Lesson 6: Matthew 6: Earthly Possessions or Heavenly Treasurers

glory of God in the Old Testament. God’s presence moved the star to show the wise men where to go.

Matthew 2:4–6: In verse 4, Herod brought all the religious leaders together to ask them where the Messiah would be born. is is a time when God used the extraordinary faith of Gentiles (the wise men) to point the way to His Son when the Jews didn’t do that. e Jews knew the answer based on Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament—Bethlehem of Judea: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matthew 2:6). Imagine these groups (scribes and Pharisees, Jerusalem leaders) coming to Herod to tell him where the King would be born.

Micah 5:2 points to two roles the Messiah would fulfill—He would be a leader and a shepherd. MacArthur states that “the Greek word for ‘ruler’ evokes the image of strong, even stern leadership. ‘Shepherd’ emphasizes tender care. Christ’s rule involves both.”1 Micah 5:2 points to Revelation 12:5: “But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” is King is a leader and a shepherd. Psalm 78:70–72 describes the dual role of the leader/shepherd: “He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; He brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over His people Jacob—over Israel, His inheritance. He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands.”

Matthew 2:7–9: As a result of his conversation with the religious leaders, Herod met with the wise men and asked the exact time they had seen the star appear (v. 7). In verse 8, Herod sent them to Bethlehem to find the child and asked them to report back so he could go and worship Him as well. Herod used the wise men. After meeting with Herod, the wise men left, saw the star again, and followed it to the exact location where the child was (v. 9). Notice the word “child” there and not “baby.” What we’ve done in the American Christmas culture is portray three wise men showing up at the manger to see the newborn baby. e reality is that the wise men arrived one or two years after the birth of the child.

Matthew 2:10–11: Verse 10 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.” Don’t miss this. When we can experience something of the Lord, we should stop and enjoy that moment. ey were filled with joy because

1 John MacArthur, e MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: omas Nelson, 2005), 1131–1132.

of the Lord’s presence. When you start walking out your calling, you’ll be filled with joy because it comes from the Lord. 1 Peter 1:6–8 says,

You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy.

ere’s joy even in the struggles. At that moment, the wise men might not have even seen the child yet, but they saw the star, knew they were in the child’s presence, and rejoiced with inexpressible and glorious joy.

Verse 11 says they entered the house (not the stable), saw the child, and fell to their knees in worship. e second the wise men saw Jesus, they worshipped Him. en they presented their gifts. ese wise men came prepared to be in the presence of the Lord. ey brought three gifts—gold, frankincense (gum from a tree), and myrrh (a sap-like substance). In Isaiah 60:6 is a prophetic picture of these gifts: “Caravans of camels will cover your land—young camels of Midian and Ephah—all of them will come from Sheba. ey will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the L.” e gifts of the Gentile wise men call attention to the gifts we bring to God. Romans 15:25–27 addresses the obligation Christians have to minister to Jews: “Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs.”

Matthew 2:12–15: In a dream, the wise men were warned not to return to Herod (v. 12). After the wise men were gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take his family to Egypt (v. 13). e angel told Joseph to stay there until he returned to tell Joseph that it was safe to go back Israel. Joseph did not process this, or consider pros and cons, but he left immediately (v. 14). Joseph, out of obedience, spared the King of the Jews by taking Him to Egypt. ey stayed until Herod’s death, so that the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 would be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (v. 15). I believe Joseph could obey what the angel said because he knew the Word of God and understood the prophetic message that the Messiah would come out of Egypt. Many of us hear from the Lord, but we’re not in the Word so we don’t know if what we hear aligns with the

Word. We’re hesitant about being led by the Spirit. It makes life a lot easier when you know the Word of the Lord.

Matthew 2:16–23: In verse 16, Herod realized he had been outwitted by the wise men and “He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.” Because Joseph obeyed the instructions from God, the King of the Jews was saved and the prophecy from Hosea was fulfilled. Verse 18 records the fulfillment of these words from Jeremiah 31:15: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.” In verses 19–20, the angel suddenly appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family back to Israel. Joseph waited on the Lord, and God spoke. In verse 21, Joseph obeyed. He did what he heard from the Lord. In verses 22–23, Joseph again obeyed, and because he knew the Word of God, he knew where to take his family.

Closing

e wise men saw a star. Joseph heard from the Lord in dreams. How we hear from the Lord and see things from the Lord can be different all the time. It could be through a pastor preaching a sermon or a friend from reviveSCHOOL speaking into your life. Out of obedience, we need to keep walking it out, waiting, and listening to hear from the Lord, because He is the King of the Jews.

Daily Word

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus moved from Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem to Egypt before settling in Nazareth, where Jesus eventually grew up. Each time they moved or altered their travel plans, it was because Joseph had a dream. After each dream, Joseph immediately obeyed and moved his family to where he was told to go—even if it meant leaving in the middle of the night.

As a believer in relationship with Jesus, He will speak to you, and He may even do so in a dream. Dreams may come and go in your life, and sometimes you may think nothing about them. However, next time you have a dream, pause, write it down, and ask the Lord what He’s telling you through that dream. If He reveals something to you, then act on it in faith and obedience. Joseph moved in faith. He acted immediately, and, in doing so, he saved his son. e wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; they immediately took a different route and were saved. Praise the Lord for guiding and directing your steps, even speaking to you through dreams.

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. —Matthew 2:13–14

Further Scripture: Psalm 119:60; Joel 2:28; Matthew 2:12

Questions

1. e wise men were serious about finding Jesus. ey had one thing in mind and that was to find Jesus and worship Him. How serious are you about your worship? Does a hunger for worship or the world influence your life? 2. ere are at least four prophecies from the Old Testament concerning Jesus in Matthew 2. Find each one in the chapter and look them up (Matthew 2:6, 15, 18, 23). Note: e last prophecy in this chapter is not found anywhere in the

Old Testament but was believed to have been spoken by the prophets. 3. What were the three dreams that Joseph had in Matthew 2 (Matthew 2:13, 19, 22)? Why do you believe that Joseph was quick to obey these dreams?

Has the Lord ever spoken to you in a dream? Was it something to obey? If so, did you? 4. What do you notice about the comparison of the wise men and the shepherds as both were searching for Jesus (Matthew 2:1, 9–11; Luke 2:15–20)?

Which of the two saw Jesus first? 5. It’s hard to read a verse like Matthew 2:16. Why do you think God would allow this to happen (Psalm 19:9; Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12; Matthew 2:17–18)? 6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Matthew 2 through the reading or the teaching?