What Was IT Anyway?

 We read about it in the Old Testament.  We learned that it was a type of food that God provided for the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. We know that they were "mumming" against Moses and Aaron and were wishing that they could have stayed in Egypt to die there where at least they would get food.

And so, God sent down manna from heaven to feed them. But what exactly was this strange food that they ate? Read on:

During the forty years between the time the Israelites left Egypt and entered the Promised Land, they faced harsh conditions, including a scarcity of food. To alleviate this problem, God miraculously provided the Israelites with “bread from heaven,” called “manna.” The manna appeared each morning, and the Israelites were given specific instructions on gathering it (see Exodus chapter 16). What was manna? Interestingly, the Israelites asked the very same question: “When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat’” (Exodus 16:15). The Hebrew word translated “manna” literally means “what is it?”

The Bible nowhere discusses the chemical composition of manna. All we are told is that “it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31). Numbers 11:7 states that manna’s appearance was like “bdellium” or “resin.” Psalm 78:24 refers to manna as “grain from heaven,” and the next verse calls it “bread of angels.” So, manna seems to have been literal bread that God caused to miraculously appear each morning during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings. The miracle of manna ceased shortly after the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5:12).

Far more important than manna’s physical qualities is what manna foreshadowed. Manna is a type, or foreshadowing, of Jesus. After Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000, they wanted Him to “give us this bread always” (John 6:34). Jesus tried to get their attention off of physical bread and onto the true “bread of life.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . . . I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:32-35). Sadly, the people could not get their minds off of physical bread long enough to understand the spiritual truth Jesus was declaring (John 6:36-59). They were more concerned with the condition of their stomachs than the condition of their souls.

Just as God provided manna to the Israelites to save them from starvation, He has provided Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls. The literal manna temporarily saved the Israelites from physical death. The spiritual manna saves us from eternal death. “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:49-50).

Interesting, huh? It makes me wonder about the food that we will eat in heaven when we get there. Despite the stories of some people that claim to have gone to heaven and saw the kitchen and dining room there, I do not take face value at what they tell when they come back and talk about it. Especially if they are making money from the books they sell about their experiences. 

Supposedly, God sends some people back to earth to give others messages to tell people. Well, God can do what He wants. However, many people have found a very lucrative business by "sharing" their experiences by writing books. Anybody with a good imagination can claim they went to heaven and make up stuff about what heaven is like. Take one kat kurr who tells of her daily trips to heaven which can be found on YouTube. 

But I digress. 

Anyway, God provided a perfect food for them to eat on their journey to the Promised Land. And it makes me wonder about what awaits us there. For I am sure that whatever we will eat there, will be so much better in taste and in calories.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a wonderfully blessed rest of your day.

Prayer For the Coming Year

 

We need God to keep us in the Palm of His Hand. Especially in this coming year with things that will continue to heat up politically. God can do what our people in government, won't. 

And so as these last few days lead us into a brand-new year, God wants us to put our trust, not in the government but in Him alone. 

The Apostle Paul said it best:

 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

Wow, what a promise. We can look to the future and know that God is working in our behalf. No matter what goes on in the government. No matter what goes on in the world. No matter what is going on in our own back yard.'

God wants us to forget what is behind us, and keep truckin on, for the prize that He has in store for us at the end of our own race.

Lord, we thank you for keeping us in your Almighty Hand!

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

God bless you and yours

Gold, Frankincense and Myrr: Their Significance part two

I don't think it is known why the wisemen brought those particular gifts to the Christ Child. To be sure, as we know, they were not dime store gifts. But perhaps God impressed on them to do what they did in giving them, because they might be needed in the days or weeks ahead. 

You see God had told Joseph in a dream to get up and take Mary and Jesus to Egypt and stay there until He tells them because Herod is going to search for the child and kill him. And so they did leave, and they stayed there until Herold died. (Mathew 2:13)

It was also not known what Joseph and Mary did with these gifts, but it has been said that they may have used the gifts to finance their trip to Egypt and after their arrival there.

Here is more interesting facts about these gifts

Matthew does not specify the exact value or quantity of each gift, but the items were known to be treasured commodities in ancient times. Gold, the most valuable of all precious metals, was the standard currency of the day (see Acts 3:4–6; Matthew 10:9). It was used in jewelry (Genesis 24:53; Exodus 35:22; 1 Peter 3:3), in the priestly vestments (Exodus 28:4–5; 11–15), and extensively in the furnishings of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:11–13; 38:21–24; 39:37–38) and temple (1 Kings 6:28, 30, 32, 35; 7:48–51; 1 Chronicles 22:14). It is no stretch of the imagination to think that Joseph would have used the magi’s gift of gold to pay for the family’s expenses.

Frankincense and myrrh, both aromatic resins, were used in worship because of their intensely fragrant properties. God instructed the Israelites to use frankincense as one of the pure ingredients of the most holy blend of incense reserved exclusively for ritual purposes. No other incense mixture was permitted on the altar of the Lord (Exodus 30:9, 34–38). Pure frankincense was set near the bread of the presence (Leviticus 24:7) and sprinkled in with the grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1–2). It was also used in perfumes (Song of Solomon 3:6; 4:6, 14).

This spice was expensive and precious for a couple of reasons. First, it had to be gathered from far-off regions of India, North Africa, and South Arabia and transported long distances by camel caravan back to Israel. The processing of frankincense was complex, taking months to harvest and distill.

Myrrh was another valuable spice used by merchants for trading in Bible times (Genesis 37:25; Revelation 18:11–13). It was considered a sacred anointing oil (Exodus 30:22–28). Myrrh was also used to make perfumes (Song of Solomon 1:13; Psalm 45:8), medicine (Mark 15:22–23), beauty treatments (Esther 2:12), and for anointing the dead (John 19:38–40). Like frankincense, myrrh production was time-consuming to process, and the raw material had to be imported from distant lands.

Any of the gifts the magi brought to Jesus could have been sold or traded for supplies, accommodations, and living expenses. Some traditions speculate that Mary saved the frankincense and myrrh to use as ointments to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. But the Bible doesn’t mention this. Instead, John’s Gospel states that Nicodemus brought “about seventy-five pounds” of a perfumed mixture of “myrrh and aloes” to anoint Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:39–40). Since the Bible does not reveal what Joseph and Mary did with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the best readers can do is hazard a guess. (credit: gotquestions.org)

Someday in heaven, maybe we will get to meet Mary and Joseph and hear about the birth of Jesus and how it happened! It's an exciting thought to me! 

How about you?

Thanks for dropping in today, Friends. God bless your day as you prepare for the celebrations of the birth of Jesus, just a few more days ahead.

Ok, I could not resist this greeting this morning!

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrr: Their Significance (part one)

The birth of a baby is an exciting time for parents as there are showers held for us, gifts and then the arrival of the newborn into our family.

I expect that the excitement of a newborn was no less for the parents in Bible days, though celebrations probably a bit different. 

What was that time like for Mary and Joseph upon the time that Jesus was born into the world., I wonder. Did they fully understand the reason why God had chosen them to bring him to earth. Did they worry over him? 

To be sure, they received gifts for him, from the wisemen that came to visit him. And those gifts were not cheap dime store type gifts. 

Why were these types of gifts given to him, and what did Mary and Joseph do with them? Do we know? Let's see if we can find out. 

 The gifts are mentioned in Mathew 2:11. The wisemen had arrived at the place where they lived. It is said that they were probably no longer in a barn or stable and Jesus may have been about 2 years old by the time they got there. 

And when they got to him, they bowed and worshipped him. After which they opened up their treasures and presented the gifts to him. 

But what was the significance of these gifts?  The following is found on gotquestions.org.

Gold is a precious metal and as such was a very valuable commodity. Its value could very well have financed Joseph and Mary’s trip to Egypt. The Bible does not tell us any other significance to these three gifts; however, tradition has it that there is a deeper meaning for each of the three. Gold is a symbol of divinity and is mentioned throughout the Bible. Pagan idols were often made from gold and the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-17). The gift of gold to the Christ child was symbolic of His divinity—God in flesh.

Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark and allowing the gum to flow out. It is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God (Exodus 30:34). Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering.

Myrrh, a product of Arabia, was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. It was a spice and was used in embalming. It was also sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. Such a drink was given to our Savior when He was about to be crucified, as a stupefying potion (Mark 15:23). Matthew 27:34 refers to it as “gall.” Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him

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Jesus was born into a common family. He did not arrive to sit on a throne or wear a crown and rule over people like all other kings had done. No, his crown was put on his head the day he hung on the cross. It was a cruel way of showing his friends that he really was no king. He was going to be dead and gone. And yet, if those soldiers only knew ahead what was to come, they would not have placed that crown there. And perhaps they would not have hung Jesus on that cross. But, without it, and the other events that happened that day, Jesus would not have died for our sins. It was all meant to be. From his birth to his death, to his resurrection, and right on through to today. For because of all of it, you and I can be thankful of the price he paid, that we can have our eternal home with him in a place called Paradise! 

Blessed be the name of the Lord!!

Thanks for coming by today, Friends

When the Kings that followed the Star to where Jesus was, they took gifts to Him. As we know, the Bible tells us that those gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

But we sometimes don't here much about what they were and what Joseph did with them. What meaning did they have? Perhaps we can find some information about them.

We start with gold. 

This precious metal is mentioned 417 times in the KJV Bible. It has been a sign of royalty, wealth, and power since mankind began. It’s been used as a form of currency for centuries. 

 Both Biblical and secular kings collected gold and placed them in their treasures. 

For example, it is said that today’s equivalent to King Solomon’s gold is $60 Trillion. Just his gold! To put that more into perspective, the richest man in the world right now is Jeff Bezos ( Amazon Founder ) with a net worth of 112 billion dollars. 

We also see gold being used to represent kingdoms in Daniel 2 and in Zechariah 6. 

Giving the gift of gold to Jesus was a symbolic statement of His kingship. This is blatantly stated by the magi in Matthew 2:1-2

The gift of Gold spiritually speaks of Jesus being the King of Kings. 

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Those 3 Wisemen, were not going to see just any baby. They knew who he was. He was the King of the Jews! And they were there to worship him. 

And so, the gold was given to him as they acknowledged him as the promised Savior. 

It is not known in what way Joseph used the gold. But it is possible that it helped them in their escape to Egypt or was used in his education as he grew and was becoming a rabbi. 

Thank you for coming by today, Friends. May you have an awesome blessed Monday. 

Who Were They?

 

Who were the Three Wiseman in the Bible?

We assume that there were three wise men because of the three gifts that were given: gold, incense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). However, the Bible does not say there were only three wise men. There could have been many more. Tradition says that there were three and that their names were Gaspar/Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar/Balthazar, but since the Bible does not say, we have no way of knowing whether the tradition is accurate.

It is a common misconception that the wise men visited Jesus at the stable on the night of His birth. In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable.

We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9:24-27 includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Also, the magi may have been aware of the prophecy of Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24:17. Balaam’s prophecy specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob.”

The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event, the “Star of Bethlehem,” which they called “His star” (Matthew 2:2). They came to Jerusalem and asked concerning the birth of Christ, and they were directed to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:4–8). They followed God’s guidance joyfully (Matthew 2:10). When they arrived in Bethlehem, they gave costly gifts to Jesus and worshiped Him. God warned them in a dream against returning to Herod, so, in defiance of the king, they left Judea by another route (Matthew 2:12).

So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God’s Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Jesus, and 5) obeyed God rather than man. They were truly wise men! (credit: gotquestions.org)

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Wise men indeed! They traveled to see the Babe in the Manger. Gods only Son! I wonder what their thoughts were on that trip. What were they thinking as they gazed down at Jesus? What about the gifts that they took to give to the Christ Child? What did they mean?

Stay tuned. There is more ahead......

And thanks for coming by! God Bless you

The Star

 

 

It shown brightly over the heavens to announce the arrival of the promised babe that grew up, only to die for the sins of the world.

But what was this star and who did it lead to the Christ Child. 

Let's take a look.at this wonderful star that God had created and see what it means:

What was it?

The star of Bethlehem is associated with the birth of Christ and the visit of the magi (wise men) as recorded in Matthew 2:1–12. The text implies the star of Bethlehem appeared only to the magi in the East (most likely the area of Persia, or modern-day Iran). There is no biblical record of anyone else observing the star of Bethlehem.

The magi in the East saw something in the heavens—the star of Bethlehem—that alerted them to the fact that the Jewish Messiah was born. The magi do not call the star of Bethlehem by that name; in Matthew 2:2 they refer to it as being “his star,” since it was a sign to them that a king was born. The star prompted the magi to travel to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. This would be the logical place to start looking for the birth of the King of the Jews for someone who did not know of Micah’s prophecy about Bethlehem.

In Jerusalem, the magi visited King Herod and were told that the new king they were looking for would be born in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:5). The wise men left Herod’s palace, and the star of Bethlehem appeared to them once again. In fact, the star “went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed” (verses 9–10). The star of Bethlehem, apparently mobile, led the magi to the precise place where they could find Jesus.

Modern portrayals of the Christmas nativity scene usually show the wise men visiting Jesus on the night of His birth. That is likely not what truly occurred. King Herod discovered from the magi the “exact time” the star of Bethlehem had first appeared to them (Matthew 2:7), and he later ordered all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem to be killed (verse 16). Herod obviously thought the star of Bethlehem had first appeared when Christ was born; if he was right, then Jesus could have been up to two years old when the star of Bethlehem later guided the magi through the streets of Bethlehem. The Greek word translated “young child” in Matthew 2:9 can mean anything from a newborn infant to a toddler.

So, the magi may have first observed the star of Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth, or they may have first seen it up to two years beforehand. Either way, they found Jesus still in Bethlehem when they arrived. Joseph and Mary almost surely stayed in Bethlehem until Mary could travel again. In fact, they probably stayed there for the 40 days necessary to complete Mary’s purification. From Bethlehem, they could easily make the five-mile trip to Jerusalem for the sacrifice for Mary’s purification (Luke 2:22). The fact that the magi came to a “house” (Matthew 2:11) rather than the stable makes sense because Joseph naturally would have moved his family to a more protected place as soon as possible—the morning after Jesus was born, in all probability.

After seeing the star of Bethlehem, the magi traveled to Jerusalem to look for the Messiah. The question arises, how would Persian magi know about the Jewish Messiah? Undoubtedly, they would have been exposed to the writings of the Jewish prophet Daniel, who had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9:24–27 is a prophecy that gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Also, they may have been aware of the words of the pagan prophet Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24:17. Balaam’s prophecy specifically mentions “a star” and “a scepter” rising out of Jacob.

What exactly was the star of Bethlehem? The Greek word translated “star” in the text is the word aster, which is the normal word for a star or celestial body. The word is used 24 times in the New Testament, and most of the time it refers to a celestial body. It can be used to denote angels, as in Revelation 12:4, where aster seems to refer to the fallen angels who followed Satan’s rebellion. Basic rules of biblical interpretation state that we should take the normal sense of a word unless there is compelling evidence to suggest otherwise. In that case, the star of Bethlehem should be considered an actual heavenly body. Many Bible scholars suggest a natural explanation for the star of Bethlehem, their theories ranging from a supernova to a comet to an alignment of planets. Something in the heavens provided a brighter-than-normal light in the sky.

However, there is evidence to suggest that the star of Bethlehem was not a natural stellar phenomenon, but something unexplained by science. First, the fact that the star of Bethlehem seemed to appear only to the magi indicates that this was no ordinary star. Also, celestial bodies normally move from east to west due to the earth’s rotation, yet the star of Bethlehem led the magi from Jerusalem south to Bethlehem. Not only that, but it led them directly to the place where Joseph and Mary were staying, stopping overhead. There is no natural stellar phenomenon that can do that.

So, if the normal usage of the word star doesn’t fit the context, what does? The star of Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1–12 was likely an angel or a manifestation of the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah, which literally means “dwelling of God,” was the visible presence of the Lord. Prior to this, the most notable appearance of the Shekinah was the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites by day and the pillar of fire that led them by night (Exodus 13:21). The Shekinah can obviously lead people to specific locations, and it was seen later in connection with Christ’s ministry (e.g., Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9). Either an angel or the Shekinah would fit the evidence. It shouldn’t surprise us that God would use a miraculous sign to signal the advent of His Son into the world. Those with eyes to see joyfully beheld His glory.

(credit: gotquestions.org}

The Star of Bethlehem, a sign from God to announce the arrival of the long-awaited Christ Child who would grow up to die for the sins of the world, was truly a miracle. But can we think that God would do anything less than a miracle to do this? I think not. The life of our Savior was a miracle. His birth to a virgin, his ministry, his death, burial and resurrection. They are all miracles. 

There is a lot to this story that will never end. For from the start of God's creation of the world long-ago to the finish when the new heavens and the new earth is accomplished, all creation are miracles. And all believers will take part in that glorious finish. that will one day come for us. 

But in the meantime:

There is no greater gift to us than the miracle of Jesus, in whom the star announced his arrival!

Thanks for coming by, Friends!

God bless you and yours!!!!