Three Kings of the Orient

We sing the song: “We three kings . . .” Were they really kings? My Bible says, “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.” I suppose we think they were kings because they brought expensive gifts. “And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Did you ever wonder why wise men didn’t bring more age appropriate items for this young Child? Maybe He would have enjoyed a toy camel or donkey. We know they didn’t have trucks. But they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

What were the wise men expecting? We can speculate why they followed a particular star because they were likely astrologers who had studied stars for years. In Psalm 19, David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Maybe they “read” the constellations and knew the Savior had been born.

They may have come from the land where Daniel had been captive and had heard his prophecies. The star led them to the Christ Child in Bethlehem, and they brought gifts fit for a king. Peculiar gifts for a Child – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The gold tells us they knew this Child was to be King. Royalty always expressed itself in gold, a precious metal associated with grandeur throughout the ages. What did the family do with that gold? Maybe they used it to flee to Egypt when Herod came to kill the Child, but that’s another story.

The frankincense was typically mixed with offerings and burned by the priests or burned as incense in ceremonial worship. We later learn in the book of Hebrews that Christ is our Great High Priest. It says, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” Frankincense symbolized the position of Priest that the Child would hold; it spoke of His Divinity.

Myrrh often puzzles us. Why bring embalming oil to the Child? Truly, as the wise men “read” the stars, they knew this Child would suffer and die. Did they realize His death would bring salvation to the world? Psalm 147:4 tells us God numbered the stars and called them by name. His plan of salvation was in the night sky for the wise men to see and respond, which they did.

We know the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Child who was prophesied to be King, Priest, and Savior. The gifts spoke of His Royalty, Divinity, and Humanity. Three kings or three wise men? Doesn’t matter. Sing the song; sing all verses and dwell on the beauty of the Word that can express the character of Christ and His work of salvation in simple gifts.