I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

Numbers 24:17(a)

Most of us remember the story of Baalam or at least we recall that there is a story in the Bible that records a time when a donkey spoke to Baalam, right? But, even though Baalam was a disobedient prophet who is condemned elsewhere in Scripture (2 Peter 2:15), this same prophet recorded the words that are now associated with the arrival of the wise men who worshipped the young King in Bethlehem.

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, 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.”

Matthew 2:1-2

From what I’ve read, it is thought that these “wise men from the East” were exposed to the writings and history of the Old Testament when the Jews were in captivity and dispersed from their land. That makes sense to me and I find it interesting that men who had no stated link to the Messiah, were among the few who would acknowledge and worship Christ.

You’ve probably seen the phrase printed somewhere during the Christmas season, but the words are still true – Wise men still seek Him.