On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Today's Reading: Matthew 2:7-12Devo Author: Nick Roland
Date: December 6, 2022
The book of Daniel tells of a group of people who served in the court of the king in Babylon, interpreting dreams and signs in the stars. They were called magoi. Very likely, the wise people from the East, the Magi, are the descendants of this tradition, respected scholars and priests who studied the stars and the signs of the times. Their study took them on a journey westward to Israel, ultimately to Bethlehem.
The Hebrew Scriptures foretold of a day when the nations would come and bow down before the king of Israel.
Psalm 72:10-11 (NIV) proclaims, “May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.”
Isaiah 60:6 (NIV) says, “Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” The Scriptures expected the nations to come and pay homage to the King.
The Magi knew about kings. They likely served in a court of kings. When they arrived in Israel, they went straight to King Herod. They knew how royalty and pomp and circumstance worked. They knew the protocol, and they knew where to find a king – in a palace. They came bearing all of the appropriate gifts of royalty to honor the King whose birth was important enough to merit an announcement in the heavens.
However, Jesus was not in the palace. He had no trumpets to announce His birth. No royal proclamation in the streets of Jerusalem. He was born into the dirt and muck of everyday life. To worship Him, the Magi, accustomed to working with clean hands and full bellies, had to dirty their feet in humble Bethlehem. To bow down to the King of kings they had to bend their knees in a humble home. Indeed, a king of such humble birth would humble the proud of the earth and exalt the humble.
Are you humiliated, broken, and bent by the difficulties of life? Meet the King who joins you in your lowly place. Are you exalted? Blessed with every need and comfort the world could provide? Meet the King who shows you how to lay it all down. The King who calls you to bring your gifts before Him, kneel down, and join Him in the lowest place.