-December 21, 2022-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?’ For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:1-2).
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-11).
The story of the wise men or Magi is such a blessing. It is found in Matthew 2:1-11. We have so many questions: who were these men? What was their background and profession? Where exactly were they from in the East? How many wise men were there? What were their names? What is the significance of their three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh?
The Bible does not tell us, and we won’t know until we get to heaven. There are many interpretations and traditions. Tradition has it that these men were three, their names in the Latin were: Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior; the names in Hebrew were Galalath, Malgalat, and Sarachin. They traveled many miles on camels, but have actually rode on Arabian stallions. They were likely astrologers and or kings. They were men of great stature and prominence.
What we do know is that these wise men followed a special star in search of the newborn King of the Jews. They came to worship Him, opening their treasures and presenting to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They came a long way to give the best their country and they had to offer. By the time of their arrival Jesus was likely about two years old.
• Gold – God is one of most precious commodities in the world, even to this day. It is always associated with kings and other royalty. In this case, gold is symbolic of deity. Jesus was and is God. He now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high and rules in heaven and one day will reign over all the world forever. Titus 2:13 says, “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”’ He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
• Frankincense – Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark allowing the gum to flow out. It is highly fragrant when burned and was used in worship. It was used in the OT sacrifices. It was also a symbol of holiness and righteousness. By offering it to Jesus in worship it pointed to His perfect character and His sacrifice for us on the cross for our sins.
• Myrrh – Myrrh was a product of Arabia, and was also obtained from a tree in the manner of frankincense. It symbolizes bitterness, suffering, affliction, and pain. It pointed to Jesus’ willingness to suffer on the cross, bearing our sins, enduring the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional pain as our Substitute and Savior.
These three gifts are so wonderful. It was because of the gifts of the wise men that we have the tradition of gift giving at Christmas. God gave His only begotten Son as an indescribable gift to us. Now we can worship Him at Christmas and every day of our lives. We should give Him our three gifts: worship, praise, and thanksgiving. The world misses the true meaning of Christmas.
Have a blessed and Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Stay safe and healthy.
To Christ our King, we sing, giving Him thanks for everything,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 