Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew 2:13-23 (NIV)

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."¹⁴So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."^{]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em;">}

¹⁶When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
¹⁸"A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more."

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Obedience Pays Off

This passage makes me think a lot about obedience. The obedience that Joseph had to listen to the Spirit of the Lord and keep his family away from king Herod. When the angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him to do something, Joseph goes and does it. Now, I hope that one day I may have as much obedience to the Lord's Spirit as that. Knowing when God is asking me to do something and then having the obedience to do it. Now, what also strikes me in this passage is the way that the obedience pays off for Joseph and his family. I mean, they listen, and God delivers. Herod is unable to find Jesus and the family survives. Just think what could've happened if Joseph just said 'Well, thanks for your concern God, but we can take care of ourselves.' I feel like I too often try to take matters into my own hands and am not being obedient in listening to God and giving Him control. This passage is a good reminder for me though that God has a handle on things and that He knows what's best in all situations. We just need to trust in Him and be obedient.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to be obedient to You. I give You control of the things that I am holding on to right now and trying to handle on my own. Lord, I want to listen to Your will for my life and not my own. I trust in You Lor