Matthew 2:1-12
This is the kind of reception we would expect a royal birth to receive. Most children don't get gold as a present. Also, they tend to not get foreign dignitaries visiting them at home. However, this small token of respect, almost the only respect given at birth, was very costly.
In verse 11 we see the wise men visiting Jesus in a house. Notice this isn't a stable. It appears that Joseph had decided to settle in Bethlehem. This makes sense, seeing as Jesus was to fulfill the Davidic promise. Receiving no further instruction, he simply stayed put. Judea was the only land that the Jewish people of that time considered to be honorable. Samaria to the north, and Galilee further north yet were considered Gentile and reprehensible. If you were put in charge of raising the King of the world, where would you want to raise Him?
Something that is a sad statement of the lack of honor Jesus received upon entering our world is that the wise men came to the royal city, most likely expecting it to be a flurry of activity since the King was born, but instead find that no one has a clue what is going on. What they do accomplish is to find the Messianic prophecies telling them where they could find the King. And they alert Herod.
Matthew 2:13-15
Egypt has frequently been a shelter for Abraham and his descendants. Abraham went there. Jacob, renamed Israel, went there as well as all of the Israelites. Later, many of the people that were left in Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity went to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians. Even though it is a place of idolatry and sin, God is still able to use it for His glory.
Matthew 2:16-18
Now we see the consequence of the little respect that was shown to Jesus as an infant. Herod was only acting out of jealousy. He was approximately 70 at this time, and most likely would be dead before any king would pose a threat, as it would most likely come when the child was 20 or older, according to conventional wisdom. And he certainly wasn't acting on behalf of his sons, since he had three killed during his lifetime. So what it really came down to was jealousy and pride. I am guilty of the same things.
I frequently would be willing to kill the plan of God for my own pride and jealous nature. I would rather do what would bring more glory to me than what would bring glory to God. I care more about myself than I ever should. As I mention in a previous post, it all comes down to heart idols. The largest one for me is the idol of pride. I don't want to look dumb. I want to appear to have it all together. I want to have people amazed at my knowledge and what I am capable of doing. Nearly all of the sinful behavior in my life can be traced back to pride.
It is sad that many infants were killed just to make sure that Christ was dead, but one thing can be sure; because he lived and later died, all of those infants were able to go to Heaven. Jesus' sacrifice didn't just allow those of us that lived after Him to go to Heaven, it allowed the faithful before Him also.
Matthew 2:19-23
Once again, we see Joseph doing exactly as he is instructed. He quickly arose and took Jesus and Mary out of Egypt. I see a couple examples I need to follow in this short passage:
- When God commands, I follow immediately
- God may not always give every explicit step for me to take, but He will give guidelines and trust me to make the best decision
- If I prove myself faithful, God will continue to give direction to me
One thing I love about Matthew is that it was written to primarily the Jews. Because of this, he would frequently point out where Jesus fulfilled scripture. We see it multiple times in this chapter. While there are many faiths in the world, only was has been proven by prophecy time and time again. Christianity is a faith rooted in history, able to be proven by archeology, never dis-proven. What a glorious God we serve!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am not deserving of the sacrifices made by others for our faith. You, in Your mercy have taken extraordinary measures to save sinful humanity. When You came into this world, we neither received You nor praised You as you deserved. Your creation does not deserve such a loving and wonderful God.
Lord, I desire to obey like Joseph did, and not have the foolish idol of pride like Herod. I am more like Herod than Joseph. Please forgive me for not putting You first in my life, but putting my selfish pride on a pedestal and worshiping it by showing You that it was more important to me.
You are the greatest love in this universe, and I thank you for the sacrifice you gave on my behalf. Amen.
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