The Shepherd Of Israel by Pastor Fee Soliven Matthew 2:1-9 Wednesday Evening July 16, 2014

2. The Shepherd Of Israel by Pastor Fee Soliven Matthew 2:1-9 Wednesday Evening July 16, 2014

3.   1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

4. 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

5. 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

6. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

7. 5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

8.   6'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

9. 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

10. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

11. 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

12.  1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

13. Mica 5:2 2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."

14. 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

15. Numbers 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult."

16.  (1) They could have been Jews who remained in Babylon after the Exile and knew the Old Testament predictions of the Messiah’s coming.

17. (2) They may have been eastern astrologers who studied Old Testament manuscripts. Because of the Jewish exile centuries earlier, a large Jewish population still existed there, and they would have had copies of the Old Testament.

18. (3) They may have had a special message from God directing them to the Messiah.

19.  3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

20. Luke 3:15-16 15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

21. 1. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David; he reigned by appointment from Rome. Many Jews hated Herod as a usurper. If this baby really was a rightful heir to the throne, Herod could face trouble from the Jews.

22. 2. Herod was ruthless, and because of his many enemies, he was suspicious that someone would try to overthrow him.

23. 3. Herod didn’t want the Jews, a religious people, to unite around a religious figure.

24. 4. If these wise men were of Jewish descent and from Parthia (the most powerful region next to Rome), they would have welcomed a Jewish king who could swing the balance of power away from Rome.

25. Who was this man called Herod the Great!

26. Herod was king of Jueda from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was a heartless, paranoid and bloodthirsty man who committed unimaginable atrocities. He is beast known for wanting to kill Jesus and for committing the Massacre of the Innocents. According to the Bible, Herod ordered every boy at the age 2 or younger to be killed in Bethlehem.

27. There are estimates that 10,000 to 150,000 boys were murdered, but Bethlehem was only a village, so historians think only a few dozen boys were killed, but Herod would have done it, regardless of the number of boys there were. He ordered the deaths of thousands of people including the high priest, his rivals,

28. grandfather-in law, mother-in law, brother-in law, uncle, wife, 3 sons (one of his sons was killed only a few days before Herod died) and anyone else who he distrusted and thought was a threat to him, but most of his victims were innocent and given false crimes. He would kill anyone to stay in power. Shortly before his death,

29. Herod ordered that the foremost men in Jueda should be executed so that his funeral would be marked by a national outpouring of grief. Fortunately, this command was ignored. He died in 4 BC due to illness. His sons also became villains of the Bible. His son, Herod Antipas killed John the Baptist and was involved in the murder of Jesus. And James, son of Zebedee, was beheaded by Herod Agrippa.

30.  4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

31.  5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

32. John 7:40-43 40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him.

33.   6'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

34. 1 Peter 5:1-4 1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

35. 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

36.  Isaiah 40:10-11 10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

37.  7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

38.  8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

39.  9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.