Jesus Was Born to Die
DECEMBER 23
And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices…and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you…. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.” Exodus 30:34-37
Not only did the Wise Men bring gold, they brought frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense symbolizes His sinless deity; myrrh, His sacrificial death.
Incense was a sweet perfume to be burned in worship—the worship of God alone. Frankincense represents the beauties, the fragrance, of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Intercessor, and His intercessory prayers for us. Its fragrance speaks of the love and mercy of God.
Myrrh, in contrast, was used to embalm the dead. When the Lord Jesus Christ was being buried, they poured spices and myrrh into His grave clothes. “And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds” (John 19:39), myrrh to embalm the body of Jesus.
In these gifts of the Wise Men to the young child Jesus, we see His sovereign dominion, sinless deity, and sacrificial death. He was born to die.
- He is King—they brought gold.
- He is God—they brought frankincense.
- He is our Savior—they brought myrrh.
Give—worship—witness—serve. Give to Him—He is King. Worship Him—He Is God. Serve Him—He is your Savior.
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