“The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.” — Psalm 72:10-11

One of my favorite events in the Bible is how the wise men traveled for miles to visit the newborn King of the Jews. If they saw the divinely placed star on the day Jesus was born, it took them 2 years to travel to Jerusalem. We know that, because they didn’t visit Jesus at the manger but at a house. I am amazed that they traveled so long to pay homage to a King that no one in Israel even knew was born. I wonder whether their pursuit was purely because of the astrological event or maybe because remnants of a Messianic prophecy made its way all the way to the Far East where they lived. Regardless, they came.

Step back for a moment and look at all this event tells us about God’s providence. God, once again, worked in time and space to bring wise men from the Far East to honor and worship Jesus. He did so to fulfill a Messianic prophecy that He caused the Psalmist to write more than a thousand years earlier. Do we have an amazing God or what?

This prophecy also tells us that Jesus would be no ordinary king. It tells us that all the kings of the Earth would honor and serve Him. Paul says in Philippians 2:10 that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth.” In Revelation He is called the “King of kings and the Lord of lords.”

Finally, and more practically, my question for myself and you today is, are we willing to travel the distance to see all that Jesus came to fulfill? It was worth it for the wise men, and I pray that it is for us, as well.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.org