a hymn devotion for 17 December 2024 Anno Domini,
the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“And the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, And knew the knowledge of the most High, Which saw the vision of the Almighty, Falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:15b-17; sll scripture cited is from the king James Bible)
2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him[1] (Matthew 2:1-2)
This is a beautiful and meaningful hymn that applies both to the Christmas Season as well as the Epiphany. The author of the lyrics is H.K. White (1785-1806), and the music score (Crimea) is that of Thoro Harris in 1912.
By virtue of His very nature, our Lord Jesus Christ is Light itself. It seems perfectly natural that His coming would be heralded by the Star of Bethlehem of which Balaam (in Numbers above) prophesied. This is a perfect example of God using even a pagan prophet to foretell His coming. Our Lord is symbolically referred to as the Bright and Morning Star (Revelations 22:16), the Day Star (2 Peter 1:19), the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2), and herein referred to as the Star of Bethlehem, or as a Star out of Jacob.
THE STAR
When, marshaled on the nightly plain,
The glittering hosts bestud the sky,
One star alone of all the train
Can fix the sinner’s wandering eye.
Hark! hark! to God the chorus breaks,
From every host, from every gem;
But one alone the Savior speaks,
It is the Star of Bethlehem.
Once on the raging seas I rode,
The storm was loud, the night was dark,
The ocean yawned, and rudely blowed
The wind that tossed my foundering bark.
Deep horror then my vitals froze,
Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem;
When suddenly a star arose,
It was the Star of Bethlehem.
It was my guide, my light, my all;
It bade my dark forebodings cease;
And through the storm and dangers thrall,
It led me to the port of peace.
Now safely, moored, my perils o’er
I’ll sing, first in night’s diadem,
Forever and forevermore,
The star! The Star of Bethlehem!
When, marshaled on the nightly plain, The glittering hosts bestud the sky, One star alone of all the train Can fix the sinner’s wandering eye. There is only Light and darkness. We cannot have both. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and the only true Light by which men can walk on this earth or sail upon the Ocean Seas. The seaman takes hold of his sextant to determine his route based upon the unchanging North Star and other heavenly lights. We should do the same.
Hark! hark! to God the chorus breaks, From every host, from every gem; But one alone the Savior speaks, It is the Star of Bethlehem. Behold, the Lord cometh on the turbulent seas and the wilderness sands. He can be barred from no place of need. Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” The seaman’s scepter is the means by which he fixes his location and determines the way to go on many waters that offer no ground reference. That Sextant is our Holy Bible.
Once on the raging seas I rode, The storm was loud, the night was dark, The ocean yawned, and rudely blowed The wind that tossed my foundering bark. Tossed to and fro on the mounting billows of the sea, the sailor no longer can trust his frail craft to ply the stormy seas. He must have a greater One than himself to calm the terrors of the waters and the stormy gales. Then comes that One walking on the sea who is Master of the Seas, and He has been there all along to hear our plea for help. The seasoned eye of the helmsman searches the watery horizon for any sign of light. The light from other vessels will not do, it must be the sweeping rays of the Great Lighthouse that will guide him to safe anchor. The lower lights will afford no safety – it must be that Great Lighthouse. The bounding main can offer no challenge to its Maker. The predicament of the swamping vessel can only be calmed by Him. I am reminded of one of my favorite passages from Psalm 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters; 24 These see the works of the Lord, And his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, Which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: Their soul is melted because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end.” (Psalm 107 23:27)
Deep horror then my vitals froze, Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem; When suddenly a star arose, It was the Star of Bethlehem. Yes, following that mighty Light, we shall find the Lord Jesus Christ and need no more than that benefit. Sometimes, men must be brought to the point of death to appreciate their frailty and great need of a Savior. Simply seeing that Light is not sufficient for the soul. That Light must be followed. “28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, And he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28-30)
It was my guide, my light, my all; It bade my dark forebodings cease; And through the storm and dangers thrall, It led me to the port of peace. That Star of Bethlehem was guide to the Persian Magi as they traversed the snow-capped Zagros Mountains, crossed the marshes of the low plains, and trudged through the desert sands of Arabia ere coming to their final destination at Bethlehem. Those who seek shall surely find. That Light is the only true and unfailing Light. The lower gaseous glow of the swamp will-o-the-wisp (spontaneous combustion of marsh or swamp gas) will not benefit but rather lead the lost deeper and deeper into the swamp and to an terrible death. The only haven of peace and comfort is in Christ – our Ark of Salvation.
Now safely, moored, my perils o’er I’ll sing, first in night’s diadem, Forever and forevermore, The star!The Star of Bethlehem! Who is it that gives songs in the night to the lonely traveler through this wilderness world? “But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;” (Job 35:10)
FOOTNOTE: The ancient Korean and Chinese astrologers observed a heavenly body passing overhead east to west in 4 B.C. Its symmetrical rays caused these men to call it a Hairy Star. Its behavior and course of movement was unlike any other in their skies. This is recorded on wooden printing plates at the Temple of Haensa, Korea. These plates are centuries old. I have viewed those wooden plates on previous times while living in Korea. This is also recorded in Biblical Archaeology Magazine. It may be that the Star of Bethlehem was started on its determined rendezvous many centuries before arriving over the Persian high desert where the Magi were the priests of Zoroaster at the precise moment of God’s discretion.
