In Matthew 2, we find the story of the wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I’ve always heard about how they represented Jesus’s roles: gold for His kingship, frankincense for His divinity and myrrh for his sacrificial death. That’s probably true, but practically they were for the next season. The family was going to be uprooted in the middle of the night in the next few days and have to live in a foreign country. These gifts more than likely provided for their needs while living in Egypt. Remember they were poor based on their offering in the Temple at Jesus’s dedication. God sent them provision ahead of their need.
A similar thing happened to the Israelites as they left Egypt in the middle of the night. After the tenth plague in Exodus 12, the Israelites were kicked out quickly which is why they were told to eat the Passover meal quickly with their sandals on and staff in hand. Having been slaves, they had little to no money to provide for their journey to the Promised Land to become an established nation in their own land. Verses 35-36 says, “And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!” (NLT) God again sent their provision ahead of their need.
In Matthew 7:11 Jesus said, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” God is not reactive. He equips His people with gifts before their next season. He doesn’t let us walk into our next season empty handed. He provides gifts of relationships, resources and encouragement at just the right time. When I think of the wise men during Christmas, I think of how God gives before we know to ask, prepares us before we see and provides for us at just the right time with what we need. He is never late, never unprepared and He provides us with gifts before we know we need them. His pattern is that He gives good gifts for tomorrow.
Photo by Google Gemini
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 