Bright Morning Star (part 2)

Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. 

Matthew 16:2-3 He [Jesus] replied, “When evening comes, you saw, ‘It will be fair weather for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” 

• Reflect On: Numbers 24:17 & Matthew 16:2-3 
• Praise God: For giving us signs of His presence. 
• Offer Thanks: For all the ways God has guided you. 
• Confess: Any confusion that comes from taking your eyes off Jesus. 
• Ask God: To help you stay the course by fixing your eyes on Him. 

Have you ever wondered how ancient mariners were able to navigate without using a compass? … 

The Phoenicians, like many seafaring people that followed, were sophisticated enough to rely on the sky to get them through the treacherous seas, By watching the sun in its path, they knew whether they were heading east or west. They could also locate their position by gazing at the night sky, aware as they were that individual stars appears at fixed distances above the horizon at any particular location and time of year. Even today, satellites use a similar technique, marking their position in space by using “star trackers,” instruments that use groups of stars as reference points. 

But what does any of this have to do with Christ as the bright Morning Star? Remember that the morning star was considered the harbinger of dawn. When Jesus called Himself the brigtht Morning Star, He was saying that He is our reference point—the sign that a new day is dawning on the world. Scripture tells us that this will be a day that will never end. Its light will be so steady, strong, and fixed that darkness will finally be banished… . No more sin, no more sorrow, no more tears. If the first coming of Jesus is like the star that announces the dawn, His second coming will be like lightning, brining the swift fulfillment of His kingdom. 

Like the ancient mariners, who were able to read the skies, we need to remember to look up, to lift our faces to the Bright Morning Star, because it is only when Jesus is our reference point that we understand our true location in space and time. 

Jesus faulted the religious leaders of His day for failing to interpret the signs of the times. Let us pray today for the grace to be like wise seafarers, joyful when they saw the morning star rising in the east.