To Read: Matthew 2:13-15
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.”
Again the angel of the Lord comes and conducts the movements of everyone involved. This is God’s plan, after all, and he will be seen as orchestrating salvation, including preserving the life of the Savior until the right time. It’s a harrowing instruction to Joseph – just go to Egypt! It’s no easy feat, and Egypt would have not contained many familiar sights. There was a small gathering of Israelites living in Egypt at the time, part of the Diaspora, those who had fled Judea during times of exile and persecution. But ultimately, this is foreign, Gentile territory. We are not told if the angel gave them any updates, or asked to them to just hang in there during this period of waiting, but we do know that they waited in Egypt until the death of Herod. The end of chapter 2 recounts the return of the family back to Israel.
This is to fulfill prophecy spoken by Hosea, in Hosea 11:1 – “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” And it’s far more than just some cool anecdote, that a prophecy said it would be this way, and so there goes the young family into Egypt. Jesus’ association with Egypt has massive biblical implications. Consider the order of events in the life of Jesus as recorded in Matthew: He goes into Egypt, he’s brought out of Egypt, then he’s baptized by John the Baptist, then brought into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (for 40 days). Consider then the order of events for the Israelites beginning at the end of Genesis, continuing on under the leadership of Moses: they are brought into Egypt, then rescued out of Egypt – while leaving Egypt they have to pass through the waters (a type of baptism, according to 1 Corinthians 10), as they go miraculously through the Red Sea, then they are taken into the wilderness for 40 years. While the people grumbled in the wilderness generation, Jesus does not fall victim to temptation at all – and despite the difficult circumstances, honors God the Father perfectly. Jesus going into Egypt begins the typological process of his identification with God’s people. He goes on the same journey with us but he does so without sin. He would identify with us in his baptism – he’ll pass through the waters, but it’s the waters of his own death, only to rise up resurrected – and he’d do that for us; he’ll face temptation and not sin, he will endure hardship and not reject the Lord at all.
Jesus lives as Israel should have lived – he is doing all the things that God’s people cannot. His death atones for sin, but his life merits salvation for those who trust in Him.
Song to Sing: Go, Tell it on the Mountain
Prayer: Jesus, you lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died all for us. We thank you for the way you have shown us in the Word how closely you would identify with your people. You were not born in a mansion, but in a lowly stable – you endured being a refugee, a poor child, and grew to be despised by many. We worship you, Lord, and give you our thanks. In your name, Jesus. Amen.
Echoes of Eden: Cinnamon rolls. They real good.