December 4th – Matthew 2:13-23
Spend some time meditating on how God works all things for good. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God.
- Request God’s help.
- Read Matthew 2:13-23
- Record a verse that stands out to you.
- Respond to God.
Please spend as much time as you need with these verses. (It’s the most important part!) Then, come back and read the commentary when you’re done…
Right after the Magi departed, Joseph had another dream. This time, it was a warning from an angel of the Lord to flee Bethlehem because Herod was looking to kill Jesus. God told Joseph where to go and why he had to leave. Once again, Joseph immediately obeyed. In doing so, Joseph saved Jesus’ life, and God fulfilled another prophecy. Jeremiah 31:15 says, “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.”
The following passage is hard to read. It’s a Hitler kind of evil––the mass murder of baby boys in and around the town of Bethlehem. All boys two years of age and younger were ripped from their mother’s arms and murdered. Can you imagine the trauma and confusion, all the while not knowing why it was happening? But the battle was a spiritual one. An evil king, threatened by the thought of being usurped, tried to wipe out his enemy (a baby) by murdering hundreds of children.
How have you struggled with accepting God’s good purpose in tragedy?
My Verse: Matthew 2:16 “When 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, by the time he had learned from the Magi” (NIV).
My Response: God sometimes allows injustice, but He is still just. Herod and Hitler alike will be judged. But, for the believer, all things work for their good. In this case, Jesus was the only living male His age who survived the massacre in Bethlehem. I imagine this must have been one of the stumbling blocks to believing Jesus was the Messiah. After all, the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), but how could Jesus come from Bethlehem when all the baby boys his age were murdered by Herod?
Consequently, it may seem impossible. But Jesus was also called out of Egypt, and He was a Nazarene. As you can see, fulfilled prophecy is a large part of Matthew. Ultimately, Matthew created an arrow made from simple words and pointed it right at Jesus–a neon sign that says, “This is the Messiah!”
Father, thank you for Your clear signs. We do not have to guess because we have Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Jesus was and is the Messiah, God with us. Amen
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My verse: Matthew 2:14 “That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother.
” I can’t imagine Ray waking me up in the middle of the night and telling me to pack quickly because we were Right Now moving to another country. How frightening it must have been for Mary and Joseph! And so disorienting when they already were living in a disorienting world. Thank You, Lord, for this beautiful couple who said “yes” to You over and over … even when it was very, very hard. Help me to be more like them.