Flight Into Egypt
Scripture: Matthew 2:`13-23 (ESV)
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, 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.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Devotion:
Today’s scripture portrays a horrific scene. It was bad enough for the parents of a newborn child to have to flee for the safety of the child. The scene is made so much worse by the brutal murder of the other innocent children by the murderous King Herod. It is a sad story all the way around. How can we approach this story during the celebratory time that is Advent? It is a challenge to see the cause for celebration amid such barbaric cruelty.
Perhaps, we are not meant to celebrate this story. What if the Bible simply records the events that occurred as a testament to God’s provision for His son in terrible, terrible times. It does seem that the only ray of light we can find in this passage is that Jesus comes out unscathed. The murderous plot to eliminate Jesus as a rival king has failed. The human toll of that success leaves us shaking our heads in disbelief. Yet, God’s plan triumphed over the schemes of humans.
In today’s reading we find our silent saint Joseph hearing and obeying God’s directions. Joseph protects his wife and child regardless of the cost. While tears fill our eyes with sorrow for all those tiny innocent ones that Herod murdered, our hearts are filled with an unstoppable joy that God has provided for Jesus and us a way of escape.
This story has relevance even today. The recent attacks and killing of men, women, and children in a terroristic rampage adds a contemporary feel to the story. We search in vain for the Christ child that was saved. Our hearts go out to the widows and orphans left to seek some sense of the life they have been left with. Let us go to the Lord and pray for the innocent victims then and now.
Prayer:
Lord Most High, we come to you with sad hearts. All the innocents that died in Herod’s day and in ours we pray that they did not die in vain. Open our eyes to see your good purpose even in the purposeful evil that fills men’s hearts. Grant the land of Israel peace that only you can bring. In Jesus name. Amen
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