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.
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