Matthew 2:13-15 13Now after they went away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, “After arising, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and be there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.” 14And he after arising he took the child and his mother in the night and went away to Egypt, 15and he was there until the end of Herod. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
The story of the birth of the king takes an interesting twist. A conflict still exists in the plot structure with the unresolved paranoia of King Herod. The magi disappear from the story, having come to do what they had planned. The story now focuses in on Joseph, who had responsibility for the infant Jesus. There is no record that Joseph and Mary know about King Herod’s plan. It is possible that the magi had shared their dream from verse 12, but there is no way to know this.
The Lord God intervened in the situation by sending an angelic messenger to warn Joseph about the situation. This is the second dream Joseph had about the child. These so-called dreams were likely more vivid visions in the night than the fuzzy dreams we have at night that awaken us and we cannot remember them. The angel gives Joseph specific directions about the need to take Jesus and mother Mary to Egypt. The big problem was that King Herod wanted to destroy Jesus. The use of the word destroy (apolesai) gives a vivid image of attempting to end and demolish completely any potential influence of this so-called king of the Jews. The sad extent that Herod went with his plan is described in verses 16-18.
Joseph obeyed immediately, as soon as the vision was over, while it was still night. To flee from Bethlehem to Egypt was a long and difficult journey. Joseph was a man of faith by leaving in the night and likely not having a known place to go. Some people have suggested that the gifts of the magi is what sustained the family in Egypt. Joseph, as a skilled laborer, could also have found work during that time. Matthew is not concerned with knowing or recounting these details. His focus is on the actions of those around the child. Joseph was obedient to the heavenly vision. His final statement shows that all of these events were in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy with the quotation from Hosea 11:1. Once the threat of Herod was removed, the family returned to the land of Israel, ending up in the small village of Nazareth, the hometown of Joseph and Mary. God was orchestrating all of these events and used the willing and obedient man of faith, Joseph.
For older posts, click here.