back then was different doesn't hold water. The condemnation would have been for the version of astrology back then as well. Yep, they were big, bad sinners...and so were the sheperds, and everybody else Christ touched in his life.

Answer 5

Yes, but consider this: they believed what the prophet Daniel had taught them about the Bible during the Babylonian exile -- how else to you think they knew to look for the Savior of the world?

Using Daniel's "70 weeks" prophecy in Daniel 9, these wise men knew when Jesus would be born. All they had to do was look for the star prophesied by Balaam (Numbers 24:17). So their knowledge wasn't so much astrology as you've concluded -- it was solid Biblical instruction passed down by Daniel.

EDIT: (((kl))) Thanks, sister.

Answer 6

He does that ALL the time. No one comes to Jesus perfect --- we are all sinners. It's a come as you are type of situation. It doesn't matter how you came to Him or even what brought you there (even if it's sinful practices), He loves you and longs to save you and set you free.

That doesn't mean that God *condones* sin of any sort. It's the same as anyone who comes to the Lord. They are in sin, and usually the despair that sin brings is what brought them to the Lord. That doesn't mean that God is condoning your sin when you come to Him. He changes you *after* you come, not before. Any change caused by human willpower will eventually stumble --- it is only by God's power that we are truly transformed. We don't have to be GOOD to come to God. Really, what we have to do is acknowledge that we are BAD! If we weren't in such a bad situation, after all, we wouldn't need a saviour in the first place!

Edit to add: Suzanne is exactly right as well. Even the timing of Jesus' birth was prophesied and the prophecy fulfilled. Anyone who was *really* paying attention and understanding knew what was coming.

Answer 7

Yes, Jesus is to be worshiped by all. You will notice that they were led by a star and were not officially invited by the angels like the Shepard's were. They had the right to come and worship as all sinful beings do. (meaning all of us)

Answer 8

If God HADN'T lead these wise men to the manger, Joseph & Mary never would have had the money they needed to escape to Egypt.

God can use believers AND unbelievers to achieve His will!

Answer 9

Astrology back then was much different that it is today. They were experts in advising when to plant crops and harvest, etc.

Answer 10

God didn't lead them Satan did to get rid of the messiah.
They went to a wicked king that Satan knew would kill any riral to his throne. It was a carefully thought out plan on Satan's part. Which got all the new born babies killed.
Satan' doesn't care who he hurts to accompolish his goals.