Hey everybody! Thank you for taking the time to join me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, then I am especially excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, then I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. Today, we are reading about Joseph’s flight to Egypt and Herod’s slaughter. Day 11, Matthew 2:13-23 — Escaping Herod's Slaughter Matthew 2:13-23 (NASB1995) “13 Now when they had gone, behold, 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 going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” 14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He 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 CALLED MY SON.” 16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.” 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into 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. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Intro Matthew chapter two describes events taking place 3-4 years after Jesus’ birth—from the visit of the Magi to Herod’s slaughter, it details the logistics of the Wisemen’s call to find the King of the Jews and the escape to Egypt. Historical Context Matthew began his gospel by laying the foundation that Jesus is the Messiah. We journeyed through his genealogy from Abraham to David to Jesus, confirming hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that Jesus is indeed the Christ. Now that Jesus has come, many people from all over the region are called to worship Him. Troubled by the news of this King of the Jews prophesied to rule Israel, local rulers take action to kill Him. Discussion Matthew recollects little about the time of Jesus’ birth, focusing more on what happened years after—Luke details Jesus’ birth further in Luke 2:1-21. Yesterday, we read about the Magi’s visit to Herod and Jesus. After visiting Jesus, God warns the Magi in a dream to avoid returning to Herod and to depart to their homeland. The Magi obey, leading us to today’s passage. Immediately after the Magi depart, an angel of the Lord tells Joseph to flee to Egypt because of Herod’s plan to kill Jesus. That evening, Joseph “takes the ‘child’ and His mother” (v. 14) and leaves for Egypt, where they stay until it is safe to return after Herod’s death. Matthew notably avoids calling Jesus Joseph’s son, instead referring to Him as ‘child’ (vs. 13-14), while stating that Mary is His mother. This is a subtle hint that Joseph is only the legal guardian/parent of Jesus with no spiritual authority over Him. This is notable because Joseph’s position as a non-parent to Jesus does not distract or move him from obeying God and doing whatever is commanded. In v. 15, Matthew directly quotes a Hebrew passage that most Jews would understand, providing further insight into God’s heart for Israel. The reference, “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON” is verbatim from Hosea 11:1 regarding God’s yearning heart and love for His people, Israel, and further deepening Jesus’ connection to them. It also parallels Moses’ exodus in Exodus 22 and 23, giving it a typological context (prophetic symbolism linking the Old and New Testaments). The original Jewish audience would have picked up on this typology immediately and it would have carried much weight when they heard it. The following verses speak about Herod’s evilness. While Matthew states Herod was ‘tricked’ by the Magi (v. 16), Herod had evil intentions of murdering Jesus from the beginning. Herod was more of a caretaker or steward of Jerusalem instead of a ruling king—think Denethor of Gondor in Lord of the Rings. Once he learned the King of the Jews had come, he needed to make sure his reign continued by destroying Jesus. Since he did not know what Jesus looked like, Herod ordered the murder of all male children aged two and under throughout Bethlehem. This was catastrophic, and probably the most horrifying thing imaginable for Jewish families in the area. This slaughter is another example of typology, parallelling the slaughter of all Hebrew male children by Pharoah when Moses was born in Exodus 1:15-22. Thankfully, Joseph heeded the command from God to flee to Egypt. Herod eventually dies a horrible disease-ridden death and an angel of the Lord appears again to Joseph, telling him they can return to Israel. They eventually settle in Galilee in a town called Nazareth, fulfilling another prophecy about the origins of the Messiah (Is. 11:1). While the Old Testament does not mention Nazareth, the ‘twig’ the Messiah will come from is speaking about Nazareth. Application As I have mentioned before, most people overlook Joseph’s self-sacrifice, unwavering faith, and obedience. Even though he was not the true father of Jesus, he never faltered in his obedience. He moved when called to move and put Mary and Jesus’ well-being above himself. Amid these dire circumstances, he trusted in God and obeyed His every command. My favorite takeaway from this passage is not only Joseph’s continued obedience and unwavering faith but the amount of fulfilled prophecy and typology. Matthew loves including Old Testament typology and references, which help his claims about Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. I dive further and further into a zealous study of these passages, as more is revealed about Jesus and fulfilled OT prophecies. All of Scripture is God-breathed and all of it points to Jesus. I hope our deep dives into these passages encourage you to go further and further into studying the Word, too. Thank you, LORD, for your revealed Word. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Him every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 3:1-3. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to “discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together.
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