When Jesus was born, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them,
“Where is the Christ to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘for out of Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
But having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet.
Nothing is done by chance when the prophecy of the Bible is being fulfilled. Whether people recognize it or not, God’s prophecy goes off without a hitch in accordance with His word.
Faith does not mean just knowing the prophecy, but believing that the propehcy will be fulfilled for sure and taking action accordingly. The chief priests and the teachers of the law knew the prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, but didn’t consider learning who fulfilled the prophecy and how—they didn’t believe the prophecy. Herod’s deed is nothing worth speaking of even more; after hearing the prophecy, he dared to draw his sword at the Christ, fearing that he might lose his throne.
Even at this moment, the prophecy of God is being fulfilled true to the record of the Bible, by moving the whole universe and the hearts of men. Let’s believe—not just know—the prophecy.