Scripture Reading(s)
Matthew 2:13-23
2:13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
2:14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,
2:15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
2:16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.
2:17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
2:19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
2:20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”
2:21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
2:23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
Reflections
This passage paints a picture of what God’s true sovereignty looks like. When an evil plan attempts to thwart what God has set in motion, there is nothing that can stop it from taking place. God’s plan for salvation goes way back and beyond anything that Herod or the human mind could have predicted. Herod was a man who understood what had been prophesied about a coming King and in his fear and anger about the idea of his throne being taken away, he attempted to stop God’s plan from taking place.
The events that take place in this passage are by no mere coincidences or by chance. God orchestrated the safety of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in order to keep the plan of redemption in place. God is always working behind the scene to keep us safe and in His care. There are things that take place in our lives that we may not even be aware of and then there are things that God makes clear about what He is doing and it is always all for our good.
God does not get perturbed or thrown off by man’s attempt to bring harm to His plan and His children. He is a God that is in full control of all that goes on and from this passage we can trace God’s fingerprint running through the events of keeping His children safe and that can should fill our hearts with hope and comfort. Trust that God is always working to bring us good and place your faith in the one who is constantly working to bring us pace and comfort.
Many men and women have attempted to hinder the work of the Lord, yet the best that will ever be accomplished is merely slowing it down. God gave man the ability to choose either good or evil but somethings are taken out of man’s ability to destroy. No man, not even Herod, could have prevented Jesus and His parents from fulfilling the mission that God had given to them.
If you are a follower of the Lord you should be encouraged knowing that the all-powerful God is on your side. As Paul spoke to the Romans,
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)