Does this condone the practice of looking to the stars for prophetic direction?
Matthew 2:1 - 10
ESV - 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men 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 and have come to worship him.
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Interesting!
Adding to Mr Maas' comment while it states in the bible we are not to inquire of these sources for future things they do exist! The Lord desires us to grow in trust for Him by faith that all things work for his glory! If we inquire of this knowledge we rob ourselves of this awesome blessing and suffer the consequences of our sin even though we may seek and receive His loving forgiveness.
Those who choose a natural explanation for this 'star" say the north to south movement from Jerusalem to right over the exact place where the Christ child was, was the result of retrograde planet motion. But this strains credulity.
Hendriksen says, “The star pointed out the very house! As described in verse 9, therefore at this point the strange and wonderful luminary must have been hanging low. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the star of Bethlehem was probably a supernatural event; possibly an angel, as indeed angels proclaimed his birth from the night sky to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14), and are even called 'stars' in scripture. (cf: Jud.5:20, Job 38:7)" - Hendriksen, William. NT Commentary: Matthew, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1973, p. 169.