The Worship of the Wise Men

One of the things that has stuck with me and challenged me is the example given in Matthew 2 concerning the worship of the wise men. Within this chapter, detailing the events surrounding the incarnation of Christ, we have provided for us a pattern of worship that if followed, would energise those sweet moments when we come together to remember our Lord.

Worship is key to a thriving relationship with God. It’s something that we ought to do and something we should want to do. It’s something, as Paul writes, that is “reasonable” (Rom 12:1) and demands every ounce of our being. But what exactly is it?

Worship is a word that is often flung around today without much thought; perhaps something to do with music and singing or a prayer here and there. But if you read through Romans 12 we find that our whole life can be worship to God. Now there are obviously two aspects to it: individual and collective, both intermingled together, but it is the former which affects the latter, as we see from these wise men.

Worship, if you like, is the medium through which we are able to bring our appreciation and thanksgiving to God for who He is in His person and what He has done in His work.

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The Psalmist would declare that “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name” (Ps 92:1) and that He is deserving of it, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” ( 96:8-9)

And this is exactly what we find through the actions of the wise men:

The wise men were able to worship due to their preparation – “For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Mat 2:2). These men came with intent, they were prepared before they came. We can consider the journey which they undertook as their preparation in order to be able to worship. We can turn to those offerings in the first five chapters of Leviticus to see what was required before an offering could be made. As we approach the Lord’s table we should be bringing prepared hearts that have enjoyed something of Christ.

The wise men were joyful when entering the house – “they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Mat 2:10). I wonder how happy we are when we come into the house of God. This is by no means a new thing. When Moses was ministering to the nation of Israel, the Lord would tell them that in the place which He has set up “thou shalt rejoice” (Deut 12:7,12,18, 16:11, 15). When we come together and meet in the presence of God, is there a joy in our hearts stemming from an appreciation for the person whom we have come to meet with and remember? These wise men were filled with joy upon entering into the house for therein they would meet with the saviour of the world! We have the same privilege and opportunity as we meet together in His presence and what a joyous blessing that is.

The wise men worshiped with offerings fitting for His person – “they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Mat 2:11). When we come together we can’t just bring any old thing, a repeat of last time; this was something the Pharisees were good at. No, our worship must be fitting for the person who we are coming to meet. These wise men understood something of the Child’s significance and brought to Him an offering that was acceptable. Not only does worship take preparation and must come from a heart of joy, but it requires to be fresh out of an appreciation of Him. The offerings of old could not be stale, and the same is true for our worship, it mustn’t be out of repetition or for the sake of habit. Rather like these wise men, it ought to be appropriate and fitting for the One whom we’re offering it to.