Balaam, “Wise Men,” and a Star

We all know the story.

Wise men from Persia followed what we presume was a distinctly bright star.

It led them to Israel. They asked Herod about it, who told them to report back to him, and they went on their way to Bethlehem where they found the toddler, Yeshua, and his family.

But there’s so much going on here.

Let’s return back to the days of the Exodus.

The Israelites were wandering in the desert. They came across the land line of Moab, which scared the Moabite king, Balak.

Balak was so scared, in fact, that he asked a local master of divination - Balaam - to speak a curse over Israel.

But when Balaam began his ritual, the Lord spoke to him, telling him to bless the Israelites and not curse them, to not return to the king, and that a star would come from Judah where a future king would arise.

Balaam didn’t curse Israel, but he did return to the king disobediently.

Fast-forward… Moab eventually blended into Babylon, and Babylon into Persia.

Then, centuries later, a star. A group of Persian sages, well-studied in the astrology of their religion and the ancient oracles of Balaam, deduced a pattern pointing to a king worthy of worship.

Like Balaam, they came to speak blessing over the ruler and the people of Israel; but unlike Balaam, they obeyed the Lord in not returning to a king hellbent on hostile force and the preservation of power.

This story presents both the rich parallel of how God speaks and draws his children to him in any and all contexts (even one’s opposed to his way), and it’s also a story of fulfillment, displaying the courage of choosing to turn from oppressive rulership, even when fearful, and redeeming the error of Balaam’s actions of submitting to a worldly king’s orders as opposed to that of God’s.

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