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This scene has often been relived over and over each year on cards and nativity scenes, but if we follow the Bible we will see that it has a profound meaning to all believers of this incarnate birth. It is often shown as happening on the night of his birth, but we can read that it was some time later that this event happened. Matthew 2:11. “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.” We see that the first group to worship our Lord were the Jewish Shepherds and those devout Jews in the temple and then these wise men of Gentile nations came later to worship Him, showing that He firstly came to save God’s people and then the whole world. These men that came were representatives of an age-old organisation at the time called “Magi”. It was a worldwide organisation made up of wise men who studied the signs and these were coordinated to bring wisdom   together to search the past and future events. They were as is it were the first scientists who coordinated their works. Today we would call them “International Scientific group”. They were made up of five classes.

1. The Hartummim, The expounders of Sacred writings and interpreters of Signs.
2. The Ashaphim, who were conjurers.
3. The Mekashiphim, who were magicians and diviners.
4. The Gozerim, who were astrologists.
5. The Kasdim, who were the Chaldeans or deep thinkers.

We can read in the days of Daniel the prophet how he was appointed by the king to become the chief or prince of this organisation. We today would say that it was the top Scientific organisation operating in the world at the time and how they were shown and believed in this event, the birth of the King of Kings by a virgin as God on Earth. It is a pity science today spends so much of its efforts in trying to prove that this and the happenings by God in this world could not have happened. What a different world it would be if science today would only seek its inspiration from GOD as did their forebears. (Matthew 2:10) “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” Here was of course a profound reason why the wise men from the east, representing the whole world at the time, made the effort to journey all that distance to give gifts and praise to this child. We go back over 1000 years before this event to the days of a young King Solomon who had been told by God what was required of him in building the temple for God to dwell in and to judge God’s people. We read in 1 Kings Chapter 3 how earnestly Solomon prayed, not asking for riches or glory, but rather only for wisdom, understanding and judgement. It is recorded in 1 Kings 3:12, God’s answer, “Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.” God also told him that Kings and Queens and wise men would come before Solomon from everywhere to listen to the wisdom of Solomon and give him gifts. History in the bible shows this did happen.  Now God’s word must always be fulfilled and with the journey of the wise men those many years later to Bethlehem signalled clearly to the world that the word of God to Solomon has now come to an end, and as Christ Himself declared to the Jewish leaders in Matthew 12:42 “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon: and, behold,  a greater than  Solomon is here.” This was shown clearly to the Scientists of those days who worshiped the young child and gave Him gifts knowing that the most wise was now in the world. God always provides for those that love Him and we see that Joseph and Mary who were poor carpenters, were able to use the gifts left by the wise men to flee to Egypt and dwell in that land and to care for themselves and Jesus for almost a year before it was safe to return and dwell in Nazareth. God’s wisdom is now available to all who will make that journey, in childlike faith, to our Lord as did those wise men.