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The Three Wise Men - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And when they were come into the house,
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  Speaker 1: they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and
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  Speaker 1: fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened
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  Speaker 1: their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense
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  Speaker 1: and myrrh. Matthew 2.11 Father, as you begin to move
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  Speaker 1: through my life, I thank you that like in the
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  Speaker 1: story in Matthew, you are sending signs and signals to
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  Speaker 1: wise men and women who are called to bring gifts
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  Speaker 1: and resources into my life to help establish my purpose.
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that, as they come, there will be
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  Speaker 1: continued confirmation that your provision and your protection will never
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  Speaker 1: run out on the journey of my destiny. When others
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  Speaker 1: seek to destroy me, like Herod, I declare that you
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  Speaker 1: will supernaturally give me the indicators of when it's time
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  Speaker 1: to leave the place or relationships that I'm currently with.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that no harm will come to me or
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  Speaker 1: those I love. I declare that safety is all around me.
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  Speaker 1: I am protected and covered by your love. And I
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  Speaker 1: am forever grateful to be your child, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Three Wise Men In our last story, we witnessed
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  Speaker 2: the humble birth of our hero, Jesus. Mary and Joseph
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  Speaker 2: traveled to Bethlehem for the census and Mary began to
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  Speaker 2: go into labor. There was no room for them anywhere
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  Speaker 2: in town, so Mary was forced to give birth in
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  Speaker 2: a stable. Her labor pain brought forth the greatest hero
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  Speaker 2: the world will ever know, the only Son of Man,
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  Speaker 2: the Messiah. The Christ child was visited by shepherds, and
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  Speaker 2: a man of God named Simeon prophesied that he would
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  Speaker 2: be the light of the new world. Now we see
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  Speaker 2: Jesus being honored by wise men and endangered by a king.
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  Speaker 2: He is adorned with gifts and threatened with death, inspired
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  Speaker 2: by the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, everyone. In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus
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  Speaker 3: was born in Bethlehem, how he was visited by shepherds,
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  Speaker 3: the first to receive the news of his birth besides
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  Speaker 3: the parents themselves, Mary and Joseph, and how they went
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  Speaker 3: away telling others all that they had seen and experienced
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  Speaker 3: at the manger, and they worshiped God. Today, we'll hear
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  Speaker 3: of visitors from afar who arrived many months after Jesus' birth,
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  Speaker 3: looking for the one they had heard foretold and whose
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  Speaker 3: star they had seen rising in the night sky to
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  Speaker 3: guide them to the King of Kings. Their presence will
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  Speaker 3: incite paranoia and fear in King Herod, and Joseph will
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  Speaker 3: flee with Mary and Jesus into Egypt. So, Let's hear
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  Speaker 3: this exciting adventure in God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The desert sand was cold underneath the evening sky. A
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  Speaker 2: caravan of camels walked in formation underneath the eastern stars.
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  Speaker 2: Riding on the camels were three wise men from the south.
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  Speaker 2: They were scholars and astronomers that had tracked the stars
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  Speaker 2: closely for any abnormalities. When they discovered that there was
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  Speaker 2: a new bright star resting over Judea, they wasted no
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  Speaker 2: time in packing their things and leaving. The wise men
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  Speaker 2: rode for weeks, traveling by night in order to follow
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  Speaker 2: the strange stars. Old scrolls and prophecies spoke of this star.
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  Speaker 2: This star was a sign, a sign of the new
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  Speaker 2: king of Israel, a sign of the Messiah. As they
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  Speaker 2: drew closer to Judea, they began to hear whispers in
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  Speaker 2: the streets. Apparently a few lowly shepherds rambled on about
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  Speaker 2: their encounter with angels and witnessed the newborn king of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: The wise men knew they were on the right track.
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  Speaker 2: If it was a king that was born, truly the
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  Speaker 2: current king would know of his whereabouts. So the men
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  Speaker 2: traveled to the palace of Herod. The wise men were
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  Speaker 2: very wealthy, so Herod welcomed them into his courts with
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  Speaker 2: open arms. How may I serve you? he asked cordially.
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  Speaker 2: Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
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  Speaker 1: They asked.
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  Speaker 2: We have followed his star and have come to worship him.
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  Speaker 2: King Herod winced at their words. He had heard rumors
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  Speaker 2: from the shepherds about a newborn baby. However, Herod was
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  Speaker 2: the king of the Jews, and he would not allow
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  Speaker 2: for a child to cause any sort of chaos. He
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  Speaker 2: hid his silent rage from the wise men and called
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  Speaker 2: for one of the priests. Where is the Messiah supposed
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  Speaker 2: to be born?
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  Speaker 1: Herod asked.
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  Speaker 2: That would be Bethlehem, my lord, the birthplace of David,
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  Speaker 2: he responded. Herod smiled and pulled the wise men in close.
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  Speaker 2: My friends, this is a most joyous occasion. Go to Bethlehem.
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  Speaker 2: There you should find the child, and when you find him,
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  Speaker 2: please send word back to me. Herod gave a slithering smile.
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  Speaker 2: I would love to worship him as well. The wise
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  Speaker 2: men departed for Bethlehem. Herod watched them leave. As the
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  Speaker 2: door closed, his smile turned quickly into a scowl. He
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  Speaker 2: would not let any child, Messiah or not, threaten his power.
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  Speaker 2: Mary was tending to the baby while Joseph tended to
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  Speaker 2: the fire. They had found themselves a nice home to
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  Speaker 2: stay in while Mary recovered and nursed the child. The
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  Speaker 2: air was cool outside, but their home was filled with
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  Speaker 2: warmth and love. Joseph kissed Mary's forehead and then bent
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  Speaker 2: down to kiss Jesus' nose. The baby cooed and the
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  Speaker 2: couple smiled down at him. As the family shared a
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  Speaker 2: moment of tenderness, they heard a knock at the door.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph got up to answer and saw the three wise
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  Speaker 2: men draped in expensive robes standing outside. We have come
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  Speaker 2: to see the king, one of them said. So Joseph
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  Speaker 2: let them inside. They saw him resting in the arms
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  Speaker 2: of his mother and bowed. Mary watched as these men
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  Speaker 2: of power and knowledge worshipped at the feet of her child.
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  Speaker 2: Her and Joseph were beginning to realize just how special
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  Speaker 2: this moment was. The men brought in a small chest.
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  Speaker 2: In it were three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Unbeknownst
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  Speaker 2: to the wise men, these gifts would represent the royalty, divinity,
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  Speaker 2: and death of Christ. In these presents were hidden secrets
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  Speaker 2: to the life and death of God's chosen king. After
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  Speaker 2: giving the gifts, the men said goodbye and returned to
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  Speaker 2: their home. They did not tell Herod where the baby was,
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  Speaker 2: for the Lord had revealed to them his cruel intentions. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 2: Herod stood in paranoia. The heart of the ancient pharaoh
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  Speaker 2: came upon him, and he came up with a truly
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  Speaker 2: cruel plan.' Captain!' he yelled. The captain of the city
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  Speaker 2: guards came to the throne at attention. Herod stood up.
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  Speaker 2: His eyes were red with rage. An ancient evil boiled
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  Speaker 2: out of his heart.' I want the head of every
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  Speaker 2: boy under the age of two. Spare no one. So
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  Speaker 2: the guards spread across the nearby cities in Judea, ripping
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  Speaker 2: babies out of their mother's arms. The streets ran red
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  Speaker 2: with infant blood, and the Lord wept over Herod's cruelty.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph awoke in the middle of the night from a nightmare.
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  Speaker 2: Sweat dripped down his head and back. He looked quickly
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  Speaker 2: at his wife beside him and a child resting in
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  Speaker 2: her arms. Joseph was panting. The Lord had appeared to
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  Speaker 2: him in a dream, telling him to flee with his
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  Speaker 2: family to Egypt. Joseph got up from the bed and
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  Speaker 2: looked out the window. Screams could be heard in the distance.
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  Speaker 2: The sound of crying infants and wailing mothers echoed from
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  Speaker 2: miles away. Joseph knew that this is what he was
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  Speaker 2: called to do. Protect Mary and protect the child. He
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  Speaker 2: gathered up all their belongings and loaded them onto the donkey. Then, gently,
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  Speaker 2: Joseph picked up his wife and the infant in his arms.
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  Speaker 2: He rested them softly on the donkey and then led
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  Speaker 2: them away to Egypt. There they found refuge until Herod
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  Speaker 2: met his bitter end.
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  Speaker 3: This is a very exciting passage of Scripture. A caravan
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  Speaker 3: of men is traveling from the east following a star
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  Speaker 3: that they had seen rising in the night sky. They
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  Speaker 3: knew there was great significance to this sign, this star
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  Speaker 3: in the heavens, that a king had been born in Judea.
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  Speaker 3: The men from the east were most likely from Babylon,
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  Speaker 3: and they represent the lasting impact of God's people, specifically
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  Speaker 3: the prophet Daniel. Now, the former conquerors were traveling across
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  Speaker 3: the desert to Judea to pay honor to the promised Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: It is also a reminder that Jesus came not only
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  Speaker 3: for the Jews, but from people all over the world.
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  Speaker 3: As they entered Judea, they sought out the Jewish ruler
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  Speaker 3: to ask about this special child, this king that was
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  Speaker 3: to be born. They did not know that King Herod
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  Speaker 3: was not looking for or interested in another king. In fact,
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  Speaker 3: he was a paranoid ruler who gripped his power with
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  Speaker 3: white knuckles as someone who feared losing it. The wise
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  Speaker 3: men asked, where is this child, the Messiah, the one
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  Speaker 3: born king of the Jews? Herod asked his priests who
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  Speaker 3: looked in the scriptures to show him that the prophecies
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  Speaker 3: told of Bethlehem, the city of David, as the birthplace
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  Speaker 3: of the Messiah. So he sent the wise men there
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  Speaker 3: asking them to find the baby and return to tell
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  Speaker 3: him where he was so that he too could worship.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, this was never Herod's intention. He wanted to
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  Speaker 3: stop the threat to his power. This was an evil
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  Speaker 3: king who would later murder his own sons so he
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  Speaker 3: would stop at nothing to protect his throne. The travelers
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  Speaker 3: entered into Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They
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  Speaker 3: bowed before the child and lavished gifts upon him, gifts
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  Speaker 3: of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These treasures are deeply symbolic.
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  Speaker 3: The gold spoke to Christ's royalty, the frankincense signaled the
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  Speaker 3: divinity of the child, and the myrrh foreshadowed the Messiah's death.
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  Speaker 3: Imagine how strangely surreal this visit must have been for
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  Speaker 3: Mary and Joseph. They knew that their child was special, yes, supernatural,
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  Speaker 3: the Son of God. But his arrival had not been
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  Speaker 3: marked with grandiosity, but much to the contrary, with humility.
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  Speaker 3: But now these nobles from far, far away had come
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  Speaker 3: to bow before their child, hailing him as king. These
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  Speaker 3: mysterious men from afar departed in awe of what they
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  Speaker 3: had seen. But they didn't return to Herod because God
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  Speaker 3: warned them in a dream. Instead, they took another route home.
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  Speaker 3: When Herod discovered their trickery, he was enraged, so he
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  Speaker 3: ordered the death of all the small children among the
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  Speaker 3: Jewish people. Just as the Pharaoh had ordered the slaughter
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  Speaker 3: of Hebrew babies in the time of Moses, Herod ordered
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  Speaker 3: his guards to kill every male child under two in
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  Speaker 3: the region. It was a time of great sorrow and
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  Speaker 3: fear and lamentation, brought about by an evil man's failure
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  Speaker 3: to recognize the new king. He, of course, is rejecting
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  Speaker 3: the Savior, the only one that could bring hope to
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  Speaker 3: him and to the rest of the world. But just
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  Speaker 3: as God had rescued Moses, he stepped in to protect
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  Speaker 3: his only son, warning Joseph in a dream. Joseph knew
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  Speaker 3: he had to get out with his family far from there.
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  Speaker 3: So in fact, he journeyed to Egypt where he stayed
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  Speaker 3: until it was safe to return home with Jesus the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: This was all in fulfillment to God's word, which as
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  Speaker 3: we've seen never fails. In Matthew 2.15, we read how
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  Speaker 3: this was prophesied by Hosea. This was to fulfill what
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  Speaker 3: the Lord had spoken by the prophet, out of Egypt
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  Speaker 3: I call my son. When they returned, Jesus was now
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  Speaker 3: a young boy, and as we'll hear the next time,
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  Speaker 3: his wisdom and understanding was already astounding to those who
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  Speaker 3: heard him speak. Dear God, we thank you for your word,
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  Speaker 3: for your hand of protection and provision for Joseph, Mary,
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  Speaker 3: and Jesus. We thank you for always bringing about your
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  Speaker 3: perfect plan of salvation. Thank you for sending your Son,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ, into our world to be our
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  Speaker 3: Savior forever and ever. Amen. Thank you again for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham,
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  Speaker 3: pastor in Dallas, Texas. You can download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life.
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  Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with someone else.
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  Speaker 3: And if you want more resources, I would love for
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  Speaker 3: you to contact us at jackgram.org. God bless you and
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  Speaker 3: have a great day.