Bible Wonders- ABRAHAM'S MAGI

Bible wonders if you ever wondered why in Matthew's Gospel.

We hear about these stargazers coming out of Babylon and these magi, you know, what's the back story to all bad. And why would that just be in Matthew's gospel.

I think there's a significant reason because Matthew's gospel. As you may know, was written to the Jews themselves to try to awaken them and help them to thirst again for this Messiah of Jesus, which is really what's in my view the entire Old Testament is speaking to here comes Jesus and so what I find interesting is they are@chabad.org and again I'll put this in the show notes these commentaries so like you know we have Matthew Henry which writes commentaries on the Bible, while the Jews have their commentaries and their usually commentaries on all three books that they study they study the Torah. Obviously, and then they also study the midrash and the Talmud which are essentially oral traditions that eventually got written down oral traditions and really commentaries of what the Bible has and what it kinda meant to them so what I want to read for you right now is a little bit long. I think you'll be worth because the whole idea is to whet our appetite for the Bible itself to see what's in there and see where we see Jesus and I think by hearing the stories that Gibson whet your appetite to go study the book of Genesis.

More truly did for me and I found some amazing things that I will be wondering about all week but I need to tell you this story the way it's written here@chabad.org.

It's written by a rabbi called Nissan Mindel and again I got the link for the whole story. There on the show notes so this is called Nimrod's humble heritage, but has a whole lot to do with Abraham as you hear so Nimrod the mighty Hunter was one of the sons of Cush.

Cush was the son of Ham, the lowest and least important of Noah's three sons, Nimrod came from a line which was cursed by Noah cursed be Canaan, a slave of slaves, shall he be unto his brothers by birth. Nimrod had no right to be a king or ruler, but he was a mighty strong man and a slide and tricky one and a great hunter and trapper of men and animal his followers grew in number and soon Nimrod became the mighty king of Babylon, and his empire extended over the great cities as was to be expected.

Nimrod did not feel very secure on his throne. He feared that one day there would appear a descendent of Noah's heirs and successors him and he would have claimed the throne he was determined to have no challenger. Some of Sam's descendents had already been forced to leave the land and build their own cities and empires.

There was only one prominent member of the Semitic family left in the country and he was Tara, the son of Nahor. Tara was the eighth generation removed and the line of descendents from Shem, but Nimrod had nothing to fear from Terra. His most loyal and trusted servant.

Tara had long before betrayed his family had become a follower of Nimrod, all of his ancestors were still living, including Shem himself, but Tara left his ancestral home and became attached to Nimrod, Tara, who should have been the master and Nimrod, his slave became the slave of Nimrod, like the other people in that country.

Tara believe that Nimrod received his kingdom is a gift from the gods and was himself a God. Tara was prepared to serve Nimrod with all his heart. Indeed, he proved himself a very loyal and useful servant Nimrod entrusted into his hands. The commands of his army. Tara, the highest minister in his land. Tara was short of nothing but a wife, so he found himself a wife whose name was Emma Thiel. I look forward to raising a large family, but they were not blessed with any children in the years flew by and Tara still had no son.

His father was only 29 years old when he Tara was born, but Tara was getting closer to the 70 then the 30 and yet there was no son. He prayed to Nimrod and his idols, to blessed him with a son. But his prayers were not answered. Little did he know that Nimrod felt happy about Terra's misfortune. For although Nimrod had nothing to fear from Terra. He could not be sure if Tara sons would also be as loyal to him as their father.

Therefore, he was inwardly very pleased that the servant Tara had no children and probably would never have any buddy could not be sure, and Nimrod was not taking any chances he ordered his stargazers and astrologers to watch the sky for any sign of an appearance of a possible rival. One night the stargazers noticed a new star rising in the east. Every night it got brighter and the informed Nimrod. Nimrod called together his magicians and astrologers. They all agreed that it meant that a new baby was born who might challenge Nimrod's power, it was decided that in order to prevent this, all newborn babies would have to die.

Starting from the king's own palace down to the humblest slaves and who was to be put in charge of this important task why Tara of course the king's most trusted servant Tara sent out as men to round up all expectant mothers. The king's palace was turned into a gigantic maternity ward. Lucky mother gave birth to a girl and then they were sent home laden with gifts, but if the baby having to be a boy. He was put to death without mercy. One night Nimrod stargazers saw the star go very bright and then dart across the sky first in one direction and then another West East, North and South swallowing up all the other stars in its path. Nimrod was with his stargazers on the roof of his palace and saw this strange display in the sky with his own eyes what is the meaning of this. He demanded there can only be one explanation. A son was born tonight, who would challenge the king's power and the father is none other than Tara Tara. Nimrod roared my own trusted servant Nimrod had never given a thought to Tara is becoming a father at the age of 70.

However, if he did become a father. He would surely be glad to offer his firstborn son to his king, and God. Nimrod dispatched a messenger to Tara at once, ordering him to appear together with his newborn son that night.

Tara and his wife had indeed become happy parents of a baby boy who brought a great light and radiance into their home. Tara had hoped it would be a girl and he would have no terrible decision to make. Now he could not think of giving up his lovely baby boy born to him in his old age after such longing, he had managed to keep his wife's expectancy of secret none of the servants knew about the birth of his son. There was a secret passage leading from his palace to a cave in the field. He took the baby to that cave and left it there as he was returning to the palace past the servants quarters. He suddenly heard the cry of a newborn baby, what good fortune.

Tara cried. It so happened that one of his servants had given birth to a baby boy about the same time as his own son. Tara took that baby and put him in silk swaddling and handed them to his wife to nurse. Just then the king's messengers arrived when Tara with the baby in his arms, appeared before Nimrod. Tara declared I was just about to bring my Sunday when you're messengers came. Nimrod thought it was mighty loyal of Tara to give up his only son born to him in his old age. Little did he know that it was not Terrace on was brought to die servants. I'm sure like me there some stuff. This sounds awfully familiar insulative or ways right.

I mean the birth of Moses wasn't all that different from there. And when you really think about some of the life of King David. And I think you see that in in that as well.

But certainly anybody you can hear this story and not think about Jesus. I mean, oh my goodness, and who tells the story if the Jews would tell this story.

I mean it's in their Talmuds in their mid-British and when you look at some of the details in this story I think you'll agree that all my goodness they line up with Matthew's gospel in a great way again. So much of the themes of the Old Testament are telling us the story of what God's redemption will look like. Through Jesus. If you're like me, I better send you back to check out Nimrod the Tower of Babel and all those things because they all kind of all fit together as will discover later this week in more Bible wonders to