Searching for the Star of Bethlehem

This is backtracking a bit, but Christianity Today has an article on some new theories explaining the star of Bethlehem from Matthew 2:1-12. It's interesting, though not necessarily conclusive or convincing. Anyway, the final paragraph is why I'm taking the opportunity to post on it:

Edwin Yamauchi, emeritus professor of history at Miami University (OH), and the author of Persia and the Bible, said, "It is quite legitimate to consider such scientific explanations, as long as they are not reductions which deny God's supernatural ability. God the creator can use his creation to reveal and to work his will."

Yamauchi is a respected historian and a believer, and while he is addressing the star of Bethlehem here, his statement is helpful for us as we think about the many miraculous events of the Bible. We might be able to theorize about natural forces or phenomena that could help explain the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, or Jesus' walking on water, but any explanation that effectively removes the supernatural element (the direct involvement of God, to be specific), then we are denying the Bible. The elements of creation are at God's disposal, and sometimes he uses them in unusual and remarkable ways to save his people, judge the wicked, or simply demonstrate his power and glory.

So, a planetary convergence might have been what those wise men saw, but that doesn't explain how God used it to guide them to the very place where the Christ child was. Newly proposed explanations might be fascinating, but we should not think that they make the Bible necessarily more plausible or believable. We may be making it less worthy of belief if we explain it all away.