13. The escape to Egypt
– Matthew 2:13-18
Matthew 2:13 “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.”
God knew that Herod was going to search for Jesus and try to kill him. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David. Herod thought that Jesus would overthrow him and take his power away. He was afraid of the trouble that would arise and wanted Jesus to be killed. If God is in control of all things, why did he let Herod hunt Jesus? God is in control but he doesn’t control us. He lets us have freewill to make our own decisions. Still, God will protect us if we choose to follow him. God advised Joseph to go to Egypt in order to hide from Herod. There is evil in the world. But, God promises to protect and care for you. You do not have to be afraid.
Matthew 2:18 “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.”
Herod gave orders to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old. His greed for power resulted in the death of many children. There was great mourning across the region. Herod’s sin affected more than just himself. Sin has a way of hurting as many people as possible. Sin has a domino effect. It doesn’t just stop with you. Your sin may not harm others as evidently as Herod’s but nonetheless it does. Just because your sins are forgiven doesn’t mean that you should continue to sin. Do you really want to continue hurting those around you?
