O Kings, Be Wise! Psalm 2:10a; Matt. 2:1-12; 3:13–17
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, from God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our king!
Our message is taken from our opening reading, the account of the Magi, and from today’s introit, Psalm 2:10, 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
O Kings, be wise! That’s good advice for all rulers and leaders of all ages… and for all people of all ages.
What IS wisdom? What makes us and our words and our lives, wise?
Here are a few quotes about wisdom from some famous philosophers, and a playwrite.
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knoweth himself to be a fool.” William Shakespeare
Wisdom comes in knowing your limitations and inadequacies.
Related to that, Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, said, The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
Regarding human, secular, worldly wisdom, there’s some truth to that.
But regarding revealed wisdom, wisdom from God in His Word, when that’s what you know, then you truly know something, something that’s true, and worth knowing.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”, said, probably the famous philosopher, Aristotle.
That’s partly true; it’s important to know yourself, but true wisdom is a step beyond that. True wisdom comes in knowing God.
Proverbs 9:10 says, The fear of the LORD is beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Albert Einstein said, “Anyone can know. The point is to understand.”
To be enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, is to be wise and have true understanding.
Godly knowledge, combined with godly love, makes godly wisdom and understanding.
Godly wisdom, the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, led the Magi to follow the star.
The Magi studied the stars and their movement through the sky, hoping to learn from them about future or important events.
It was all in vain, until one night, when a bright star suddenly appeared, out-shining all the others.
Because it was sent and revealed by God, it was the only star that actually did predict a human event, or revealed one, the greatest event to have happened on earth up to that time: the birth of the world’s Messiah.
As they made the long journey to Judea, they likely would have pictured in their minds, many times, what it would look like when they finally found the infant Messiah, the baby king.
They must have pictured it happening in a royal residence, a palace with elegant surroundings, with multiple servants.
But when they finally arrived to where the star had been leading them, it wasn’t a kingly palace, just a little village and a humble home, with a young mother, and a father, and their baby dressed in plain clothes.
None of the trappings of royalty whatsoever.
Although it may not have been what they expected, the wisemen were blessed with godly understanding to know that this was the child they had journeyed so far to see.
They gave Him their material gifts, fit for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But even more, they gave the gift of their pilgrimage, the gift of their presence, their worship, and the faith that had led them there.
God had still more wisdom to share with wisemen about their journey back home. An angel warned them not to go back to Jerusalem to tell King Herod where the baby was, because he wanted to hurt, not worship, the baby.
Again, they believed. And so they took a different route home, which Matthew tells us infuriated Herod.
For all his political intelligence, for all his planning and scheming and trickery, Herod lacked the wisdom the Magi had been given.
The baby that Herod was trying to destroy, had come to save him, too.
To kill one who can help you, who wants to help you, who was sent to help you, to try to kill your Savior, that’s foolish beyond words, as is to deny Him.
Herod died a few years later, a lonely, bitter man, filled with hate.
But it didn’t have to be that way. It could have turned out so differently for Herod.
Had Herod had the godly wisdom to repent and believe in and welcome the baby Messiah, his last years would have been his best.
And at this very moment, he would be rejoicing with saints and angels -- had Herod only heeded words of the psalm, 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
May God make and keep us wise, to heed His Word, and to love and follow
His Son.
Later in the second chapter of Luke, the story of the young Messiah continues with Jesus in the temple, teaching the teachers, sharing wisdom and insights from Scripture that they had never heard before, not even from the wisest of their teachers, but they were hearing it from this 12-year-old child.
Jesus was just being His Father’s Son. As he told his parents, “I must be about my Father’s business.”
In the last verse of chapter 2, Luke says, And Jesus increased in wisdom and in statureand in favor with God and man.
In our Gospel, Jesus showed His divine wisdom by submitting to be baptized, even though He had no sin to wash away; and in doing so, He was identified as the Messiah.
Heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended as dove, and His Father spoke: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Wise parents who bring their children to be baptized, who raise their children in the Word and ways of God, as Jesus was raised, with such parents God is happy and very pleased.
All who live in their baptism, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and in fellowship with God’s family; and in repentance and forgiveness of their sin; and in the instruction of God’s Word…
And in the grace and celebration of His Sacraments; and in the witness of His salvation to the world; and in loving service to Him and to others -- all who live this Baptismal life, are living wisely.
Our Savior beside and before us, and our spiritual family around us, help us to grow more wise in God’s Word, in what we believe and know and do.
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Ps. 2:10.
One more thought about this verse: in this we see the importance of having wise and godly leaders, first and foremost in the Church, but in society as well.
When leaders in the church lose their godly wisdom, and make foolish, blatantly sinful, selfish, ungodly choices, it can be devasting to the fellowship.
But with the help, and by the grace of God, fellowships have recovered, and fallen leaders have repented and been forgiven.
We need to encourage, and support, and pray for, and hold accountable, all our church leaders, denominational and congregational, professional and lay leaders, in whatever role they might have in service to God, that they would remain humble, faithful and wise.
And in society, we need to encourage, and support, and pray for, and hold accountable, all our leaders in all their roles, all in authority, that they would lead with benevolence, putting the needs of the people above any personal ambitions…
And that they would realize they’re accountable to God for the people they govern, because they’re God’s creation, He made us all.
Believing this, we pray that our leaders on all levels, would lead with integrity, and honor, and wisdom, and love, and justice -- in ways that please and honor God.
And let us be wise in who we follow, and what we believe in this world, that in this way, we too, might please and honor God, and help and support each other.
In His Son, born and worshiped by Magi in Bethlehem, and baptized by John in the Jordan, we have the wisdom of God for us to believe and follow.
May God always keep us wise in His Word, and may His peace, which passes understanding, guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, the very Word and wisdom of God. Amen.