Key Verses: "I see Him, but
not now; I behold Him, but not near. A
star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." (Numbers 24:17A)
"Where is the One who has
been born King of the Jews? We saw His
star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)
Jesus’ ancestor, David, declares
in Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the
work of His hands. Day after day they
pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." (Psalm 19:1-2)
Balaam, the enemy of Israel, had nevertheless foretold a star that
would rise out of Jacob. Now,
knowledgeable men, who understood the language of the sky, had received the
message and had come to worship what the stars had proclaimed.
We don't know exactly what this
message meant to the Magi, but their behavior lets us know that they believed
that this was an important event. They
knew that a King of the Jews, had been born, but it is not clear whether or not
they knew that He was Messiah. It is
estimated that they may have traveled one or two years to find Jesus. Our pageants have them showing up right after
the shepherds come and worship, but in truth, the Magi may have arrived up to
two years after Jesus' birth. If we
double this travel time of the Magi for their return trip, we can see that they
sacrificed a great deal of time and energy to pay Him homage. Their daily lives and ambitions were put on
hold because they believed that they had to honor a king.
While it is true that I quoted
from Balaam's prophecy above, given about 14 centuries before Jesus’ birth,
these magi were probably also influenced by the writings and proclamations of
Daniel from just five centuries before Messiah was born. Remember that much of Daniel's writings
weren't in Hebrew, but Aramaic, the trade language of the day, signifying that
they were intended for a larger audience than the Jews alone. Could this king, someday be for them as well?
We also don't really know how many
men there were. Our pageants again
betray us by displaying only three because of the three gifts, but there could
have been many men, on camels coming to see a king so great that the skies
proclaimed it.
The gifts themselves convey also
how significant the Magi viewed the arrival of Jesus. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were valuable
commodities that wouldn't be given to just anyone. While they may have been meant as a sign of
honor to a new king, we see also a prophetic quality to the gifts given. Gold signified royalty, yes, for Jesus is a
king, but it is speculated also that it may have been useful for the journey
the Holy family was about to take. Frankincense
was used in worship, signifying the prayers of the people rising on the smoke,
headed up to God. Jesus was also a
priest. Myrrh was used at burial as an
ointment with a strong odor to combat the odor of decay. Jesus would die for the sins of the world,
but no decay would be found on Him.
From their example, our sacrifices
of time, energy and materials pale in comparison. Our five-minute quiet times and thirty-second
prayers, along with our gifts in the Sunday morning offering plate, when we feel like it, are
nothing compared to the devotion that we see from these men who weren't even
followers. How would your life change if
you really were to give all? It's
something to think about.
Hymn: "As With Gladness Men of Old"
& "The Light in the Stable" "by Selah)
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