Voices Of The Magi

THE FIRST MAGI:

The Magi came to Jerusalem with great pomp and many soldiers tasked with guarding the gold and other treasures for the Eternal King. Herod, who had purchased his kingdom from Rome and all those who had purchased their power from him, felt threatened by both the Magi and by the news of the birth of a more powerful King who would displace Herod, Matthew 2.   

Coming from Babylon, the Magi must have known when the Messiah would come. Captive Daniel, referenced it in Daniel 9 and Balaam prophesied earlier that it would be when Jacob‘s Star appeared, Numbers 24:17. However, the Magi didn’t arrive until after Jesus was taken to the family home in Nazareth. How do we know that? Because a Hebrew boy was required to be circumcised on the 8th day and his mother would be unclean for another 30 days. When Jesus was dedicated to God by Simeon the High Priest in Jerusalem just after that, Joseph and Mary offered two young birds as a sacrifice. This was acceptable only for the poorest of the poor. If they had made an extremely large offering taken from treasure, it would have caused quite a stir. Luke 2:39 says "And after they did what was required of the law, they went directly home to Nazareth." We don't know when the Magi arrived, but from Matt 2:11 we do know "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary his mother." Joseph isn't mentioned. Some researchers believe the Magi came as long as two years after Jesus' birth.

BUT HOW DID THEY ESCAPTE  TO EGYPT? THE AFTER THE MAGI TOLD HAROD ABOUT THE BIRTH OF THE HEAVENLY KING?

Harod sent his armies out in every direction to kill this young King. Perhaps Isiah 60:9 tells us how He escaped. “The isles have waited for me, and the ships of Tharsis among the first, to bring thy children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, and that for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Isreal is glorified.” In those days there were 8-10 ports of Tarshish along the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles from Galilee. John the Baptist was born about the time of Jesus. His family family would also need to flee to save  him.

BORN IN BETHLEHEM EPHRATHAH, BUT IN STABLE WITH COWS & HORSES?

David, who watched over Shiloh's temple sheep, wrote of future shepherds seeing the “dwelling place" of God in Psalms 132:6&7: “Behold, we heard of it in Ephratah; We found it in the ”Fields of the Woods." Let us go into His tabernacle (dwelling place);  Let us worship at His footstool."  Ephratah in Hebrew means “fruitful”. Were these fruit trees that were there before the field was used to grow wheat?

Prophesying centuries later about that same field, Micah 4:8 says a king would be born to a daughter of Zion within the “Tower of the Flock”, a rock structure first known as the “Migdal Eder” Migdal meaning tower and Eder meaning flock which stood in the "Field of the Woods", the very field where David would later watch over his father's sheep, sheep for sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. It sat above Rachael’s tomb with Jerusalem on the horizon. The field had also been know as "Ya'ar's Field" where Jacob once pitched his tent. And it was the field Ruth and Boaz first met in. They were the parents of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. Our songs reveal these scriptures and more.

 HOW THE "OLD & NEW TESTATAMENT CHRISTMAS" ALBUM CAME TOGETHER:

Frustrated that the last really Christ-centered Christmas song to gain a wide audience was Mark Lowry's "Mary Did You Know" released in 1991, Drenon pieced together what the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament witnesses had to say about Christ's birth. He began writing the first of the10 lyrics in 2015 and finished the last one in 2019. In August of 2020, Teresa Jordan agreed to compose the music. After she sent him each composition, he would hear them for the first time and sometimes make suggestions. But he always told her his worst fear was that she would ever take his advice about how to compose the music. So much thanks to Teresa. And to Mark Lowry for not giving up on the beauty of what he'd written. It him took from 1984 until 1991 to get "Mary Did You Know" composed by Buddy Green and then recorded by Michael English.