Vast the barren vista spreads beneath the starry heights
Cold and silence stalk the paths amid the dismal sights
A time few dare to travel, with danger ever near
Highwaymen haunt these thoroughfares, so desolate and sere.
Then at once the stillness breaks as voices pierce the gloom
Camels, guards, and noblemen the vacant night presume
But who at such an hour would brave this arid waste?
With eyes directed upward as they journey on in haste?
Many years of searching have embarked them on this quest
Long the days of study that now urge them to the west
The words of ancient prophets, a timeline and a star
Declare a Savior’s advent in a setting strange and far.
Once in distant ages past a nation sought its home
Traipsing through a wilderness their sins had made them roam
A seer now vain and wayward is bribed to bar their way
To mark their path with curses and to lure their hearts astray.
Yet the God he once revered his vocal chords commands
Blessings grace unwilling lips to thwart a king’s demands
A Star will come from Jacob, a host of angels bright
To lacerate the darkness and dispel the human night.
Centuries hence, another prophet—faithful, true, and strong
Finds himself a captive for his people’s flagrant wrong
With him is shared the future, by visions and by dreams
A tapestry of splendor with its grand and glorious themes.
Strange, symbolic oracles of conquest and defeat
Tell the choice for good or ill, its march and its retreat
Mysterious, cryptic phrases, encoded weeks of years
Foretell the end of wickedness, the scattering of tears.
Then one night the astral depths bequeath a lustrous flame
Neither star nor planet, but an orb without a name
‘Tis prophecy’s fulfillment, a lamp to guide the heart
To lacerate the darkness and the grace of God impart.
Gifts and guards and servants now attend them on their way
Heaven’s light before them lest their steps be turned astray
The treasures they will proffer—gold, frankincense, and myrrh
Betoken godlike royalty, a kingdom chaste and pure.
Onward their intrepid path extends beneath the star
Now the desert breaks as ancient ramparts loom afar
Their ears are bent to welcome the sounds of hope and praise
Each tongue a pliant instrument for heaven’s saving grace.
Yet it seems the Advent joy eludes the chosen land
Few perceive the hourglass with its descending sand
For as they enter Zion, their caravan in tow
The moment of deliverance few wish or care to know.
Soon they haste to stand before the present puppet king
Far removed from happiness or hymns that angels sing
Yet outwardly he ventures false sanctity to feign
To voice the Messianic hope and laud His pending reign.
On their way the seekers press, their hope aflame again
Once again the star appears, resplendent now as then
Its radiance reposes above a stable shed
Within whose harsh enclosure rests the infant Savior’s head.
Gifts in hand, the strangers pause to bow on bended knee
Rich attire in contrast with the peasant garb they see
Yet love and adoration unites them one and all
To herald full redemption and proclaim salvation’s call.
What befell these Wise Men, only God in heaven knows
Yet their quest continues as His kingdom spreads and grows
The darkness lacerated, the end of sin made sure
Illumines minds and cleanses hearts to dwell in heaven pure.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan