Fay,

I have read similar studies over the years. Personally, I think that it was a real guiding star. I had heard another similar account on the radio, rebroadcast from Moody, about the star being some kind of planetary alignment or super-nova. The star needed to be not too far above the earth’s surface, where they could triangulate to not only follow, but most importantly to take them to the exact specific structure where Jesus was. Anything else would not have worked. Go out some night just after if gets dark and mark the location of stars and planets. Then go out again, later, and notice that they have moved! All but the North Star move from east to west across the sky during the night. How in the world could that have led them to an exact structure thousands of miles from where they were? No, it had to be a special, one time star, sent by the LORD to guide the wise men to the exact location. There are some interesting stars mentioned in the last book of the Bible, so why couldn’t the LORD have done something very miraculous with a guiding star? After all, the virgin birth was super miraculous, so why can’t we believe that the LORD had a one time special star for this purpose? I think that the song had it right, “westward leading, still proceeding, guide us…” The star was moving ahead of them. The LORD had moved a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead Israel through the wilderness, and to stand over the tabernacle in one place as long as the LORD wanted them to stay there – so why couldn’t he have done something like that with a special moving star, NOT zillions of miles above the surface of the earth. I also had thought that perhaps they really didn’t come two years after Jesus was born, but perhaps the star first appeared to them two years before Jesus was born. First they had to have seen it, consulted with their books and calculations, double checked, then consulted with one another (different countries), planned and organized the expedition to follow the star – then they would have had to travel by night, and not by day, in order to follow the star – night travel would have taken a lot longer – they also had to go a great distance from the east to Israel, by special caravan routes where there was water, etc. Also when Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed (they obviously both were of the house of David), he had to leave his occupation (carpenter shop?) and home that he had in Nazareth, to go get taxed. I do not think that he planned to just abandon all that or that he would have sold it all just to go get taxed. I don’t think that he planned to be spending two years in Bethlehem. I realize that he had to go to Egypt when the angel told him to, but that had not been his plan. Also, most argue that the wise came later because the Bible uses the word house. However, the Bible does use the word house sometimes when referring to a structure that had animals inside:

 

Genesis 24:32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.

He ungirded the camels in the house.

 

I Samuel 28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:

She had a fat calf in the house.

 

Psalm 50:9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

The LORD isn’t going to take a bullock out of someone’s house.

 

II Kings 10:12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way, 

Here is the shearing house. Also, Nabal had his sheep sheared near David’s men, which was out closer to where the flocks were. 

No, I think that the wise men came right when Jesus was born, just like the shepherds did. After all, where else better to find a new born Lamb, but in a shearing house? To me it would have shown how “in control” the LORD was to move Caesar to cause Joseph to have to go to Bethlehem in fulfillment of Micah 5:2, have angels appear to shepherds by night to announce the birth and location, and to bring the wise men from their kingdoms – all at the same time and at the same place? Not a convergence of planets, but a convergence of shepherds (those visited by the angels coming to the good shepherd that lie in a manger), and a convergence of kings (three wise kings of the east coming to him that was born king).