The Kings
What did the Scriptures say would happen when the Son of righteousness arose? We find the answer in Isaiah chapter sixty, verses one through six. In this passage, we see what happened when the Star did arise, when the Sun of righteousness did arise. Let us take a look at these verses.
“1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4) Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5) Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6) The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:1-6)
Remember that the coming of Jesus was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16; see also verse 14 and Isaiah 42:5-7) Zacharias referred to Jesus as the “dayspring,” which can also refer to the “Branch.” Peter referred to Jesus as “the day star.” (See II Peter 1:19) What happened when Israel’s Light arose, when the light shone from them out to the Gentiles? Well, people came from the land of the Gentiles to see, and kings also came. Where did they come from? They came from Midian, Ephah, and Sheba. What did they bring with them? They brought gifts, including gold and incense. Myrrh is not mentioned in this passage in Isaiah.
Today we would think of the land of Midian as the place east of the Gulf of Aqaba in Northwest Saudi Arabia. Ephah was part of Midian, on the east shore of the Dead Sea. It appears from this passage in Isaiah chapter sixty that these must have been two separate areas, each with their own king. There is some controversy as to where Sheba was located. It has been placed most commonly in present day Yemen and Ethiopia. At any rate, it appears that an entourage must have come from these three areas riding on camels and dromedaries. They came to see the rising of the Star of Jacob, the Sun of righteousness and brought gifts and showed forth the praises of the Lord. Did the kings themselves leave their land and come or did they send their wise men as their representatives? Do the “wise men” refer to kings or to the ones the kings sent in their places? One day, when we get to heaven, we will find that out for sure.
One glad thing we see from this passage in Isaiah sixty is that many Gentiles will be converted. The provision of salvation is for all. In Romans 1:16, Paul says that the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” To those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, a light had sprung up. God had sent His Son, the Sun of righteousness, to make a way of salvation for all.
What was the response of the wise men when they came to see Jesus? They had great joy, “...lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Matthew 2:9,10) In Luke 2:10,11, the angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds and brought them tidings of great joy. These tidings were that a Savior had been born, “10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” These tidings of great joy were for both the Jews and the Gentiles.
When the wise men came to the house where Jesus was, when they saw Him, they “fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) It was not just a little box with a gift in it that was presented. No, they opened the treasures they brought with them and gave offerings that were fit for a king.
Each gift brought to Jesus had a special meaning. The meanings of these gifts were described in the next three verses of John H. Hopkins’ song.
2. Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
3. Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshiping God on high.
4. Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorr’wing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
The final verse of this song refers to the rejoicing of both Jews and Gentiles, to the fact that these good tidings were for all people. It also speaks of Christ's sacrifice and of His rising again.
5. Glorious now, behold Him arise,
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.
There is coming a day when Jesus will set up His earthly kingdom. Once more, Gentile kings will come to Him, bowing down and worshiping and bearing gifts. That will be a time of peace and great joy and the end of all war. “1) The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4) And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:1-4)
The first time gifts were brought from Sheba was when the queen of Sheba came to see king Solomon. In II Chronicles 9:9, we see that she brought gold, spices, and precious stones. There were no other spices that had been brought to Solomon that were as nice as those brought by the queen of Sheba. In Isaiah chapter sixty, we see gifts were again brought from the land of Sheba at the time of the rising of Jacob’s Star. One day, when Jesus reigns and rules over the nations of the earth, people will come from that land again. This time, they will not come in richness and royalty, but in great humility. They will come bearing gifts (merchandise), but they will also be captives and will bow down in the land of Israel and worship and the captives will be set free. “13) I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. 14) Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:13,14)
Throughout the pondering of this song and the study of verses it brought to mind and also their cross references, I was once again amazed by the details of the Deity of Christ. Even when He was a baby, here on earth in human form, kings feared Him (Herod was troubled) and kings and people bowed down and worshipped Him and gave Him honor and gifts. Jesus has always been King and He always will be. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)