“All the Ends of the Earth have Seen the Salvation of our God”

The Appomattox Court House Presbyterian Church Pulpit
Rev. Cameron S. Smith
The Lord's Day, December 11, 2005
Psalm 98
Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12

This morning, I offer to you a meditation on the coming of "the wise men from the east." Listen to these thoughts from Isaiah 60:1-6: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." I want you to know that this is a messianic hope that was in place long before Isaiah ever gave expression to it. In fact, a pagan prophet named Balaam -- long before Israel ever set foot in the Promised Land -- offered this specific prophecy: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17).

And now, turning back to Isaiah's vision -- which foresees the birth of Jesus -- calls on all nations and all peoples, to rejoice because the long dark night of unbelief and alienation from God is now in the process of being reduced to mere shadows scattering from the light: "Behold, darkness [has] cover[ed] the earth, and thick darkness [has settled upon] the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And [all] nations shall come to [his] light, and kings to the brightness of [his] rising." Here's what this means: In the star that shined over Bethlehem, the glory of the Lord was rising upon the nations. The time for healing and redemption finally arrived in a humble manger.

"Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together…[Y]ou shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because…the wealth of the nations shall come….[The nations in response to the news] shall bring gold and frankincense, and [they] shall bring…the praises of the Lord."

And now, consider with me these wise men from the east that brought the gifts and the praise. These men give ultimate meaning and flesh out Isaiah's prophecy.

Perhaps there were three of them, as some have deduced from the number of gifts given to baby Jesus: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Perhaps, but I don't know. An ancient legend dared to name these visitors: Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. But that's simply speculation.

Perhaps the wise men were three kings as the prophecy seems to hint when it says that "kings" will be drawn "to the brightness of his rising." But again, we cannot and should not split theological hairs over something so Biblically murky.

But what I can commend to you with reasonable certainty is that these visitors from the east were in all likelihood, Gentiles. And if that hunch is indeed correct; then it demonstrates that it was always a part of God's plan to bring salvation to the utmost parts of the earth.

Let me drive a little deeper on this thought: In Matthew's Gospel, where we find this story, the coming of the wise men serves as a sort of primer for believing Jews. Matthew's big idea word is fulfill; and no other book in the Bible uses this word more than Matthew!

I suggest that he wants them (and you) to understand two things here: 1) That the birth of Jesus means that the words of all the prophets, Isaiah down to Malachi, have converged beneath the radiance of the Bethlehem star. And, 2) The wise men's journey, Gentiles coming from far away, means that the story is not a Hebrew only, exclusive party, but an affair for the entire world to celebrate.

Israel's hymnbook, the Psalms, when viewed in the light of Christ and the visit of the wise men; are replete with songs of the future glory of God's people -- all of them, Jew and Gentile. But a precious few Psalms explicitly open up to name the nations in that future glory. Psalm 117 in particular declares that the nations have their birthright in the Lord: "Praise the Lord, all nations!...Great is his steadfast love toward us…."

And from Psalm 98 I leave you w/ these words to ponder as you reflect on the visit of the wise men: "Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations….All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." Amen