*Matthew 2:13-23
Warned by God in a dream, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod’s massacre of infants in Bethlehem.
- Flight to Egypt:
- After the visit of the Magi, an angel warns Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.
- This escape is prompted by King Herod’s intention to kill the infant Jesus, perceived as a threat to his reign.
- Slaughter of the Innocents:
- Herod, realizing the Magi deceived him, orders the massacre of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.
- This tragic event fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah, known as the “weeping in Ramah,” regarding the mourning of mothers for their slain children.
- Return from Egypt:
- After Herod’s death, an angel instructs Joseph in another dream to return to Israel with his family.
- Joseph settles in Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:13-23 reminds us that God watches over us and guides us, even in difficult times. When Herod wanted to harm Jesus, God warned Joseph in a dream, and Joseph obeyed immediately, keeping his family safe. This teaches us to trust God’s guidance and be willing to follow Him, even when His plans take us in unexpected directions. No matter what challenges we face, we can have peace knowing that God is always protecting us and leading us toward His purpose.
Matthew 2:13-23 (WEB)
2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an 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 tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”14 He arose and 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 by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,lamentation, weeping and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children;she wouldn’t be comforted,because they are no more.”19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets that he will be called a Nazarene.