Extravagant (Yet Practical?) Gifts

I’ve always loved to hear the story of the Wise Men who traveled so far to honor baby Jesus with gifts fit for a king.

A few years ago at Christmas time I was struggling to truly trust God’s provision for our family. I believe the Holy Spirit showed me something in the story of the Magi that helped me to see how practical God is when it comes to our day to day lives.

Luke 2:22 says that Mary & Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice for their first born (in accordance with the Law of Moses). In those days, if you were poor, you could substitute a lamb for a pair of doves or two young pigeons (Lev. 12:8). This tells us that Mary & Joseph couldn’t afford a lamb.

We know the Wise Men found Jesus and presented him with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh - very valuable gifts!  God didn’t just allow the Wise Men to shower them with gifts just because Jesus was the Son of God, or the future Savior of the World…He was also being very practical and taking care of their needs.

Right after the visit from the Wise Men, an Angel came to warn Joseph of danger – He instructed him to flee to Egypt until it was safe to return because King Herod sought to kill Jesus.

Now the Bible doesn’t say, but since Joseph & Mary were too poor to provide a lamb for a sacrifice, I’ve often wondered if they used the gifts from the Magi to flee to Egypt and live there until Herod died.

It would be just like God to be so practical – He has a purpose behind everything!  When I looked at His provision for a trusting young couple and a helpless baby (who just happened to be His Son), I began to see His provision unfolding in the story of the Wise Men’s gifts. It reminded me of how I can trust Him to keep

His promises (Phil. 4:19).