Eastern
Star, Star of Wisdom
An
Encomium to Ancient Wisdom Texts
Jackson Snyder, December 31, 2003
Matthew 2:1,2; Psalms 111; Hebrews
1:1,2; John
1:12,13, Numbers 24:15-19; Job 38:7; Wisdom
7:22b-26; Sirach 24:1-4,6-8; Matthew 1:21; Luke
2:52; Isaiah 53:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3,4; Philippians 2:5-8; John 5:30,32,36; Matthew 11:15; 1
Corinthians 1:26-28; Proverbs 9:1-6; John 10:7; Matthew 11:26,29; Sirach
24:21,22; John 6:53-58; Acts 1:11.
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Matthew 2:1,2 “for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him.”
Psalms 111 (Act of Worship,
UMH 832, response 1)
1. Alleluia. I will give
thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the
congregation.
2. Great are the works of
Yahweh, studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3. Full of honor and
majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4. He has caused his
wonderful works to be remembered; Yahweh is gracious and merciful.
5. He provides food for
those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6. He has shown his people
the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7. The works of his hands
are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy,
8. they are established
for ever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9. He sent redemption to
his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and terrible is his
name!
10. The fear of Yahweh is
the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it.
His praise endures forever!
O come, Thou Wisdom from on
high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. Amen.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In many and various ways Yahweh spoke of old to our fathers by
the prophets; but in these latter days he has spoken to his special ambassadors
throughout the earth about the arrival of his Son, whom he once and for all
appointed the heir of all things, and through whom also he created the world (from
Hebrews 1:1,2 ). And these words have of recent times, gone
forth in secret to all those, highborn and lowborn, whom he would have to know
the promise of the Son of Man, the man of heaven. That promise is that not many days hence Yahweh’s only begotten,
the firstborn of all creation, would descend to earth, taking the form of a
mere babe, and forever live to turn the hearts of the loyal heavenward.
You yourselves have read of Yahweh’s Wisdom in the sacred books
of wisdom. The soon-coming Son will
enflesh this wisdom and teach all who will partake of him how sons and
daughters of deity (of elohim) they might become.
For as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of G-d, even to them
that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12,13).
Wisdom that teaches how
these godly offspring might discern the devil’s dominion and might, and through
the power of Wisdom, save many from the ultimate enemy, death. Wisdom that propounds the foundational
truths of a theocratic kingdom that will take root in the earth, grow into
multi-dimensionality among all species of creation, and last forever. That Wisdom might be the King of all
followers of Yahweh, and the light to show the way to his kingdom for strangers
and foreigners; even those living afar off in both space and time.
The wise will recognize him as Wisdom when he comes, and
direct the fool to enter his chamber, and become wise. In the meantime, the wise of all ages watch
and wait for the promised advent, then go and worship. And behold, they traverse afar!
There
came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him
(Matthew 2:1-2).
The Wise Men of Old
Who are these
"Wise Men” of the east? ¿Were they
not a university of prophets who held the treasures of wisdom for many hundreds
of years, unbeknownst to those in power and authority?
Yes! They live clandestine lives, in hidden
enclaves, in the oases of arid deserts, where they perfect their craft: they
know the secrets of medicine, of herbs and roots and plants, and how to use
such to heal and restore the infirm; they know the way of ores and metals of
the earth and how they might be foundried and fired to form plows and axes and
weapons of peace; they know the intimate workings of the heavens, of the
heavenly bodies, the points of light that rule the cosmos and dash the earth
with rain or hail or thunders and lightnings; they know the hierarchy of the
angels and principalities, the location of the seven heavens and the fires that
burn eternally in the earth; they know how to discern omens, signs and
supernatural powers, be they for good or ill, and how to recognize the true
word from the false; they understand perfectly the literature of their times
and that of the ancient sages, of prophecies and parables and psalms and
chronicles of kings and the wise sayings of nameless pundits – and of those
prehistoric traditions that speak loudly still of the eternal king who would
rise in the west with the eastern star and bring peace, goodwill and wisdom to
humankind.
The Prophecy and the Star
Of late they’ve
focused their wisdom on the celestial sphere, and upon the great prophecies of
the shaking of the heavens that would expose the one special star spoken of in
ancient days by a prophet of Moab:
“The
oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of Yahweh, and knows the knowledge of the
Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his
eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a
scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab, and
break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom
shall be dispossessed, Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed, while
Israel does valiantly!” (Numbers
24:15-19)
¿What is this
prophecy and what is the star that it proclaims? ¿Is it a comet, a boulder of fiery ice piercing the firmament of
the earth and trailing over the ancient land of Ephrata (abundance)? ¿Is it a meteor, a
mountain that burst off some distant planet, westward leading, powered by the
hand of some god? Or is it angelic
spirits brightly beaming in the sky, like that day when the “the morning stars
sang together, and all the sons of G-d shouted for joy” (Job 38:7), proclaiming the glory of the cosmos and creation?
Spirit
of faith, come down, reveal this hidden night, and make to us the Godhead
known, and witness with thy light. Thy
faith that conquers all, and doth the mountains part, so testifies to
humankind, and speaks in every heart. (adapted
from C. Wesley, 1746, UMH 332). O
star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading,
still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light (J. Hopkins, 1857, UMH 254).
The Wise Still Follow
The wise still
follow the star, though the journey be arduous and dangerous, over hills,
mountains, dry desert, marshlands infested by vile insects, unclean spirits and
hungry beasts. Nothing takes our eyes
from the star for long – only long enough to transcend the present trouble in
following it – yet even when the star isn’t clearly seen for the distraction,
it’s still burning brightly in the mind’s eye of the wise.
And the wise still
inquire, “Where is he who is born the Wisdom of Yahweh? for we have followed his star and are come
to worship and be made wise.” We know
the ancients asked questions by studying their own sacred annals, books Yahweh
preserved in caves for centuries, until, in our lifetimes, they might be
discovered, and their thoughts and expectations made known. And from these crusty scrolls we have
learned that these pious Wise Men understood wisdom as not merely knowledge,
insight, prudence, or “the sum of learning through the ages,” but that the Wisdom
of Yahweh had been spoken forth from the very mouth of the Almighty and had
been made alive by his word, that this Wisdom had hovered over the depths and
was the substance through which all things and living creatures came to be,
that this Wisdom was a friend to all living creatures and especially to
humankind, that this Wisdom, so high and holy, was to be conceived in a woman,
a lump of cells, growing in the nourishment of a womb to become a human child,
helpless and vulnerable.
Attributes of Wisdom Personified
So much faith did
Yahweh put in his people that he placed his Wisdom among them, helpless, to be
crushed like the children of Sheth into the dust of Bethlehem’s road, had they
so desired. Yet this little vessel was
so precious and unique, that the ancients who sought him out wrote of
him, that in the child of Wisdom:
there is a spirit
that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent,
humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and
penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle.
For Wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of his pureness he pervades
and penetrates all things. For he is the breath of the power of Elohim, and a
pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains
entrance into him. For he is the reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror
of the working of Yahweh, and an image of his goodness. (Wisdom 7:22b-26 RSV)
This wisdom-child
will speak for himself through the sages, even before he is born a man:
“I came forth from
the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in high
places, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. In the waves of the sea, in the
whole earth, and in every people and nation I have gotten a possession. Among
all these I sought a resting place; I sought in whose territory I might lodge.
The Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and the one who created me
assigned a place for my tent. And he said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in
Israel receive your inheritance’” (Sirach 24:1-4, 6-8 RSV).
Wisdom Imparted in Later Generations
An angel of dreams
visits a wise man of the tribe of Judah in Israel who dwells in the land of
Jacob and is a descendant of the patriarch, revealing to him Wisdom’s identity
and name. “Sir,
A
son will be given and you shall name him Yahshua, because he is the
one -- who is to save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And Yahshua increased in wisdom, in stature,
and in favor with Yahweh and with the people (Luke 2:52).
The wise writer of a later generation who knew Wisdom not as
a child, but as a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3), confirmed the ancient wise men’s
identity of Wisdom, teaching us that:
He
is the image of the unseen G-d, the first-born of all creation, for in him were
created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything
invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers, all things were
created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all
things hold together. (Colossians
1:15-17)
Furthermore,
another inspired witness also writes of the power of Wisdom incarnate; that
He reflects the glory of G-d and bears
the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When
he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained
is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews
1:3,4)
And concerning his
person, a wise man of the tribe of Benjamin recites the traditional “Psalm of
Yahshua” in his admonition to a foreign, heathen people, saying:
Consider
(froneite) Yahshua who, being in the form of a god (qeou, elohim), did not
count equality with Yahweh (qew) as something to be stolen. But he emptied
himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as humans are in every way; and
he became yet humbler, accepting death, even the death of a stake (staurou)
(Philippians 2:5-8).
Divine Wisdom Proclaims
Hark! Wisdom proclaims his heavenly origins in the
word of Yahshua of Nazareth:
Truly
I bear witness to what I have seen. No
one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.
(John 3:11,13).
The world isn’t
ready for the star, nor is it prepared for the Word of Wisdom. The world will always be composed of fools,
but Yahweh will sow the wise in the midst of them, and some hearts will be open
to that which he proclaimed in the hearing of many fools one fateful day
when he told them:
“I
can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is
just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. There is another who bears witness to me,
and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true; that is, the
works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works
which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.” (John 5:30, 32, 36)
And when the fools
of the earth spurned his word and works, instead of burning them up with his
eternal light, or crushing their skulls against the walls of mountains, he
offered his wisdom as pabulum to mere babes, babes wiser than fools, and he prayed,
“I
thank thee, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these
things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father,
for such was thy gracious will.”
(Matthew 11:15)
For ye see your calling, brethren,
how
that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are
called: But G-d hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise; and G-d hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath G-d chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to naught things that are.
(1 Corinthians 1:26-28);
Now, Wisdom has built herself a house, she has hewn her
seven pillars,
she
has slaughtered her beasts, drawn her wine, she has laid her table. She has dispatched her maidservants and
proclaimed from the heights above the city, “Who is simple? Let him come this
way.” To the fool she says, “Come and
eat my bread, drink the wine which I have drawn! Leave foolishness behind and you will live!” (Proverbs 9:1-6).
Yahshua, the star of Wisdom, takes up residence in the house
of his ancestor. He cries to passersby,
“I am the door” (John 10:7)! “Come to me,
all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:26,29).
In the pages of
the sages, Wisdom likewise provides daily bread for the simple-hearted and the
babe, but cautions,
“Those who eat me will hunger for more,
and those who drink me will thirst for more” (Sirach 24:21,22).
So there, by the side of the sea, Yahshua offers his body as
food for the world, his blood as drink, for the wise and the foolish alike, the
educated and the simple, the responsible and the derelict, so that those whom
his Father loves might be revealed and live to conquer death:
“Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his
blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is
drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he
who eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers
ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever” (John 6:53-58)
But when he makes
his offer to die for the sins of the world so as to give life to all who would
eat and drink of him, many of his fair weather friends, who had tasted him and
found him to be good, desert his company for teachers of inferior
philosophies. Only a few wise remain to
eat, and these few behold again the star of Wisdom rising into
the heavens from whence he came, with angels proclaiming,
“Why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Yahshua, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall return in like manner as ye have seen him go” (Acts 1:11).
For wise men of
our day, this story means that those who are engaged in doing the work of the
heaven, relying on the holy books for guidance, watching, waiting, and living life
in expectation of eternity, and eating and drinking the Son of Man until he
comes, and fervently keeping his commandments, will see his star again at
his descent there in the east, in their hearts, in the New Jerusalem; and yea, they
do see him even now. Kings and
paupers and philosophers and fools may follow that new morning star
to his final resting-place upon the world’s throne, to share the banqueting
table with their beloved king, rest from their labors, be wise and live
forever. Amen.
[ ] In many and various ways... Hebrews 1:1,2
[ ] For as many as received him... John
1:12,13
[ ] There came wise men ... Matthew 2:1-2
[ ] The oracle of Balaam ... Numbers 24:15-19
[ ] The morning stars sang ...
Job 38:7
[ ] Spirit of faith, come down ... C. Wesley, 1746
[ ] O star of wonder ... J. Hopkins, 1857
[ ] There is a spirit that is intelligent
... Wisdom 7:22b-26
[ ] I came forth from the mouth ... Sirach 24:1-4, 6-8
[ ] A son will be given ... Matthew 1:21
[ ] And Yahshua increased in wisdom ... Luke 2:52
[ ] Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief
... Isaiah 53:3
[ ] He is the image of the unseen G-d ... Colossians 1:15-17
[ ] He reflects the glory of G-d ... Hebrews 1:3,4
[ ] Consider Yahshua who, being in the form
... Philippians 2:5-8
[ ] Truly I bear witness ... John 3:11,13
[ ] I can do nothing on my own authority
... John 5:30,32,36
[ ] I thank thee, Father ... Matthew 11:15
[ ] How that not many wise men ... 1 Corinthians 1:26-28
[ ] She has slaughtered her beasts ... Proverbs 9:1-6
[ ] I am the door ... John 10:7
[ ] Come to me, all who labor ... Matthew 11:26,29
[ ] Those who eat me will hunger ... Sirach 24:21,22
[ ] Unless you eat the flesh ... John 6:53-58
[ ] Why stand ye gazing up ... Acts 1:11