Psalm 12: 2, 7  “Everyone lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. … You, O LORD, will keep them.  You will guard us from this generation forever.”

Ever get frustrated watching a show where it’s obvious to the viewer just who the bad guy is, yet the hero seems totally clueless?  Maybe it’s because he can’t hear the ominous music.  Maybe he just didn’t read the whole script. Whatever the reason, on he goes, treating the bad guy like a pal, going along with his every suggestion.  Around here, you’d likely hear one of us using the old quote, with evil grin and twitching eyebrows, “’Come into my parlor,’ said the spider to the fly!”

I wonder what it was like for the Magi.  They knew they were searching for one born to be King of the Jews.  I would think the first place to ask about that would be the residence of the current king, but that’s not where they went.  Maybe they stopped at the Tourist Bureau first and found out there hadn’t been a son born at the palace in the last two years, so figured it wouldn’t be worth pursuing their inquiries there and turned to other sources.  But after the Wise Men’s question reached the ear of Herod through the grapevine, HE sent for them – privately.  He told the travelers to go find the child they were seeking, then send word back to him, “so that I may come worship him, too”.   How cool is that?  I mean, here’s the current king telling you HE’s as big a fan of this new up-and-comer as you are!  HE wants to come hang out in the mosh pit with you, just let him know where the party is.  It’s all good!

Did the Wise Men hear that ominous music in the background?  Was there ANYTHING in that flattering, double-hearted liar’s speech that made them the least bit suspicious?  What explanation did he give them for keeping all this a secret from the rest of his court?  Didn’t any of it seem even just slightly odd?  Scripture doesn’t indicate that they had any qualms.  All we know for sure is that they took Herod’s advice of going to Bethlehem, and were able to once again follow the star, this time all the way to the Child.  If things had gone according to the rest of Herod’s plan, and they’d returned to give him word of the Child’s exact location, I’m pretty sure they’d never have made it further.  Since he’d gone to pains to keep their first visit a secret, he wouldn’t have risked their news spreading any further.  He could then have sent a targeted squad after the Child.  No muss, no fuss, just another day in the life of Rome.

But God kept the Wise Men and guarded them.  He warned them in a dream that they needed to recalculate their route home and give Herod the slip.  They listened to God’s leading, and lived.  Herod’s flattering lips might have deceived the Wise Men, but they couldn’t deceive the Only Wise God.