The gold that the wise men from the East brought to Baby Jesus—do you suppose it was in the form of coins…nuggets…or some other form? Whatever form it was in, God used these visitors to help provide for the earthly family into which His Son was born.
We do not know for sure where in the East the wise men came from. It is interesting to note, though, that today China is one of the leading producers of gold.
Though their trip may have been long, these men were willing to carry a heavy treasure, as gold is very heavy. A cubic foot of it weighs approximately one thousand pounds.
The treasure they brought was durable, because neither water, air, nor heat cause chemical changes in gold. It will not rust like iron, or tarnish like silver.
Gold is useful beyond monetary value. Did you know many afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis have found relief when chemically-liquified gold was injected into muscles in their bodies? Gold is added to some window glass to keep out infrared rays.
Gold can be pounded into sheets so thin that they are translucent. A 1” high (25 mm) stack of gold leaf can contain 200,000 very thin sheets. These gold leaf sheets are used to gild objects so we can enjoy the beauty of this metal.
Gold wire is used in the manufacture of electronics. Sixty miles (97 km) of gold wire can be drawn from one ounce of gold.
God created gold to be precious. It is the purest of gold that He has chosen to beautify the heavenly city streets. Let’s be there!
“…There came wise men from the East…they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:1,11).
Why did the wise men bring frankincense to Jesus? What is frankincense? The word is from French and means “real incense.” It is also called olibanum, from the Arabic “al-luban.” Frankincense comes from various species of Boswellia trees growing in Africa, India, and the Middle East.
These trees grow 6 to 24 feet (2-7 m) tall, and are scraggly and knotted, with many branches and thick stems. They are deciduous. The smooth bark of Boswellias has the texture of paper and can be easily removed. The narrow, compound leaves have scalloped-serrated edges, and grow opposite to one another near branch ends. The tiny pale-yellow star-shaped flowers grow in clusters. The fruits are small capsules that split to release three to five seeds. September to November is the season for flowering and fruiting. Frankincense trees are unusual for their ability to tolerate habitats with severe growing conditions. They grow on vertical rock faces and ravines, even on limestone boulders, up to an altitude of almost 4000 feet (1200 m).
They prefer soil rich in calcium. Mystery surrounds what is known about the roots. Trees growing on rocky slopes develop a trunk with a bulbous base. This growth prevents the tree from being ripped away from the rock during violent storms which often strike. How this base holds to rocks is unknown. This disk-like swelling develops only slightly or not at all if the trees grow in rocky soil or gravel.
Harvesting resin from frankincense trees begins when the trees are eight to ten years old. Deep incisions are made in the tree trunk. A milky substance bleeds out and hardens in the air. The milky color of the juice may explain the Hebrew word for frankincense: “levonah,” meaning white. It becomes brittle, glittery, and of a bitter taste. The hardened resins are called tears. After about three months’ exposure in summer, the resin is collected by hand, and is hand-sorted for quality.
Diversity in soil and climate causes differences in resin, even within the same species. Trees from more harsh environments grow extremely slowly and produce resin of highest quality—and of highest cost to buyers. Usually, the more opaque resins have more fragrant aromas and therefore are superior. Color, purity, age, and the size of the clumps, as well as fragrance, determine the value.
The essential oil of frankincense is produced by steam distillation of the gum resin. Natural resin is dissolved in alcohol by perfumers to get a product called olibanum absolute.
From ancient times to the present, frankincense has been highly valued as medicine and perfume.
