17 Dec God Spoke through a Star? The God Conversations of the Wise Men at Christmas

We know that God speaks in a myriad of ways, but would God speak through the stars when he had specifically warned against reading them? Does God speak to people who don’t know him?

This was the strange story of the wise men at Christmas time.

We don’t know a lot about them. We don’t even know if there were three of them, even though the Christmas carol says there were. In Scripture, they’re called “magi” – that is, magicians or sorcerers. In ancient times, magi were men of great learning and status and were often consulted by leaders for their skill in interpreting omens and signs. They practised astrology and looked to the stars for direction and meaning.

When we meet the wise men in the Christmas story, we learn that they travelled a great distance from the East in search of a promised king from the family of David. They had probably heard of a prophecy that a star would signify his birth. Most likely, they had been watching the heavens for years; waiting for an alignment in the sky that would foretell the king’s birth. Perhaps they had seen a comet, a supernova or a conjunction of the planets, or maybe something entirely supernatural. They had little to go on, yet they ventured far from their home to reach Bethlehem. There they discovered Jesus, and with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they worshipped him (Matthew 2:11).

God Speaks through a Star?

It’s an unlikely scenario, made all the more fascinating because the magi relied on omens in the sky to plan their way. These are the very things that God warns his people Israel against (Deut. 18:10)! Yet, God used them to lead the wise men to him.

We usually expect God to speak to Christians in “Christian” ways. Those who follow Jesus are given the fullness of the Holy Spirit that they may follow Jesus and work to bring his kingdom from heaven to earth. But here we see God speaking to those who have never met Jesus and know nothing of God’s people Israel. It seems that God speaks to anyone who is listening and reveals himself in ways people relate to!

We shouldn’t be surprised by this. God is a missionary God who sent his son Jesus to show us the way of salvation. But God was reaching out to people long before Jesus. God’s outreaching and loving nature has always been present whether people are aware of it or not. God is constantly revealing signs of divine presence, drawing people towards himself and pointing them to Jesus. Today we hear of stories from the Middle East where thousands of Muslims are hearing God speak through dreams of Jesus. Some missiologists estimate 30-50% of those who come to faith do so through a dream – others say up to 100%!

God Speaks to Those who are Seeking

The truth is that God wants to be known – and he wants to be known by everyone – not just those familiar with God’s ways. The wise men weren’t Jews who attended synagogue. They hadn’t read the Torah. And yet, they were some of the first at the manger!

Today God is still reaching out to those who don’t know him. God speaks in ways that people understand, ever “incarnating” himself into people’s circumstances. The Scriptures say that the God who made the world and everything in it did that so that we would “seek him and perhaps reach out and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts. 17:27)

This Christmas, God is already speaking to those you love in ways they can relate to. Just as God revealed Godself to the wise men who sought him, God is revealing himself to those who seek him today. When we celebrate the birth of Jesus with others at Christmas time, remember God is already at work in people’s lives. May we have the privilege of being ready to help them recognise him.