Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

The three wise kings who came to see Jesus ( Jesus was probably about age 2) and brought with them gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These three gifts are symbolic.

"Gold was particularly associated with royalty and nobility.

The burning of frankincense was closely associated with ceremonial worship of a deity.

Myrrh was a key ingredient in the mixture of spices that were used to prepare bodies for burial.
Exodus 30 tells us that liquid myrrh was a main ingredient in the anointing oil used to ceremonially prepare the priests, the instruments, the altar, and the Temple itself before sacrifices could be made. Again, parallels to Jesus’ consecrated life and sacrificial death are immediately noticeable." (1)

Gold was to represent royalty as Jesus was considered Lord and King.

John 12:15
New International Version
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Frankincense was used as comanded by God to Moses as an offering to God. Jesus was God incarnate or God in the flesh. The wise men understood this.

Leviticus 24:7
English Standard Version
7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord.

Myrrh being used as an anointing oil as to represent the prophetic sacrifice Jesus would give his life on the cross. Myrrh also being what would be used in preparation of Jesus's burial.

John 19:38-40
English Standard Version
Jesus Is Buried
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

Sources:
(1) https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/gold-frankincense-and-myrrh.html

It seems Jesus-Yeshua would have been in Egypt or back to Israel in Nazareth by the time He was two, but that is a matter of conjecture.

As for the three, they were referred to as wise men and as magis as far as I have seen in the Word, never as kings. The title of kings was added much after the birthof our Lord.

The three were most likely astrologers in that they knwe of the Star to come and mark His place in the manger.

They were at least men of faith for they were given to know He was to be born and adored by them. They did adore Him, giving gifts representing far more than what they seemed. Gold, franken incense and myrrh.

I beg to differ slightly. If they were eunuchs following the lost prophecies of Daniel, who was originally placed in charge of them by Nebuchadnezzar, they more likely would have been Astronomers not astrologers. Astrology is an abomination.

Glad dI came back. It is written the stars and allheavenly bodies are for signs and seaons. Astrologers of old were not the ones you hear of today, like wanting the Zodiac to be all important, no, astrology in the Bible was a gift from God, allowing for keeping traack of many things.

The wise men must have been of the faith, otherwise they would never have com to adore the King. They did an their type of astrology is Biblical, not what has been made up since from the pagan gods, representing the Zodiac.

I can't be the only one who thinks of Frankenstein whenever I see the word frankincense, can I?

Actually the bible does not specifically state that their were 3 wise men only that they presented 3 gifts. The number is more than 1 however as the wise men were referred by the term 'they'. I do believe that it is certainly implied that there were, in fact, 3 in number.

Isaiah 60 seems to prophetically speak of Kings and nations bring riches and incense. But this has been debated for centuries.

Main focus should be on Jesus. As to why I spent more time on the gifts.

I'll just go with 3.

What should be amazing is that these magi (wise men) selected gifts which were perfect for Christ in what they represented -- gold for the King of the Jews, frankincense for the Great High Priest, and myrrh for the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the whole world.

It would appear that just as God directed them to take note of the star and travel to Bethlehem to worship Christ, God also directed them in the choice of their very costly gifts.

It is also noteworthy that the Holy Spirit presents this very significant journey in just a very few words, and only in one Gospel. Which tells us that God is very sparing with His words, since a word to the wise is sufficient.

The magi may have originally been astrologers, but having placed their faith in the living God, they gave up astrology and focused on astronomy (a science). They may originally have been Zoroastrians, but became Jewish proselytes. The other amazing thing is that these were Gentiles who came to Bethlehem, and were the first worshippers of Christ.

Very sparing with words but yet so much prophetic truth in it all.

The wise men couldn't have been of faith because scripture tells us every nation had forgotten the Lord and created false gods. They were from the East where they did not know God.

I think what we are to learn from them is that Christ was not just for the Jews, but every nation of the world was changed through Him. Those wise men had no idea of that, only that something momentous had happened.

The Bible says the nations had drifted from God just as they have today, but there are many believers everytwhere in this world.

An OT example of this is the harlot who protected the spies sent by Joshua, and who is lissted in the genealogies of our Savior.

So in a way the mercy that she showed strangers and foreigners rewarded her with greater mercy and acceptance into the family of the most high? I think there's a lesson to be learned from her example.

As you, I have learned the three gifts are the relating of a umber to the three wise men.

Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

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With enough imagination, just about anything can be forced to be symbolic,
even a stack of pancakes or a bowl of Cheerios. Personally I tend to be a bit
more practical.

In those days gold was real money, and frankincense and myrrh were
valuable commodities. I suggest that the men simply offered the ordinary
kinds of tributes that royalty was accustomed to receiving in those days
from visiting dignitaries; in other words: what the men did was just normal
protocol.

The tributes were providential too because very soon Joseph would be
needing something of value to finance his family's temporary residence in
Egypt.
_

the Truth of any Spiritual matter can only come to the one who is seeking it, by The Holy Spirit...
any or all of the 'so called truths' given otherwise, are FALSE, propagated by the un-holy one himself,
through others'...

hub and myself were led' many, many, years ago to incorporate frankincense and myrrh into
our 'holy medicines'...

Up until relatively recently - they were one in the same.

Well yes I somewhat agree because in days of old nobody sepperated the science from the superstition. In fact I recall the Astrology was widely accepted as a Science. However I will risk to guess Daniel knew the difference and taught it to his students. Now we return to the Magi.