Dear LORD,
On January 6, the people of Spain, Latin America and the Spanish Caribbean will be celebrating what is known as the Day of the Epiffany, or Three Kings Day. This tradition conmemorates the wise men who sought the Child Jesus in order to worship and offer Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But LORD, I have learned that we people have the story wrong in several respects. First, many believe that there were three men, second, that they were kings, third, that their names are written in the Bible, and fourth, that when they went to see the Savior Jesus, He was still a baby. Oooooops! Forgive us, oh LORD, for getting it wrong yet again. Below is the full account, as found in Your Scriptures:
Mathew Chapter 2
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 `But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
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.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”
21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Throughout this account, the men who seek the Lord Jesus to worship are referred to as wise men, not kings. In some Bible versions, they are referred to as magi, from the original Greek magus, a term that described the priestly and learned cast of men from the tribes of Midion. The term magi does not mean king.
Nowhere in this account does it say that there were three men, we do not know how many were there. Also, no names are given for any of these wise men.
Throughout the account, the Lord Jesus is referred to as a young Child, not a babe, as in the accounts of His birth. We also see that the wise men were led by the star of the East to a house, not to a stable or cave where Mary gave birth, then placed the Child in the manger. The shepherds who were visited by the angel of the Lord and the heavenly host saw the Savior as a newborn, but not the wise men.
When You, God, warned the wise men not to return to Herod, he carried out his evil intent by having all male children of a certain age killed, since he could not discern which one was Jesus, as was his original plan when he asked the wise men to return to him when they found the Savior. The fact that Herod had all males two years old and under killed, as Your Scripture says in verse 16:
“according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.”, also tells us that the Lord Jesus was no longer a baby.
Dear God of hosts, there are a lot of false beliefs floating around in this world, false beliefs that contradict Your Word, and the thing about the three kings kneeling before baby Jesus in a stable is one of them. I pray that You will open the spiritual eyes of many of Your true children, and that the truths of Your Scriptures may be disseminated so that others come out of error and follow the correct path.
Thank You, LORD, for allowing me to share this post with others today. To You be the glory!
Your child and follower,
Zoraida
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