Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Matthew 2:12

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“And having been admonished in a dream not to return to Herod, through another way, they withdrew into their country” (CG).

The previous verse noted that the magicians had appeared before the Child, worshipped Him, and presented gifts to Him. With that done, they apparently spent the night in the same area. Their charge from Herod in verse 8 was that they were to learn the location of the Child and then return to him with that information. However, Matthew next records, “And having been admonished in a dream.”

Without being certain, it appears to be the same night they appeared before Jesus. After they did, they eventually slept. While sleeping, they were given an admonishment, obviously from God, “not to return to Herod.”

Unlike some other dreams recorded in Scripture, nothing of what was said is conveyed. It thus smacks of a true narrative. They probably arose, returned to the location where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were, and told them they had been admonished not to return to Herod. That was sufficient for Mary to remember and later tell Matthew this basic information. Due to the divine word, it next records, “through another way, they withdrew into their country.”

As we don’t know what country they came from originally, it is hard to know which way they would now return. They may have even traveled the same route that brought them to Israel in the first place, but they had gone out of their way to visit Jerusalem. Thus, the words “another way” would simply mean “not through Jerusalem.” Whatever the case, Herod was denied the information he desired.

As a useful point for considering commentaries on this verse, various scholars say that the verb translated as “admonished” means to give a response to one who asks. Following the uses of the verb in the New Testament demonstrates that this is not necessarily correct. It may be the case, but it is not the usual meaning. Further, because the verb is passive, it is then claimed that this admonishment is the answer to consultation.

In other words, it is claimed that these men sought God’s counsel, and He then responded to them. There is nothing to suggest this. The Greek middle/passive form simply reveals the subject (in this case, the magicians) as receiving or benefiting from the verb that is being expressed.

They went to bed, fell asleep, and in a dream, they were divinely admonished to not return to Herod. There is no need to go beyond this.

Life application: Many people claim to have divinely inspired dreams or visions. This is not unique to Christianity either. One can go to YouTube and see hundreds and hundreds of such claims lined up for the gullible viewer to waste his time over.

A recent one claimed that a person had a vision of a particular political figure being shot and the bullet just missing his ear, but the noise from the bullet blew out his eardrum. A few months later, the political figure was shot in the ear and his eardrum did not blow out. Despite the obvious inaccuracies (along with others in the video), the person has been proclaimed a prophet.

However, the old saying, “Close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes,” certainly applies here. The prophecy is inaccurate. God does not provide inaccurate anything. Hence, this person has made a false prophecy. He should be disregarded and rebuked openly for claiming something that was false, not coddled to, and put on a pedestal.

Be wise and discerning. There is no reason for God to speak to us apart from His word today. The believer is told that he lives by faith and not by sight. To have visions and dreams from God would negate this. What we need to do is to read the Bible, contemplate what we have read, and ignore people who make fanciful claims that place the attention on them and not on the Lord.

Lord God, what do we need in our walk with You today? We need to know Your word! That is what You have left for us to know You, to see what You have been doing and are doing, and to see what lies ahead for Your people. Help us to stay focused on Your word and not to be distracted from that noteworthy task. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.