Ornament of Grace

I have always loved the part of the Christmas Story of the Wise Men. It is interesting to me that it is only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and the it is only 12 verses long. Although short in length, MUCH information is given to us by the Lord in His Word of the Wisdom possessed by these men. Reading one morning a few weeks ago, the Lord showed me some things I have never seen before about the Wisdom these men had.It has blessed my heart, how the Lord has answered prayer in studying this these last 2 weeks and seeking His face on this!This post is my testimony of how He has!

Proverbs 4 is where I was reading. The whole chapter deals with Wisdom from God's Word. When I came to verse 9, a phrase jumped off the page at me.....ORNAMENT OF GRACE! With it being Christmas, the word "ornament" is what first got my attention. I thought "Well, we put ornaments on a tree and garland, what ornament, or decoration is the Lord talking about here?" The last part of the verse tells what "ornament" it is_ a CROWN of glory! I read on,and the following verses were shown to me like I have never read them before! If the Lord did not write all of the following verses SPECIFICALLY referring to the Wise men,or Kings as traditions calls them, they DEFINITELY can apply to them.

These Wise men EXHUMED  the true Wisdom that can ONLY come from the Lord.The definition of "Knowledge" is knowing information, but WISDOM is knowledge of what is TRUE AND RIGHT, coupled with just judgment as to action, sagacity, discernment, and insight.(ref.dictionary.com). That second word "sagacity" refers to "sages" or WISE MEN! What made these men wise was that they KNEW the Word of the Lord! We may wonder how in the world these men, from Persia & Arabia, knew about the prophesy of the Messiah and all of the details. I always have. After reading this in Proverbs and praying, a few days later, I was awake from 3am in the morning on, unable to sleep. After laying there and praying for about 2 hours, I turned on the TV and a Christmas special/documentary on the Wise Men was on!!! The preacher narrating the show asked the same question as to where the wise men got their information. The answer is is Daniel 9. The same angel, Gabriel, that the Lord sent to announce Christ's birth to Mary, appeared to Daniel. In verses 25 &26, the angel gives Daniel details concerning the Messiah. Was not Daniel a WISE MAN in the court of three different rulers of the Medes and Persians?????? He also had the knowledge from God's Word spoken by Balaam, in Numbers 24:15-25, that gave the prophecy of "a STAR out of Jacob, and a SCEPTRE (King) shall rise out of Israel." These Wise men EXHUMED the truths of God's Word that Daniel put in place in the palace, from 500 yrs before,  and applied them to the wondrous sign of the Star, HIS STAR as they called it, and believed the Word of the Lord!!! Proverbs 4:7 says, "WISDOM is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all of they getting get understanding."

Next, the Wise men EXALTED God's Word as it says in Proverbs 4:8, "EXALT her (wisdom)and she shall PROMOTE thee: she shall bring thee to honour,.". The Wise men did so. They exalted God's Word as TRUTH, and it PROMOTED THEM.They BELIEVED God's prophecy above all other knowledge they had from all around the world. They believed the sign of the Star in the heavens and BY FAITH knew the significance of it. It didn't promote them just as Wise men in the King's court, that would have given them the means to make this trip in search of the newborn King. It PROMOTED, or caused them to go forward physically, in search of the Messiah also! Did not the Lord bring them to honor, as the verse says, in recording their actions of obedience and faith in His Word forever?????

Lastly, the last half of Proverbs 4:8 says "...when thou doest EMBRACE  her (wisdom.)" These men not only EXHUMED and EXALTED God's Wisdom, but they EMBRACED it as well!!!! They believed and clung to His Promise. Even if they didn't know exactly where the King of the Jews would be located, they knew He would show them the way they should go in order to find Him! Further down in the chapter of Provers 4:11&12 it says, " I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble." Then verse 18 reads, "But the path of the just is as THE SHINING LIGHT, THAT SHINETH MORE AND MORE UNTO THE PERFECT DAY." Was it not THE STAR that shone the way for the Wise men (Matthew 2:2, 9&10)????? Brethren, I don't believe these verses are there by chance!!!!! These men trusted & EMBRACED, BY FAITH, in the Lord Himself for guidance that since He had made known the birth of His Only Begotten Son to them, He would also GUIDE them to Him!!! Prov.4:19 also says "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble." Does it not say in Matthew 2: 3-7 that Herod and all of Jerusalem was troubled at what the Wise men said and obviously didn't know His Word concerning the Star,and where Messiah would be born?? Had they EMBRACED the Word of the Lord that the nation of Israel were blessed with, they would have known, just as the Wise Men did. Proverbs 4 also says in verse 24-27 "Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thing eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet,and let all they ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left;remove thy foot from evil." Did not the Lord send the Wise men, still directing their path, away from Herod when he lied, as the verse says, another way to their country? They obeyed the Word from the Lord, and didn't turn back or think another thing about what Herod had commanded them! They definitely "removed their feet from evil" in doing so!!!

The Wise men EXHUMED, EXALTED, AND EMBRACED God's WISDOM! In doing so, it was an ORNAMENT OF GRACE to them! Whether or not they were Kings as tradition calls them, they were in the King's palace and the wise men of that day did wear literal crowns. But,those didn't matter. The Lord was more concerned with their spiritual "crowns of glory"vs 9! This Christmas as we see the Ornaments in our homes, may we think about the Ornaments of Grace, and the Crowns of Glory we can have for our Lord, just as those Wise Men did over 2, 000 years ago!!!

Proverbs 4:20-23

"My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes;keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Salvation's Song: The Ira Sankey Christmas Story

"I AM the Good Shepherd, and KNOW MY SHEEP, and am known of mine." John 10: 14

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This is not fiction. It is part of Ira Sankey's life testimony. I heard this on our local radio station, WSSC 1340 AM. I did more research on it, and wanted to share this blessing with all of you! I pray it blesses your heart as the Lord used it to bless mine!

It was the year of 1862, during the Civil War. It was a bitter cold night, with bright moonlight that gave clear view to everything below. A Confederate Soldier was on picket duty, when across the field, a Union Soldier who was also on picket duty, came into full view. The Confederate Soldier got his musket and took aim, completely hidden in the shadows. Just as he did, the Union Soldier began to sing. "Saviour, like a shepherd lead us, much we need thy tender care. In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for thy use our folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us thine we are. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus. Thou hast bought us, Thine we are." This took the soldier with the musket by surprise. He thought to himself, " I'll let him finish his song, then I'll shoot him. I can't miss him and he won't be able to get away fast enough." At that moment, the Singing Soldier started verse two: "We are Thine, do Thou befriend us, BE THE GUARDIAN OF OUR WAY...". The music touched his heart as he heard it and he took his finger off the trigger.It brought back childhood memories of when his mother would sing that song to him, teaching him of the Lord. He listened until the end of the song, then dropped his musket. Without the Union soldier ever knowing he had been there, he turned and slipped away in the darkness.
 
Fourteen years passed, and it was now the year of 1876. The Union soldier had since become a very well known hymn writer and song leader, traveling with Evangelist D.L. Moody. His name was Ira D. Sankey. He had written many hymns, including "The Ninety and Nine," and also composed the music to many other famous hymns, including "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." He was on his way home, on a steamboat on the Delaware River on Christmas Eve. Many passengers on board recognized Sankey and decided they would ask him to sing a song for everyone. On the deck, Sankey agreed and leaned against one of the big funnels. He paused for a moment, before he started. He wanted to sing a Christmas song, but the Lord seemed to lead in another direction. The words to "Saviour, Like A Shepherd Lead Us" came to his mind and he felt impressed to sing this song. So, he did. Everyone on deck listened intently to the singer, and the words of the song in stillness. The Lord's power was on him and his song.

As he finished, a bearded man approached Sankey from the other side of the deck.
He asked Sankey if he could speak with him for a moment. As the two men separated from the crowd, the bearded stranger asked Sankey if he had ever served in the Union Army. Sankey replied with the answer of yes. The stranger asked if he had picket duty, 14 yrs ago, on a clear cold night. Sankey said yes, and asked if the stranger had been there in service also. He told him yes, but had been a Confederate soldier. He went on to tell Sankey he had seen him in clear view, while hidden in the shadows across the enemy lines. He told him how he had raised his musket to fire, and at that same moment he had begun to sing. "It was the same song you sang tonight. When I heard your voice, I knew it was you." He went on the tell Sankey how he planned on letting him finish his song, and then shoot him. "When you started to sing the part that said, "We are Thine, do thou befriend us, Be the Guardian of our way... it touched my heart. It made me think of my dear mother that had passed, and how she loved the Lord, and would sing this same song to me as a child. I couldn't shoot you. My heart was smitten. I didn't know what to do, so I slipped off in the darkness. These fourteen  years I have often thought of that night . Tonight, I know that the Lord that was able to save you from certain death, and was the Guardian of your way,MUST SURELY be great and mighty. I have wondered these fourteen years since lost without that Shepherd. Will you please tell me how he can save me?" And there, on board that steamboat, two soldiers, once enemies, now prayed together for that Great Shepherd to bring another lost sheep home.

Verse##    Thou hast promised to receive us, 
    poor and sinful though we be; 
    thou hast mercy to relieve us, 
    grace to cleanse and power to free. 
    Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! 
    Let us early turn to thee. 
    Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! 

    Let us early turn to thee.