When
they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Matthew 2:10
This hymn/carol serves a dual role as a Christmas carol as well as an Epiphany
hymn. Lyrics for the hymn were composed by William Dix in 1860 and written from
his sick bed on the very day of Epiphany. Konrad Kocher composed the music,
DIX, or Stiemen aus dem Reiche Gottes, in 1838. The tune is the same for
For the Beauty of the Earth, and Praise to God, Immortal Praise
(#140 in 1940 Hymnal). Though the coming of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus is
most often depicted as a Christmas event, but it actually, in all probability,
happened some months after the actual birth of Christ since the baby Jesus was
lodged in a house when they arrived, And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped
him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (Matt 2:11) It might be expected that the
Star appeared to the Magi at the time of Jesus' birth, yet they would need to
travel more than a thousand miles by camel to arrive at the scene.
As with Gladness Men of Old
William
Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)
As
with gladness men of old
Did
the guiding star behold;
As
with joy they hailed its light,
Leading
onward, beaming bright;
So,
most gracious lord, may we
Evermore
be led to thee.
As
with joyful steps they sped
To
that lowly manger-bed;
There
to bend the knee before
Him
whom heaven and earth adore;
So
may we with willing feet
Ever
seek the mercy seat.
As
they offered gifts most rare
At
that manger rude and bare;
So
may we with holy joy,
Pure
and free from sin's alloy,
All
our costliest treasures bring,
Christ!
To thee, our heavenly king.
Holy
Jesus! Every day
Keep
us in the narrow way;
And,
when earthly things are past,
Bring
our ransomed souls at last
Where
they need no star to guide,
Where
no clouds thy glory hide.
In
the heavenly country bright,
Need
they no created light;
Thou
its light, its joy, its crown,
Thou
its sun which goes not down;
There
for ever may we sing
Alleluias
to our king.
As with gladness, men of old Did the guiding star behold As with joy they
hailed its light Leading onward, beaming bright So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee. Men who seek Christ are always glad at the
sign of His coming. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at
my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (Psalms
16:8-9) Of course,
these Wise Men erred in one respect. When they approached near to Jerusalem,
they began to depend less on the Star and more on their human logic. They
thought to themselves, Ah, we are near Jerusalem the capital city of Judea. It
stands to reason that the King of Israel should be born there, and in the
palace as well. So they ignored the Star and went into Jerusalem. There was no
knowledge of Christ with Herod or the Jewish rulers, so the Wise Men went on
their journey again. Once beyond the false lights of the city, they again saw
the true Light of God in the Star, and followed on to Bethlehem. Of course, they
were glad to see the star! 9
When they
had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the
east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. (Matt 2:9-10)
As with joyful steps they sped To that lowly manger bed There to bend the
knee before Him Whom Heaven and earth adore; So may we with willing feet Ever
seek Thy mercy seat. Here the author of the hymn makes a small
error. It is unlikely that Christ was still in a manger since he was now lodged
in a house according to the verse eleven of St. Matthew, chapter two. These
were Wise Men and men of means. It would have cost a small fortune to journey
from as far away as Persia, and the value of their gifts suggests great wealth.
But these men were not too proud to bend the knee in worship and admiration of
the Child Jesus, knowing who He was. It is true that both Heaven and earth
adored the Baby Jesus. The heavenly host proclaimed His birth, the shepherds
adored Him and so did the Wise Men from the East. It is a simple matter for us
to adore Christ in our day. We do not need to leave our sheep unattended and go
to seek Him. We do not need to travel over field and fountain, moor and
mountain, to find Him. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water. (Heb 10:22) The mystery in all of this is
thusly stated: We must seek Him if we are to find Him. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of
you, saith the LORD. (Jer 29:13-14) We must possess the thirst of
the wise Men in our seeking Him: Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matt
7:7-8)
As they offered gifts most rare At that manger rude and bare; So may we
with holy joy, Pure and free from sin’s alloy, All our costliest treasures
bring, Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King. Yes, these Wise Men
offered gifts suggesting royalty (Gold), and divinity (frankincense), and
healing & death (myrrh) - all prophetic of the Person of Christ. The abode
was necessarily a humble one that would be a sharp contrast to the wealth of
the Wise Men, yet, they kneeled there nonetheless. Should we not have the same
joy as the Wise Men after traveling from such a distant place. By the way,
every sinner is far from God until He comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ! Sin
is definitely an alloy. We may have many good works but all of those good
works, when mixed with ONE sinful thought, is poison to our souls without
Christ. We not only bring our costliest treasures to Christ, but ALL of our
treasures. If He owns our hearts, He owns all that pertains to us. If Christ is
our Heavenly King, He is also higher than any earthly ruler to us and takes
preeminence among all rulers.
Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way; And, when earthly things
are past, Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide. Jesus is Holy, and we should
strive to be Holy as well. This holiness we can only attain through the imputed
righteousness of Christ. Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
(1 Peter 1:16) After finding Christ, the Wise Men had no further need for
the heavenly Star, for they had the light of the Holy Ghost to guide in future
paths. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for
wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt
7:13-14) Men always
prefer the downward path just as running water seeks the lowest level:
therefore the broad way leading to destruction is quite crowded. But the narrow
path needs no great width to accommodate the few who will travel that path
upward to Heaven.
In the heavenly country bright, Need they no created light; Thou its Light,
its Joy, its Crown, Thou its Sun which goes not down; There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!
Just as the Wise Men left behind the Star of Bethlehem once they had found
Jesus, yet, they had His light perpetually to light their hearts. The Christian
has a light that is unseen to the world except for its natural goodness. But we
process on to a light that is both unending and brilliant in our days of
eternity future. IT IS WRITTEN: And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved
shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory
and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for
there shall be no night there. (Rev 21:22-25)
