Divine Directions
13. And when they (the Wisemen) were departed, behold the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15. And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son.”
Matthew 2:13-15
Warned By God
The task of providing a safe haven for the Christ Child was one that included tremendous challenges and even death threats. You would think that all would welcome the Christ into the world. You would think that everyone would celebrate His birth. Such was not the case then, nor is it the case today. There are many, that have the same animosity toward Christ as Herod. Herod wanted to destroy Christ rather than accept the newborn King. Like Herod, many see Jesus as a threat to their own authority and freedom.
When the Magi, or Wisemen, did not return to Herod, that was taken as an insult and a further threat to his power. In a fit of rage, Herod gave orders to kill all the children age two and under, that were in Bethlehem and other surrounding towns. According to Ancient History professor, Dr. Paul Maier of Western Michigan University, the number of slain babies may not have been a huge number due to the size of Bethlehem and its surrounding villages. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus does not mention the slaying of Jewish babies, but he does give many accounts of Herod’s rage against people including members of his own family. He had several of his own son’s killed, plus his favorite wife, and many others that he considered threats to his kingship. Regardless of the reports of man, the slaying of Jewish children was significant, and Matthew records it as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:15. In Rama there was a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. Herod was just that evil and wicked, but his rage could not destroy God’s Child, because Joseph had responded to God’s directions and had acted according to the instructions of the Angel that spoke to him.
While Joseph, the husband of Mary, seemed to only play a short role in the life of Christ, his role was a critical one and one that God entrusted him with tremendous responsibility. Based on his actions, here are some interesting takeaways that can apply to our life as a believer in Christ. First, if Baby Jesus faced death threats, threats can be expected for all of His followers. Second, God does not always remove the evil from our lives, sometimes He moves us to another place. Third, the survival of God’s people depends on their obedience to God’s directions.
Directions Puts Things into Perspective
As I read the account of God’s warning to Joseph, my first thought was why didn’t God just get rid of Herod. He certainly could have done that in a number of ways: by heart attack, poisoning, conspiracy, or just plain dying. God did not do any of those things to wicked Herod. As I read this passage, I was amazed at God sending a warning to Joseph instead of plans of Herod’s destruction. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” At first, I could hardly believe that this was the plan of action for keeping the Christ Child safe. But then, when you think of God’s protection, it usually does not involve elaborate schemes, large armies, or tremendous displays of power. Remember how God sent Moses into Egypt with nothing more than a shepherd’s rod. Remember how God sent young David to fight the giant with nothing more than a sling and a couple of rocks. Here was God revealing the plan for Christ’s security: take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word. Those were the directions and Joseph followed them.
When a crisis comes in our life, we expect God to do some miraculous things because we are His Children. When we don’t see the miraculous sign or if God sends us a simple plan instead to deal with the situation, we often get upset or confused. But think about it, if God did not spare His Own Son from crisis, why should we be exempt? If Baby Jesus faced threats and God did not send the armies of the Heavenly Host to save Him, why do we expect such super-natural treatment in our far less dramatic circumstances. The point is this; every child of God should expect to go through some struggles. God may not send deliverance in the way you think but He will send His Divine Directions. Your instructions might just be – get out of the way for a while. The instructions for Joseph were simple, Take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word.
The second lesson or application to this is also very helpful. God does not always remove the threat of the enemy. Certainly, it would have been no problem for God to encamp angels around Mary and the Baby and Joseph. As a matter of fact, one Angel from Heaven could have easily protected Jesus. But that was not the plan.
Why is it, when we face our crisis moments, we expect to see, hear, or experience some miraculous sign from Heaven. In my early walk with Christ, my faith was focused on supernatural events. I wanted to see miracles. As I grew older, I was amazed at how many natural things around me provided just as much miraculous power as the supernatural things. What’s the point? We should stop dictating to God how we want Him to work out our problems and start asking Him for His Divine Directions. Joseph did not argue with God about the assignment. As a matter of fact, he responded swiftly and precisely to the directions given. When he arose, he took the young Child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt. O that the Household of Faith would trust God in the same way as Joseph. O that we would treasure God’s directions to the point of simply obeying His voice.
What’s our problem? Sometimes the problem is in our perception of what we think we have to face versus what God has revealed. Our perception can lead us into a lot of difficulty. It’s like the tee-shirt slogan that read, “Every time I come up with a great idea – it always gets me into trouble.” The proper response to God’s directions, is to not lean to our own understanding – but to acknowledge God and follow Him.
Another issue of not following God’s directions is due to the influence of others. While there are certainly times when believers should support and help each other, but we should be cautious of leadership by consensus. We must respect each other’s uniqueness and the fact that we can be led in different directions on certain issues. When a crisis arises, we cannot always wait for a vote of consensus. Joseph did not wait around for others to have their input, he acted on the message. When he arose, he took the young Child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt. Swift action is one of the best signs of obedience to God.
In conclusion, as we see the world becoming increasingly evil and more corrupt, we can either become cynical and more suspicious or we can become more responsive to God’s directions. The survival of God’s people depends on their obedience to God’s directions. Joseph was warned of God through a dream. Your warnings and directions may come in other forms, but it is important to understand that God will give clear directions. Joseph’s trip to Egypt was only temporary, because Egypt was not the place where Christ would be raised. For the Hebrew people, to go into Egypt was a return to bondage and sin. This was not God’s plan for the faithful. For that reason, God clearly reminds us that when Joseph and Mary and the Baby departed Egypt they were fulfilling the prophecy. And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son.
Our struggle to stay safe should never become an excuse to live in sin. God has called us to a life of righteousness as He calls us into a new life through Jesus Christ. When the time came to leave Egypt, Joseph had no problems returning to the Land of Israel. He had no problem following God directions concerning the Christ. While we don’t read further details as to what happened with the Holy family, we can take comfort knowing that Joseph’s obedience came at just the right time and got right results. Our obedience to God is always something the Father welcomes as we live for Him each day.