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"Flee Into Egypt!"
"And being warned
of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they
departed into their own country another way.
Matthew 2:12
Sleep came easily that night to the
group of travelers from the East. Their return home would be a
joyous one. But first they must go back to the Palace and tell
Herod that they had seen the King of the Jews. They wished
they hadn't promised, as they were not looking forward to a
second meeting with the pompous king…
Suddenly they awoke from their peaceful sleep. What had
awakened them—all at the same time? A dream—a strange but
vivid dream. In each of their dreams an angel stood before
them. What he said shocked them. "You must not go back to
Herod to tell him of your finding the Christ Child. You must
return home to your own country another way. That wicked king
does not want to worship Christ. He wants to kill Him."
Matthew 2:13. "And when they
were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to
Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and
his mother and flee into Egypt."
Historical setting:
Time: About 4 B.C. (dates
vary, according to different records)
Place:
Bethlehem to Egypt
Persons: Mary and Joseph and Baby
Jesus
Scripture: Matthew 2:13 - 18
Jesus' family had had an exciting day. Their
visit with the wise and wealthy men from the East had left
them with the feeling of exhilaration, but now they were
exhausted. The lavish gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
were tucked safely away. Mary had settled Jesus into His cozy
bed, and had crawled into her own bed. Joseph went about his
nightly routine of seeing that the house was in order, and
then fell into bed beside his wife. All was peaceful and
quiet. Sleep would be a welcome respite for him. He fell
asleep immediately.
Suddenly he sat bolt upright. An angel stood before him.
"Arise, and take the young child and his
mother and flee into Egypt," the angel shouted. At
least to Joseph it had seemed like a shout. But after all that
had transpired the last few years of his life, he did not
question the angel's message. He immediately got out of bed
and lit a candle. Careful not to startle his exhausted wife,
Joseph shook her gently and whispered to her about his dream,
and about the message that the angel had given him: "Herod will seek the young Child to destroy
Him."
While Mary crept silently around their little house,
gathering their few possessions, Joseph went out to prepare
the donkey for their flight. When all was ready Mary eased the
sleeping Jesus from His bed, carrying Him in her arms to the
waiting donkey. Slowly and as silently as possible--they
didn't want to wake up the neighbors--Joseph led the donkey,
carrying his precious cargo, out of Bethlehem. As they headed
for the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, to the town of
Ashkelon, dawn began to awaken the sleepy countryside. Joseph
had no specific destination in mind, other than to the land of
Egypt, where he would be safe from the wrath of King Herod.
Herod waited a few days for the Eastern philosophers to
return to him to let him know where this so-called King of the
Jews was living. Oh why hadn't he sent his own scouts out to
follow those men from the East? He knew he shouldn't have
trusted them—Gentile foreigners. What was taking them so long
to return to him? Surely by now they should have been back.
Something was fishy… What was it that his council had said
about this imposter King? Where did they say He had been born?
Was it Bethlehem? He called his council to his court,
inquiring any specifics they may have gathered about the
incident. "Why haven't I been kept informed?" he shouted at
the scribes.
While his counsel men stood cringing before him in his
court, the king paced up and down, fuming like a wild bull,
while calculating in his mind the time lapse of when the
Imposter's birth may have taken place, the distance between
Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and how long it had been since the
visit from Easterners. The more he thought the more he
seethed. He would NOT be made the laughing stock of his
kingdom. He would get RID of this young upstart. He turned to
his so-called advisors and bellowed: "Get together your most
murderous men and go throughout all of Bethlehem and the
surrounding areas and destroy every male children from age two
and down. Don't let any of them escape, or it will be upon
your heads. Now get out of my court. I don't want to see any
of you until you come to tell me that my orders have been
carried out."
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for
her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no
more."
This was no new thing from this tyrannous despot. During
his reign of terror many of his subjects had been killed, so
what were a few more babies? His fiendish will had been
carried out. The great Herod had prevailed… But soon Herod
would harvest the punishment for his wickedness toward those
under his reign and toward God. In the meantime God had His
hand on His Son, the King of kings. He was out of the clutches
of this wicked king. He was safe in Egypt.
* * *
Content in the knowledge that
God would shield them, Joseph and Mary's life settled down to
a daily routine: for Joseph, finding ways to provide for his
family; for Mary, caring for her Son; for Jesus, growing as
children grow.
Then one night as Joseph slept, he had another dream-visit
from the angel: "Arise, take the young
Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those
who sought the young Child's life are dead." So!
That wicked king was dead. Joseph felt some small relief. He
could return his family to their homeland.
This time there was no urgency. There was no need to awaken
his family from their sleep. Joseph got out of bed and
gathered together their possessions, preparing for the
family's trip back to the land of Israel. The angel had not
given him any further particulars as to where in Israel he was
to go, but Joseph was used to listening for God's direction.
As soon as it was daylight the family began their long and
tedious, but less tense, trip back to Israel. But as he came
into the borders of Palestine, he heard some disturbing news.
The ruler of Judea was no other than Herod's son, Archelaus.
Like his father, he was cruel and violent. Joseph was fearful
of going into that area.
Once more Joseph had a dream. Once more he had a visit by
the angel who warned him not to go into Judea, but to stick to
the coast, into the region of Galilee. So Joseph followed the
angel's directions and came to settle in Nazareth, the very
town from which he had originally come. With a feeling of
relief, he could settle down and resume his carpentry trade.
Nazareth, the little city on a hillside, was eleven hundred
feet above the sea, a secluded spot, perfect for bringing up
his family. And Joseph and Mary's family grew in number.
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© Helen Dowd Continue
with Study 9 - Lost and Found
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