Christmas 2024: December 7

Written in 1857, "We Three Kings of Orient Are" became the first widely known Christmas hymn written in America. John Henry Hopkins was serving at his church in Williamsport, PA, when he was called upon to write a song for a Christmas pageant in New York City. Based on Matthew 2, the hymn has many allusions to OT prophecies regarding "magis" or "kings" from the east bringing gifts of gold and frankincense to celebrate the birth of the promised righteous King of David (cf. Isa 60:6; Ps 72:10, 15).

Of course, the Scriptures don't tell us exactly how many magi there were - only that there were three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh - and even if there were three "kings," they certainly would not have traveled alone. Even so, since the above passages in Isaiah and the Psalms mention camels coming from the three nations of Tarshish, Arabia (Sheba), and Seba, bringing gold, frankincense, and other gifts to celebrate the arrival of the King of kings, many believe there were three original magi who came to worship the Christ when they saw His star in/from the east (or Orient). But were they kings? Possibly... again, the Scriptures don't say, and historically, all Medo-Persian kings were magi, though not all magi were kings. What is fascinating, though (and encouraging), is not trying to figure out how many magi there were or whether or not they were royalty. It is that they knew to be looking for a star (and what it meant when they saw it) in the first place! Apparently, after Daniel was appointed the chief prefect over all the wise men in Babylon (cf. Dan 2:48), he became highly regarded. It was apparent to all that he worshiped the only true God, and many wise men must have come to know Him. It was this testimony that would have been passed down from generation to generation until the time the Messiah would be born. How surprised they must have been to arrive in Jerusalem, of all places, where it seemed no one else knew of the Messiah's birth!

King or not, the role of the magi in ancient Babylon was both priestly and political, and because of their extensive knowledge of the sciences, history, mathematics, law, and the occult, they wielded great power and influence. No king could be crowned without their approval and judges were appointed by them as well. They maintained the highest discipline and code of conduct, but even so, no earthly king they could ever crown compares to the One described in Jeremiah 33.

At the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, Israel was already under Divine judgment, and Judah, likewise, was about to experience imminent destruction and exile. King after king led God's people astray, and the people followed willingly. To be sure, Israel had been exceedingly blessed by Yahweh, not only because He redeemed them from their bondage in Egypt and blessed them according to His own will with the Promised Land, but also because they had the Words of Life in the revealed Scriptures of the OT. No, the Law could not save, but with the Law came the promise of the Messiah who would save them from their sins. That said, if Israel's Kings wouldn't even be faithful, then what hope would the nations have? Actually, their hope is the same as Israel, found in verse 16:

"Yahweh is our righteousness." In other words, neither Israel nor the nations can be self-justified. Our righteousness is God's and comes from God and is imputed to us through faith (Rom 3:21-22; 2 Cor 5:21). This righteousness would come from the very same One who would be the eternal King, whose kingdom will be everlasting and whose dominion will extend over all the earth and creation.

Since Jeremiah was written just before Daniel's deportation to Babylon, it seems likely that the magi would have been familiar with Jeremiah's prophecy in chapter 33. At the very least, some of them, believing in the Righteous Branch, looked to the kings of the earth with great dissatisfaction, longing for the Advent of the King.