INCARNATION RADIO SERIES
THE WISE MEN
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O NE OF THE INSPIRING SCENES usu ally considered at this season is the visit of the wise men to the birth place of the young Child. Now this is the theme upon which the imagination easily lays hold. Many artists have placed this on canvas as they have visualized the scene from the long ago. We must be very careful, how ever, not to get our knowledge of the subject from paintings, hymns or traditions. The Bible is our only au thentic source. We do not know, for example, that there were three men. The Word of God doesn’t say so. It is doubtful that the magi were even kings. It is more than probable that they arrived in Bethlehem long after the traditional day of Jesus’ birth. Let us fasten our attention upon the three gifts these men brought considering their significance. These were truly gifts fit for a king. First of all gold is certainly a royal gift. The tombs of Egyptian kings give ample evidence of that truth. The earliest records of the human race show that men were attached to this precious metal. In the providence of God He was watching over every de tail with the coming of His Son. This provided Joseph with sufficient funds to take the young Child and His mother down into Egypt for refuge. Frankincense was one of the ingre dients used in anointing priests of Is rael. It was- mixed with the meal of ferings which were for praise and adoration of God. The Lord said, how ever, that no frankincense was to be mixed with any of the offerings for sin. We think of this when we turn to the life of Jesus Christ and note how His life was lived. He was abso lutely without any sin. His whole life was as a fragrance of praise and wor ship unto the Lord. As for us, how ever, there is an enemy in the midst of our lives, a sworn ally to the devil,
which is our own hearts. Our Lord Jesus had no indwelling sin as you and I have. It was fitting that frank incense should be offered as the sym bolism of such attributes. It spoke of His holiness. The third of these gifts was myrrh. Large quantities of this were used by rich people in preparing bodies for burial. Perhaps myrrh is the most sig nificant of the gifts brought to the Lord. We must not forget that both the first as well as the second coming of Christ are foretold in the Old Tes tament. He cries out in Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me.” Read Isa. 60:1-3 to find the prophecy of the future glory of Jeru salem at the time of the return of the Lord. By no stretch of the imagination can any literal fulfillment be claimed for this passage at the present or any past hour. It is still in the future. When Christ comes again God’s Word tells us that there will be gifts of gold and frankincense (Isa. 60:5 and 6). Myrrh was brought when He came the first time because it was the sign of His death and burial. He need never repeat His sacrificial death. This atonement was once for all. Myrrh was mingled with the oil of Dr. Lloyd T. Anderson, pastor of the Bethany Bap tist Church, prepares his verse by verse messages ter broadcast. Dr. Anderson's ministry has been used greatly of the lord ever "The Biola Hour.”
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