9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen 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 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. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Behold the first Christian worshippers. The simple dwelling became a cathedral. Seekers of Christ found Him and knelt in His presence. They gave Him gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for his burial.
They found the Christ because they heeded the sign and believed the scripture.
Today's symbol is gold. Gold is a precious metal, and as Max says, representative of a king.
I think of the Scripture passage in Psalm 19, that says:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
It's a reminder that we serve a King who is not of this world, and the riches of His Kingdom far exceed the world, its wealth, and its ways.
This is illustrated through a piece at The Daily Signal website. Managing Editor Tyler O'Neil writes:
The legacy media often portrays the rise of irreligion as harmless—merely a matter of Americans owning up to their declining belief in God—but a groundbreaking new study reveals a terrifying correlation between the increase of Americans who identify with no religion and upticks in rape and suicide rates.Dr. Philip Truscott was a professor of sociology at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, for 10 years. O'Neil writes: "The academic journal Journal of Sociology and Christianity published Truscott’s abstract 'Rape, Suicide, and the Rise of Religious Nones,' in its fall 2024 edition." The article states:
In the paper, Truscott compares five sets of data: the rape reports colleges and universities submit to the Department of Education, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (where police departments report rapes), the Pew Religious Landscape Survey from 2014 (where respondents identified their religion as “none”), the Public Religion Research Institute’s surveys from 2014 onward (where respondents recorded their religious affiliation as “unaffiliated”), and the suicide rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Truscott’s analysis showed a very clear correlation between increases in the rate of Americans identifying as religious “nones” and rape and suicide rates.
The study is for the years 2014-2020. 2020 was essentially an outlier due to COVID; 2015 also showed less of a correlation.
O'Neil also notes: "Truscott also finds that an increase in the suicide rate corresponded to the increase in the rate of 'nones,' though not as closely. The nationwide suicide rate increased alongside the UCR rape rate, with a far greater correlation." The Daily Signal article notes:Truscott’s study finds a large correlation between the suicide rate and the Uniform Crime Report rape rate across America between 2014 and 2019, and suicides are predominantly male in that period (between 76.9% and 78.4%). He notes that “one tangible indicator of declining male self-control (the suicide rate) makes it plausible that another indicator of declining male self-control (actual rape attacks) might be varying in the same direction.”
He cites a 2012 study finding that non-religious people tend to drink more alcohol and use more illegal drugs. He cites a 2010 study finding that binge-drinking, marijuana, and illicit drugs are associated with increased probabilities that the user will commit rape, “in which case these victimless crimes succeeded in finding victims.”
Truscott is quoted as saying: “To put it another way, some nonreligious men made a short moral step into substance use and then, in a diminished state of self-control, made a much larger one into criminality..." He also included previous statistics, in the language of the Daily Signal article, "demonstrating that religiosity corresponds with self-control."
The Bible teaches us that no one is righteous; despite the world's attempts to deny it, no one is basically good - we need a Savior to transform our lives and reform our behavior. Rejection and disobedience lead to unbiblical outcomes, some of which are criminal in nature, as Philip Truscott notes.
So, it's not too far of a stretch to see how a number of those rejecting organized religion, who are not participants in the nature and holiness of God, can allow their lives to descend into despair and degradation. If we want to live a life of true joy and satisfaction, we need the presence of Almighty God through Jesus Christ. If we pursue the ways and philosophies of this world, we will respond with worldly behaviors.
The Wise Men brought gold to this new King, which can be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the true riches that can be found in Him. He offers us so much more than the world has to offer. The riches of the Kingdom of God are far more valuable than worldly wealth.
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