****WE THREE KINGS

Christian music has always suffered a lot of criticism and some of it is deserved.  So, we should carefully examine lyrics for truth and doctrinal correctness.  Some of our available Christian music is so full of heresy that we should never use it in our worship.

But then there are some that aren’t necessarily heretical; they just contain some figurative or speculative or poetic language that might be misunderstood or are slightly, factually incorrect. 

WE THREE KINGS is one of those Christmas songs, and I have deliberately avoided it several years.   I was bothered by its inaccurate imagery: 

  

“Three Kings come from the Orient to visit the baby Jesus in His manger bed.” 

The Bible tells us none of that.  So, I have to admit, I never really paid much attention to it.  But once we get past the song’s title and the opening line, there is a lot of important prophetic doctrine in it. 

  

In fact, I have come to realize that my only legitimate dislike for this carol could be narrowed down to just TWO LITTLE LETTERS; “R” and “E.”  That’s right!  If the author had just written, “We THE Kings,” there wouldn’t be much left for me to criticize.  

John Henry Hopkins, Jr. was an author, book illustrator, stained glass window designer, clergyman, and editor of the New York Church Journal.  He wrote WE THREE KINGS for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary of New York City in 1857.  Six years later it was published in his book, Carols, Hymns and Song. 

Were there really three kings?  The Bible calls them Magi, so some would argue that they were pagan astrologers or sorcerers.

The suggestion that the Wise Men were kings comes from prophecies in Isaiah 49:7; “Kings shall see and arise,” and Isaiah 60:10; “Their kings shall minister unto thee.” 

There are other records that refer to the Wise Men as kings. The journals of Marco Polo contain a report from Persia about three kings who took gold, frankincense, and myrrh with them on a journey to visit a newborn prophet.

The term Wise Men, as used in the King James Bible, is from the Greek word that is translated, “magi” in English.  Some scholars think the Wise Men were priests in a Persian religious sect.  However, other biblical scholars have speculated that they might have been descendants of Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors who were influenced by Daniel during the captivity.  Having heard of Daniel’s prophecies and teachings they may have been true believers to whom God had revealed the birth of the promised Messiah.

The first four stanzas are a narrative.  The first verse starts with the account of the wise men following the star on their journey to find the baby.

Stanzas 2, 3, and 4 name three gifts they brought: 

Gold speaks of royalty.  This Baby is the King of kings.

  

Incense was used in the tabernacle as a symbol of prayer and worship.  Jesus is God in human flesh. 

Myrrh was used as an embalming spice.   It pointed to Christ’s death on the cross for sin.

The final stanza is a song of praise in which Hopkins summarized the three-fold offices of this Baby.  Jesus Christ is our King, He is our God, and He is our Sacrifice.  Praise the Lord!

****AS, WITH GLADNESS, MEN OF OLD

As, With Gladness, Men Of Old was written by William Dix in 1860. He had been bed bound with a serious illness for a long time.  One evening he got the idea for this hymn and he began to form the line on note paper. The following year, his finished song was published in a small collection of his own works, which had a very limited circulation. From there it made its way into more popular collections, and today it has become known throughout the world.

I mentioned, last week, that many of our Christmas traditions are biblically inaccurate or they are based on fantasies or legends.  Some of those legends have to do with the kings or wise men.  Our traditions assume there were three because of the three gifts mentioned in scripture; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And the wise men have even been given names, Melchior, Balthazar, and Caspar—but those are not found anywhere in scripture.

And we don't know that they were kings.  The Bible calls them Magi.  They were pagan priests who were considered, wise men (possibly astrologers) and they would have held powerful political positions in their eastern countries.  The unfounded assumption that they were kings comes from Isaiah’s prophecy, “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3). 

Another tradition Is that they visited Jesus in His manger bed at the time of His birth.  But scripture indicates otherwise; "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him." Matt. 2:10-11

Bible scholars believe that He must have been about two years old by the time the wise men arrived.

In this song, Dix took that traditional departure from biblical accuracy where, in two phrases, he pictures the wise men at the manger.  That, however, doesn't diminish the theology or the value of this hymn; it just creates an unnecessary distraction.  For that reason, some authors have suggested a couple appropriate changes to those phrases, which we will use, for the sake of accuracy.  

There are two words that repeat several times --"As" and "So.” When you see the word, AS, you should look for the word, SO.  They are coupled to make comparisons between the recorded actions of the wise men and the appropriate applications for to us today.  In other words, as they did, So should we. 

In the first stanza, we see that the wise men were led to the Savior by the light of His star.   SO, like them, we also should be led to Him by the light of His Gospel; the Word of God.

In stanza 2, we see the wise men making their long, hurried journey to worship the Son of God.  SO, like them, we also should run to Him for mercy and joyfully worship Him because He Is worthy.

In stanza 3, the wise men gave costly gifts to Jesus.  SO, like them, we also should present ourselves, pure and holy, to Him.

There is a fifth verse that has been omitted from the text in some hymnbook.  I think that is unfortunate because it is a great song of praise and a joyful proclamation of our hope.  Here it is printed below:

In that glorious city bright, None shall need created light.

You, its Light, its Joy, its Crown; You, its Sun which goes not down.

There forever may we sing, Alleluias to our King!