Why Frankincense and Myrrh?
DECEMBER 23
“And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Take unto thee sweet spices…with pure frankincense … And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord.’” Exodus 30:34-37
Not only did the Wise Men bring gold, they brought frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense speaks of His sinless deity, myrrh of His sacrificial death.
In Bible times they worshipped the Lord by burning incense, a sweet perfume rising up to the nostrils of God. It was a symbol of worship—to be used in the worship of God alone. Frankincense tells of the beauties, the fragrance, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Frankincense represents Jesus, our Intercessor, and His intercessory prayers for us. Its fragrance speaks of the love and mercy of God.
Myrrh was used to embalm the dead. When the Lord Jesus Christ was being buried, they poured spices and myrrh into His grave clothes. “And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.” (John 19:39) Myrrh to embalm the body of Jesus.
In the gifts the Wise Men brought to the young boy Jesus, we see His sovereign dominion, sinless deity, and sacrificial death. He was born to die.
- He is King and they brought gold.
- He is God and they brought Him frankincense.
- He is our Savior and they brought myrrh.
Give—worship—witness—serve. These are what a wise man will do. I wonder, are you really wise? Do you understand that He was born to die?
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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