“Arise, shine, for your light has come. Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1,3

“A star will rise from Jacob;
a scepter will emerge from Israel.” Numbers 24:17

“We saw his star as it rose…”  Matthew 2:1

Why think about the prophet Daniel at Christmas time? Hint: He was a Magi.

Magi were advisers to kings. For centuries, Magi were believed to have spiritual powers of insight, including knowing the future, interpreting dreams, and solving difficult problems. They were knowledgeable in many fields including astrology and astronomy.  Besides being advisers, they also represented their king to foreign nations. One example of a Magi on official business to a foreign country occurred in 588 BC. The officials of  Babylon came into Jerusalem and sat in the Middle Gate, the place of governmental authority, as the symbolic last step of their victorious take-over of Judah.

“Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: … Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official (Hebrew rab mag = chief magi) and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard; Nebushazban, a chief officer; Nergal-sharezer, the king’s adviser (literally chief magi); and the other officers of Babylon’s king sent messengers to bring Jeremiah out of the prison.”
Jeremiah 39:3,13
But a worshiper of the one true God had more knowledge and skill than all the black magic and secret arts of the heathen king’s wise men.  Teenaged Daniel along with the nobility had already been taken into exile to Babylon seventeen years before in 605 BC during a previous Babylonian invasion. The ironic thing is that although God’s people were defeated because of their unwillingness to obey God, some of the young people were God-followers and in the land of their enemies became a great force for good and for God. Daniel, ever faithful to God later became the chief magi to the king, even converting this most powerful regent in the world to faith in God. (The same king who had devastated Daniel’s homeland, taken him away from his family, his temple, everything he had known and valued, and forced him into service probably also  robbing him of a normal life with wife and family.) Yet Daniel treated him with respect and served him diligently, even expressing personal concern and giving him advice that could save the king from disaster at the risk of losing his own life.

“He [King Nebuchanezzer] called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. .. Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. . . He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. . . . Daniel remained in the king’s court.” Daniel 2:2,27-28,49

^“Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”  Daniel 4:27

“There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. —your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems.” Daniel 5:11-12

God entrusted Daniel with a blueprint for God’s plan of events for the future. Many scholars feel that this revelation included the exact year that the Messiah (the Anointed One) would be killed. Daniel recorded his own life story, including his visions from God and major events of the kings he served in a document preserved among the Jews and Christians to this day – the Book of Daniel in the Bible. Did his record also survive among the Magi with whom he associated? Did he train younger Magi and pass down to them his book? What would they have known about the coming Ruler appointed by the God of Heaven? They would have known that the Anointed One (Masiah or Messiah) would be put to death in Jerusalem. They may have even understood the year of his death.

“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death but not for himself.” Daniel 9:25-26

When the New Testament opens with a narrative about Magi, we remember the greatest ancient chief Magi, Daniel, the captive from Judah who served over seventy years during the reigns of multiple kings more than five hundred years previous.  While the Bible is vague as to the exact homeland of the Magi who visited little Jesus, it’s possible that these magi were advisers to and representatives from the powerful Parthian Empire headquartered to the east of Israel in the same area in which Daniel had served. Just years earlier the Parthian Empire had decisively defeated Roman armies. But the two mega-powers had made treaties and were at peace at the time of Jesus’ birth.(1) Herod had had personal experience with the powerful Parthian army (2) and would have taken official emissaries from Parthia seriously.

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men (Magi) from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’(Micah 5:2)”. Matthew 2:1-6

Herod immediately equated the Magi’s title for the baby, King of the Jews, to the title Messiah. Generation after generation of God’s people had been waiting for their Messiah, so why was everyone in Jerusalem deeply upset to hear this news? Perhaps they were loath for these foreign dignitaries to be aware of a new, rival king. Were the Magi trying to curry favor to get the new king to side with their government against the Romans? If the Romans found out about an upstart Ruler, they would likely attempt to squelch it as they had done 60 years prior in Rome when a rumor said that a newborn king had been born. Then the emperor had decreed the elimination of all baby boys in a certain area.  (3.) To those in Jerusalem, the potential problems overshadowed what should have been the best news since Creation. It remained for only a few who eagerly awaited Messiah to rejoice at his birth. And foreigners were some of them. In the ensuing years, millions the world around have rejoiced to hear the Good News of Messiah’s arrival.  Let’s be overjoyed like the Magi and worship him this Christmas presenting him with the gifts of our hearts and lives.

“We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.. . they were overjoyed … and bowed down and worshipped him… and presented him with gifts…” Matthew 2:2,10,11
Take-aways:
When nothing goes according to plan and everything goes wrong, God is working for our good and according to his good plan.
Diligence in our work shows our commitment to our Heavenly Boss.
We never know the far-reaching effects of our obedience and faithfulness.
Hope that even our enemies turn to God shows the compassion of our God.
Our God is bigger than the most powerful humans.
God’s plan for redeeming mankind can’t be thwarted. Neither can his plan for our individual lives.
Despite swirling events around us, joyful worship is our privilege.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthian_Empire
2. Josephus, the well-known ancient Jewish historian, stated that Parthia was so powerful that they forced Herod the Great, just before the Romans made him king of Palestine, to run so as not to be killed (Antiquities of the Jews)! https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/parthian-israel-empire.html.
3. https://bethlehemstar.com/setting-the-stage/the-nine-points-of-christs-star/

Extra note:  In De Vita Caesarum: Divus Vespasian, Suetonius records that “[t]here had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judaea to rule the world.”  He goes on to say that Vespasian was so concerned with this prophecy of the Christ that he attempted to exterminate the entire Davidic family line—even helpless old men were killed.  https://bethlehemstar.com/setting-the-stage/the-nine-points-of-christs-star/  (My note:  Vespasian ruled during the time Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 after Jesus had been killed, rose again, and went to Heaven promising to return triumphantly.)