Matthew 2:19-21 19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20“After getting up, take the child and his mother and go into the land of Israel; for those who were seeking the life of the child are dead.” 21So after getting up, he took the child and his mother and went into the land of Israel.
The story takes another turn with the death of the adversary and antagonist in the plot. Matthew as the story teller begins to bring the birth narrative to a close by resolving some of the unanswered questions and difficult conflicts. This is the third mention of Joseph having a dream. He was similar to his name sake in Genesis who also had dreams from the Lord. This dream had further instructions for Joseph as the primary caregiver and protector of Jesus and Mary. He was responsible for the safety of the young child. There is not definite time indicator that would give us a clue about the age of Jesus at this time. It is also a mystery about what the family did in Egypt and where they lived. A more important factor in these verses is God’s sovereign care of the family and Joseph’s obedience to the angelic dream. The angel uses the plural for those who were seeking, so Herod was not the only problem but probably the main opponent.
Joseph was obedient to the Lord’s direction through the unnamed angel. His faith must have grown over the years as he saw God’s protection and provision for the family. I wish the Bible recorded more about this man of faith. What little we know is significant. He provides a good role model of a caring father and faithful follower of God. It must have taken a lot of trust to travel so far, find a place to live, the means to survive, and be protective of the family in a foreign land. There are interesting parallels between Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, and Joseph, the son of Jacob. In both stories, we can see God’s protection and purpose through those who obediently followed God’s leading.
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