Question from a Site Viewer
These were not kings that went to Jesus, these were Magi. God preaches against Magi. These were wise men. In the Bible words it says that kings will present gifts. Not Magi. The Scripture says kings.
Prophecy in Question
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Psalm 72:10 (NKJ)
Fulfillment
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.”Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:1-11 (NKJ)
Tim’s Answer
As for the the issue of the magi, we simply do not know for sure from Matthew whether they were kings. Matthew calls them “magoi.” They saw a star and came to worship the one who was born King of the Jews. They knew from seeing the star that this was the star of the King. But the Old Testament passages quoted stated that kings would come bearing gifts. From these passages, we deduce that the magi were in fact kings. We will need to wait until we meet God to know for sure. However, the prophesy was that kings would bring gifts and these ones from the east brought gifts. I leave that to you as to whether you think they are kings.
As for the condemnation of “magi,” in Scripture, we all stand under God’s condemnation until we believe in Jesus. (Psalm 2:12; John 3:18-19) The fact that the magi would come and worship Jesus when Herod and the religious leaders did not speaks volumes. Like Daniel of old (Daniel 2:24), Jesus wants to save even the magi.
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