RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP?

“And when he [Herod] had gathered all the chief priests and

scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they
said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea:
for thus it is written by the prophet.”
Matthew 2:4-5 ~ King James Version

It is possible to know a lot of facts about a person and still never really know them. Knowing facts about a person is a far cry from being intimate with them. You may know my name, address, birthdate, occupation, husband’s name and children’s names and never really know who I am. In order, to know someone, you must spend time with them and develop a heart relationship and not just head knowledge.
When the wise men came to Jerusalem to enquire about the Christ child, the news of the birth of a king greatly disturbed Herod and all of Jerusalem. It is amazing that a king was intimidated by an infant! The angel of Lord warned Joseph that he should take Mary and the child and flee to Egypt because Herod would seek to destroy him (Matthew 2:13).
Herod’s fear drove him to gather the chief priests and scribes to learn more information about the exact location of the King of the Jews. What is very interesting is that when asked, the religious leaders had the right answer! They did not request more time to go and search the scrolls. They immediately answered “in Bethlehem of Judaea.” They knew the prophet Micah prophesied, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2). How is it that the religious leaders knew the exact location of their King, yet they never made any movement in the direction of Bethlehem? They never moved to the location where the word of God clearly stated He would be.
These religious people were very familiar with the prophecies, yet they did not acknowledge the Christ as their Messiah. They had a lot of religion, but no relationship with the God of the Bible. For a fact, one can quote the scriptures about God and still never know God! James 2:19 says, “…even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!” The religious leaders were experts in the law and the prophets, yet they failed to follow the star that shined so brightly from the east for the wise men.
It is great to go to church, read devotions, and serve in the church, but it is more important to KNOW GOD and have an intimate relationship with Him. It is great to exegete the word, know hermeneutics and homiletics… but do you see His star? Even more importantly, are you following His star? Our desire should be to not only know about Him, but to know Him!