The Five Guides

In his commentary on the New Testament, J. H. Bavinck argues that the wise men from the East had five guides who led them to the one who was born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2).[1] His exposition is instructive for developing the background of Matthew 2, so this reflection is a summary of his comments.

The first guide for the magi that Bavinck notes is attentiveness. It is almost too obvious to note, but these wise men had to have their attention simultaneously directed toward the heavenly realm and focused on the earthly consequences of the movement of the stars. For a star rising in the east to mean anything, it has to be observed and reckoned as significant in its own right. Moreover, for that star to communicate something about earthly events, these wise men had to have their attention focused on the ancient prophecies that could be fulfilled and/or previewed in the heavens. A critical link, therefore, between these wise men and the birth of Jesus are the prophetic testimonies of Balaam, who spoke of “a star” who “shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter” who “shall rise out of Israel; … And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion” (Num 24:17, 19 ESV), and Daniel, who prophesied about the hope of Israel that a king would arise who would subject all the kingdoms of earth. Since Daniel lived and worked in Babylon, these prophetic testimonies were available to the wise men of the East as they observed the heavenly bodies. So, then, the first guide for these magi was attentiveness.

The second guide was their own longing. Bavinck writes, “The star alone was not enough to bring these wise men to Bethlehem. They could have been satisfied with the observation that the stars had given a sign.”[2] But they were not. They made a long journey in response to this sign. Moreover, their longing was not self-serving; it was not a worldly longing. Bavinck writes, “In the life of Buddha, it is told that wise men came to the house of his father and that these wise men, after they had spoken beautiful words, they were gifted rich rewards by Buddha’s father. Here it is just the opposite. These wise men do not hope for reward but come to give worship to [the King].”[3] So, a second guide was their own longing, which spurred them to make the trip.

The third guide was perseverance. If these wise men came from Babylon, they would have faced many obstacles on their journey to Judah. Bavinck also cites the ignorance in Jerusalem concerning the birth of the King of the Jews as a psychological obstacle. “Could the star have deceived them? Could their longing have led them in the wrong direction?”[4] Certainly the lack of motivation of the religious leaders to see for themselves could not have been helpful for the magi. So it was that perseverance through the arduous journey and also the apathy of many in Jerusalem was a guide for these wise men.

The fourth guide was belief in God’s word. Bavinck points out that, despite the apathy and maybe even antipathy of the chief priests and scribes to the announcement of these wise men, God’s word was nevertheless declared to the magi, the prophecy of Micah that the son of David would be born in the city of David, Bethlehem. And, importantly, “they gave themselves over to the leading of God’s Word.”[5] In the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, general and special revelation meet, and we see that even these wise men need the Word of God to find the true King.

The fifth guide, according to Bavinck, was humility. He speculates that it “must have been a deep disappointment for them to find such a poor King, and so they really must have set aside all their pride to bend the knee to such a King.”[6] And yet, they did bow to the Christ child, thus showing their humility as well as their understanding that “sometimes God gives his greatest gifts in humble wrappings.”[7]

So it was for the wise men that these five guides, attentiveness, longing, perseverance, belief in God’s Word, and humility, brought them to the King of kings and Lord of lords in humble adoration. So it is for us today as well. May we, too, give heed to these five guides, that we might give all glory to Jesus Christ the King.

[1] J. H. Bavinck, Geschiedenis der Godsopenbaring: Handboek voor de Kennis van de Bijbelsche Geschiedenis (J. H. Kok, 1938), 2:45–51.

[2] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:47.

[3] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:47.

[4] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:48.

[5] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:50.

[6] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:50.

[7] Bavinck, Geschiedenis, 2:50.