In the Christmas story, the wise men bring gifts to the Lord: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The gold is listed first, because it is the inmost - signifying good, e.g. the good that we do when we love the Lord and the neighbor.

The frankincense is next. It signifies rational truth, which is the set of true ideas that we know, not about external things like cars or cooking, but about what is really good, and what is really true.

These rational truths are built on earlier knowledges that we learn, before we have really made them our own. Those early knowledges about spiritual things - often learned in childhood - are represented by the myrrh.

In a way, these gifts are really a reciprocation. We can't actually give them to the Lord until the Lord has given them to us. We necessarily start out by learning and doing the Lord's law (myrrh). The Lord can then call up those memories to become rational truths (frankincense). Then, over time, and with effort, those truths can be transformed into good (gold). The wise men from the East had gone through this process of learning and becoming vessels that could receive truths and goods. They were able to perceive the Lord's birth, and find him, and bring gifts to him.

3250. Verses 7-10 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, a hundred and seventy-five years. And Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full [of years]; and he was gathered to his peoples. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him at the cave of Machpelah, at the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which faced Mamre. The field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth, there Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife.

'These are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived' means the state representative of the Lord as regards the Divine itself that was portrayed by means of Abraham. 'A hundred and seventy-five years' means the things constituting that state. 'And Abraham breathed his last and died' means the end of the representation portrayed by means of Abraham. 'In a good old age, an old man and full [of years]' means a new state of representation. 'And he was gathered to his peoples' means that these things involving Abraham [were completed]. 'And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him' means that the representation of the Lord was now taken over by Isaac and Ishmael. 'At the cave of Machpelah' means resurrection as regards truth. 'At the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which faced Mamre' means as regards good; also meant, as previously, are those who are spiritual, who receive truth and good from the Lord's Divine Human and are saved. 'The field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth' means the Lord's spiritual kingdom resulting from this. 'There Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife' means resurrection.