How Do I Find Satisfaction in God?
What can we learn from the wise men about finding our satisfaction in God? How does their heart for worship set an example for us?
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The Visit of the Wise Men
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Who Were the Wise Men?
What did the wise men know that you and I may or may not know that we need to know? The relevancy of this question is easy to overlook, but one of the things we see immediately in this passage is that Jesus was worth their time and attention.
Before we go any further, let’s look at who the wise men were. While these men were astrologers, they were not lonely men with their heads literally and figuratively in the clouds.
Highly Influential: They were educated and influential men in their society, including responsibilities in politics and religion. That’s why they could leverage so much wealth that they brought to the feet of Jesus.
Long Distance Travelers: Scripture tells us they “traveled from the east” to Bethlehem to meet Jesus. It was roughly 800-1,000 miles that they had to journey. That’s the equivalent of traveling from St. Louis to New York, Chicago to Jacksonville, or Denver to San Francisco. This wasn’t a trip down the block to see your neighbor’s new baby.
In addition, the Christmas story in our passage is also the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy that was predicted anywhere from 600 to 1,000 years earlier. In Numbers, there is a prophecy of a star that would light up the sky to guide the nations to the birth of the Son. Then toward the end of the book of Isaiah, the same thing happens in Isaiah 60:1-6:
“…but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip…They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.”
Once again, we see the promise in Isaiah: Nations will come to the light of God’s people. These nations would bring riches and gifts for worship. Then we read the following in Matthew:
“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16
Consider how striking it is that in Matthew’s Gospel, a book specifically aimed at a Jewish audience, the first people we see worshipping Jesus are wise men (magi) from the nations! This clearly shows God drawing the nations to the Jewish Messiah. It also promised that the Messiah is not merely the King of the Jews; instead, He is the King of all peoples!
The Gospel of Matthew also begins with “Come and See” with representatives from the nations and ends with “Go and Tell” with a command to reach the nations.
Postured Bodies and Hearts
Most Nativity scenes portray that when Jesus was born, the wise men were there. However, it was anywhere from several months to maybe even a year after by the time they arrived. But when they arrived, they did something noteworthy.
The Wisemen: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2
Matthew repeats this in verses 10 and 11. He writes that they “…fell down and worshiped Him.” This indicates that when they fell down in the presence of the king, they stayed down. Remember, these are highly educated and influential individuals.
The Greek word in the original language here for worship is Proskynéō, which means to kiss the ground when prostrating before a superior; to worship, ready “to fall down/prostrate oneself to adore on one’s knees.” Source: Helps Word Studies.
Upon seeing Jesus, they entered Proskynéō. They fell and postured their body and their heart in adoration of the Son. They were highly intellectual, so we know they were mindful of what was happening, but something was also happening in their spirit.
Author and pastor A.W. Tozer said, “The primary purpose of God in creation was to prepare moral beings spiritually and intellectually capable of worshiping Him.”
For Christians, Scripture teaches that God is in spirit with those who worship Him in spirit and truth. Ephesians 2 teaches that our once-dead spirit comes to life when we come to Christ.
There are two primary words for God’s manifest presence found in the Old Testament:
Shekinah means the special presence of God, where God reveals Himself. This encompasses His peace, love, and comfort.
Kabod glory determines the weight of the glory. This is much more intense.
I recognize that this illustration is subjective, but years ago, during a prayer summit, we moved into a Kabod moment. The weight of God’s glory was among His people. Without instruction, people began to slip out of their chairs and bow. It happened all over the room.
So, I’m mindful that when we see Tozer say that the primary purpose of God in creation was to prepare moral beings spiritually and intellectually, there’s a wedding of truth and spirit. He even goes on to write:
“The church that can’t worship must be entertained. And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment…Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us…God wants worshipers first. Jesus did not redeem us to make us workers—He redeemed us to make us worshipers. And then, out of the blazing worship of our hearts springs our work. Unless we are worshipers, we are simply religious dancing mice, moving around in a circle getting nowhere!”
The wise men did not come before Jesus as consumers. They weren’t asking for entertainment or how God could service their desires. Instead, they came bowing down. They came in worship and adoration.
Scripture tells us that in their adoration, their hearts were so vibrant and alive they brought Him treasures. They offered him gifts of:
Gold: What you bring a king
Frankincense: Burned in God’s temple, it represented the prayer, praises, and worship of God’s people.
Myrrh: It was used for a death in a family to anoint the body for burial.
These magi came to worship the King, but their worship was intellectually informed. They knew and understood things because they experienced the revelation of God, both in spirit and cognitively, for God’s glory.
“Worship is not characterized by how I am satisfied, but by how God is glorified.” John Piper, American pastor and author.
An Act of Submission
The other reason they bowed face down is because worship is an act of submission. This shows these men were coming into alignment with God and yielding their hearts and lives for the sake of God’s glory, but also the sake of their everlasting joy.
Do you know that when your heart submits and aligns with God’s heart, it’s an act of God’s kindness toward you? Romans 2:4 says, “His kindness leads you to repentance.” It’s God’s kindness that leads you to align with Him. This is a symptom of God’s love working in your heart.
It’s also God’s kindness that leads us to align with Him. The beauty of that is that it is unto something. It’s just that your heart would align with God, but it’s unto these things.
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:19
Your sins can be forgiven. There’s no reason to hesitate before a holy God. He is a holy and forgiving God; you don’t need to hesitate. Don’t believe the lie that you cannot bring your fallen and brokenness. He’s seen it all, and there’s nothing He hasn’t forgiven before. It’s by grace that you’re saved. You can’t earn it. Turn to Him so that your sins may be blotted out and forgotten.
Following Paul’s words in Acts, when your sins are blotted out, look at what it’s unto: Times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. This goes back to the Old Testament Shekinah and Kabad; the presence of God.
The word refreshing in this verse means that God does supernatural works to reinvigorate your life as the Psalmist said, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
At the deepest level, we are spiritual beings. You are more than flesh and bone; at the deepest level, we were designed to enjoy communion with God and worship a loving and holy God. A failure to understand that is like starving to death spiritually while sitting at a lush banquet prepared for you.
God’s Supernatural Movement Hasn’t Ceased
On the day Jesus’ ministry went public, He quoted Isaiah 61:
“to give them a beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 (emphasis added)
The reality of Jesus’ presence will heal your broken heart. It can set you free from the effects of a fallen world.
There’s a lot of supernatural activity in the Christmas story. Think about it: God arranged the stars in the universe to announce the glory of the Son. People are having dreams of announcements. There’s a virgin birth. Angels are speaking with humans. In the West, it’s easy to overlook these supernatural elements, but is God still up to supernatural activity?
What is God wanting to raise supernaturally in you? In our city, state, and nation?
The author C.S. Lewis said, “How little people know who think holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.”If we’re communing with God, it’s not dull.
Our passage ends with one more touch of the supernatural.
“And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” Matthew 2:12
I submit that our God is alive, and His supernatural movement has not ceased. As we see in the story, God has arranged the stars in the sky to announce the Son. He did this to declare the supremacy of the Son.
Like these influential wise men, we too should be overwhelmed by that. We also have the opportunity to bow down in homage and worship before the King. They found satisfaction in the Son, and so can we. Let’s give Christ the extravagant offering of our lives, including everything we have and are. Let’s learn from the wise men’s example to set aside our pride and pretense to worship the King.
TL;DR
The wise men from the Christmas story are glowing examples of how to find satisfaction in God.
These influential men traveled a long distance to worship Jesus, showing His worthiness.
They worshiped with their hearts and minds, offering valuable gifts.
Worship is an act of submission, aligning with God’s kindness.
We can learn from the wise men to worship the King with humility and offer our lives to Christ.
Related Reading
How to Hear God Amid Divine Interruptions by Rev. Paul Lawler
The Christmas Story Prologue by Bro. Chris Carter
A Light in the Darkness by Rev. Jacky Gatliff
