After the wise men had found Christ, had worshipped Him, and had offered Him these precious treasures, they were warned by God to return another way (v. 12). This other way, not the original way, was the right way. Whenever we find Christ and meet Him, we are always told not to return to the original way. Finding Christ and meeting Him always turns us to another way.
The situation today is exactly the same. We have the Bible, and Christ is coming, but how shall we find Him? The basic principle is not with the Bible. Although the Bible helps, the basic principle is with the living star, the heavenly vision.
Now we must see how we can have this star, how we can have this heavenly vision. The Bible tells us that the living star is Christ. It was prophesied that Christ would be the star (Num. 24:17), He came as the star (Matt. 2), and He remains as the star (Rev. 22:16). He is shining. How can we have Christ as the star? According to 2 Peter 1:19, the star is associated with the Bible. Peter tells us to take heed to the “prophetic word made more firm.” If we take heed to this sure word, something within us will dawn, and the daystar will arise in our hearts. To take heed to the sure word is to pay attention to the living Word. It is not just to read the Word; it is to enter into the Word until something arises within us. We may call this the dawn or the daystar. In 2 Peter 1:19 the daystar is actually the morning star. The word in Greek is phosphoros, a light-bearing substance. A piece of phosphorus can shine in darkness. Christ is the real phosphorus shining in today’s darkness. However, the Word cannot shine over you unless you take heed to it. You must take heed until something begins to shine within you. That shining will become the phosphorus in your heart. Then you will have the daystar. You will be like the wise men, and something from the heavens will shine over you.
Christ is the star. The Bible says that the followers of Christ are stars also. Revelation 1:20 tells us that all the leading ones in the proper church life are stars. They are stars because they are the shining ones. Daniel 12:3 says that the righteous will shine like stars. Those who turn others to righteousness, who turn them from the wrong way to the right way, will shine like stars.
Today there are only two ways to have the star shining over you. According to the first way, you must come to the sure Word and open up your whole being to the Word— your mouth, your eyes, your mind, your spirit, and your heart—until something rises up in you and shines over you. That is Christ. The second way is to come to the shining saints, the followers of Christ. If you come to them, you will receive light. You also will receive some leading, for they will lead you to the place where Christ is.
Both ways of having the star are linked to the Spirit and the church. Immediately after Revelation 22:16, which says that the Lord Jesus is the morning star, the following verse says, “And the Spirit and the bride say....” This proves that, as the morning star, the Lord Jesus is linked to the Spirit and to the church, which is the Bride. Revelation 3:1 says that the Lord Jesus has the seven Spirits and the seven stars, and Revelation 1:20 says that the seven stars are the angels of the churches. These verses show that the stars are linked not only to the Spirit, but also to the churches. If we would have the living star or the living stars, we need the Spirit and the church. By the Spirit and through the church, it will be easy to have the heavenly vision so that we may find Christ and render our appreciation to Him.
Christ was found in Bethlehem. This discovery of Christ created trouble. God used this trouble to bring the young child out of Bethlehem to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-18). Hosea 11:1 prophesied that Jesus would be called out of Egypt. Without the trouble that occurred after Jesus was found in Bethlehem, there would have been no occasion for Him to flee to Egypt.
This is very meaningful. The wise men made a great mistake, but their mistake offered God the opportunity to fulfill His prophecy. But do not make mistakes purposely. That will not work. Try your best to do things right. Nevertheless, no matter how hard you try to be right, eventually you will make as big a mistake as the wise men did. Never say, “Let us do evil, that good may come.” If you do evil, good will not come. However, if you try to be right but still make a mistake, that mistake will offer God a chance to fulfill His purpose.
Because Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus into Egypt, the young child Jesus escaped the first martyrdom, the martyrdom caused by the mistake of the wise men. Satan is always busy, waiting for an opportunity to cause martyrdom. However, God is sovereign over all, even over Satan, to preserve His dear ones from the enemy’s wiles. By God’s sovereignty the young Jesus was preserved.