Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Matt. 2:11

And when they were come into the house,

they saw the young child with Mary his mother,

and fell down, and worshipped him:

and when they had opened their treasures,

they presented unto him gifts;

gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Because he is our Emmanuel - the God who has come to be with us -

Bring Him Gold - this represents your character - victories that you have won with Christ in the core of who you are - He is in you...the hope of glory. Bring yourself to Him as an offering of gold this Christmas

Gold will cause you to look like Him

Bring Him Frankincense - this represents your worship - all of your heart poured out in devotion. Bring yourself to Him as an offering of frankincense this Christmas

Frankincense will cause you to sound like Him

Bring Him Myrrh - this represents your suffering...those things that have broken your heart this year...the fragrance of myrrh comes not just because we have suffered, but because we choose the Lord in the midst of suffering, and overcome despite our suffering. Bring yourself to Him as an offering of myrrh this Christmas

Myrrh will cause you to smell like Him

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh 4

Here are a few more thoughts on Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Myrrh: prophesies of Christ's suffering

Frankincense: shows Christ's attitude of holiness in the midst of suffering

Gold: shows Christ's triumph over suffering  

Jesus is our Prophet, Priest and King

Myrrh speaks of Jesus our Prophet - Luke 24:19 Jesus…a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people

Prophets reveal and declare. Jesus revealed, declared and embodied God’s plan of redemption for all people

Jesus is a prophet like Moses

Myrrh brings us Christ’s healing power

He heals our body – His Divine work

Like Mary – present your body to Him this Christmas so that his purposes might come to pass in you and through you (Lu. 1:30-38)

Frankincense speaks of Jesus our Priest – Hebrews 2:17 That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest

Priests make offerings and stand before the Father on our behalf – He offered Himself for us and now makes intercession for us before the Father

Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek

Frankincense brings us Christ’s overcoming power

He restores our soul – His Divine attributes

Like Mary – present your soul to Him this Christmas and magnify Him with all your heart (Lu. 1:46)

Gold speaks of Jesus our King – Matthew 2:2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

Kings rule with justice and equity, and protect their people. Jesus is our King who rules all nations and is a refuge for all people

Jesus is a King like David

Gold brings us Christ’s glory power

He fills our spirit with glory – His Divine nature

Like Mary – present your spirit to Him this Christmas and rejoice in your Savior (Lu. 1:46)

There are actually 7 descriptions of Jesus in His ministry as King:

Ps. 24:7 He is the King of glory

Lu. 23:37-38 He is King of the Jews

Jn. 1:49; Matt. 27:42 He is King of Israel

Lu. 19:38; Heb. 7:2 He is the King of peace

Heb. 7:2 He is the King of righteousness

Rev. 15:3 He is the King of saints

Rev. 17:14; 19:16 He is King of kings

Part Three: HERE
Part One: HERE

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh 1

The Wise Men travelled a great distance to greet the Savior in Bethlehem. They presented gifts to Mary, Joseph and Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Over the next few days I will post a few thoughts about each of these gifts.

Gold

Matthew 2:11

And when they had come into the house,

they saw the young Child with Mary His mother,

and fell down and worshiped Him.

And when they had opened their treasures,

they presented gifts to Him:

gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold was very valuable in Biblical times – just as it is today. To find gold you have to dig underground. This was very difficult back in Bible times because they didn’t have the tools and machinery as we do today. God digs deep into our hearts to find the gold that comes from the testing of our faith:

-Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold;

-1Pet. 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Frankincense and Myrrh grow as a plant form; Gold is formed by God and found in the earth and streams. In the same way, the Lord forms gold in the core of our beings - gold that represents the spiritual victories and excellence of Christ that we walk in day by day.

Gold has always been a means of exchange…something that for Mary & Joseph would come in handy as they would soon travel to Egypt and would need food, clothing and shelter. The Lord asks us to exchange impurities in our hearts and lives for the gold of His Divine nature.

Symbolically Gold represents Jesus as our Divine king. It also represents the purification process we go through in our trials as a Christian.

Gold is one of the only metals that when heated with fire will not lose anything of it’s nature, weight, color, or any other property. Gold is totally resistant to corrosion. Genuine faith is the same way. When we obtain true faith, it is made stronger through trials and suffering. Gold is used in scripture when talking about the strength of someone’s faith. Job refers to gold after he has been through all his trials. (Job 23:10)

It is interesting to me that the final verse in the Bible about Gold tells us that we will spend eternity in a place where gold is so plentiful - even the streets will be made of some form of pure transparent gold (Rev. 21:21)

Part Two: HERE

Translation from Diana Rodriguez on Twitter - @dianarodriguez

Cuando el oro es pasado por el fuego, no perderá nada de su naturaleza: ni su peso, ni su color, ni ninguna otra propiedad. Con la fe pasa lo mismo.



More Christmas material (Bethlehem): Here and Here