Ps. 45:1-9; 2 Cor. 2:14-16, The Spices of Christ

In addition to the above passage, we read …

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. (Mt. 2:11)

Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices (Song 4:13-14)

In Ps. 45 the subject is the Incarnate Christ, the One who is “fairer than the sons of men,” upon whom “grace is poured upon (His) lips,” who rides in majesty, who is God, whose throne “is forever and ever,” who reigns with “a scepter of righteousness.”  In Matthew the wise men come to worship this King, bearing appropriate gifts.  In the Song of Solomon the subject is the bride who is sister and spouse of the Beloved (4:12), who now exudes the scent of her Beloved (4:16).  As Paul says, “we are to God the fragrance of Christ.”  Consider the “spices of Christ.”

From Psalm 45: “… "smell" is not in the original. The literal translation would be, "Myrrh, and aloes - cassia - all thy garments;" that is, they were so impregnated with perfumes that these seemed to constitute his very clothing.”  (Albert Barnes) This is Jesus’ clothing of righteousness, in which believers are clothed.

·       Myrrh: “It was used among the ancients, not only as a perfume, but as a fumigator, and as an article of medicine, and was employed in embalming the bodies of the dead.” (Barnes) 

·       Aloes: “It is a species of sweet-smelling "wood," and was valued on account of its fragrance.” (Barnes does not believe it refers medicinal “aloe.”)

·       Cassia: Myrrh and cassia were part of the holy anointing oil in Ex. 30:23 which might explain the use in Ps. 45. 

From Matthew 2:11:

·       Gold speaks of the inestimable worth of our Savior, the Virgin-Born Baby.

·       Frankincense: “When burnt it emitted a fragrant odour, and hence the incense became a symbol of the Divine name (Mal 1:11; Sgs 1:3) and an emblem of prayer (Psa 141:2; Luk 1:10; Rev 5:8; 8:3).” (Eastons Dict.)

·       Myrrh: Perhaps the Wise Men brought this because of its connection with death. But remember that if it was among the spices brought to the tomb by the women, it was not for embalming but for a sweet smell to cover the stench of death.

We bear the fragrance of the Incarnate Christ before God!  So did Christ!  He was the ultimate “sweet smelling sacrifice,” being accepted by the Father so that in our daily lives we might bear this sweet smell to His glory.  What a grand reason to be close to Christ day-by-day, that we might bear His fragrance to the world, to some being “the aroma of death” and to others “the aroma of life.”