Mat 2:13-16 | KingComments | STEP | Joseph receives from God – again in a dream ( ; ) – the command to flee to Egypt. He must remain there “until I tell you”. This is an important message for every believer. It means that he should only act when God says something. Here Joseph is still the person to whom God gives His commands. Joseph is obedient and immediately, the very same night, does what God has said to him. Thus the Lord Jesus, while He is still only a Baby, must already flee. Angels, who have announced His birth, do not form an escort to protect Him. He is here in humility. Never has He used His power to protect Himself from evil. He flees or He hides Himself. He does not take a special place here among the children of men, but shares in their general fate. He undergoes every humiliation, for He does not want His people to suffer anything without His sharing in it. Only when Herod has died does Joseph return. He does not challenge the danger. And when he returns, a prophetic word is fulfilled again. Again, we see how God uses the enemy to fulfil His Word. God knows how to link the actions of man and His own actions, which are so opposing to each other, to fulfil His plans. This is a great encouragement to all who belong to Him. The prophetic word is a quotation from Hosea. It is a word that Hosea has spoken in view of Israel and the calling of the people out of slavery in Egypt. God calls Israel “My son” ( ; ). Matthew now applies it to the Lord Jesus. This makes it clear that Christ wants to start His history on earth where His people started. He identifies Himself with them. But how different is His path from theirs. Where the people have failed in their calling as sons, Christ will answer perfectly to this calling. Thus in Isaiah 49 He becomes the true Servant and in John 15 the true Vine – positions in which Israel once was, but did not live in accordance with them. He is the true Israel. In a broader sense, He begins the history of the first man, that is of all mankind, anew. He does so as the second Man and as the last Adam ( ) in relationship with God. Herod is furious when he notices that he has been misled by the magi. In him we recognize the dragon that is looking for the male Child to devour it ( ). His hatred of the born King is expressed in a terrible massacre. Innocent children fall prey to the hatred directed against Christ. Here we see that the slightest connection with a Christ Who is present makes satan active in his hatred. The children of two years and younger are so similar to Him that they share in the fate that is being devised for Him. God does not prevent Herod from becoming a child murderer. All these young children are saved from growing up to later murder the Lord Jesus with the people. They are in heaven. With his massacre Herod fulfils a word from the prophet Jeremiah ( ). Great is the pain on account of the death of these children. The children are attributed to Rachel, the wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is inconsolable because of this loss. It seems everything is over. But it does not get out of hand with God. He holds His protective hand over Him through and in Whom all His promises to His people will be fulfilled. In the future, during the great tribulation, many who are connected with Him will also be killed and there will also be great mourning. Then the Lord Jesus will appear and bring salvation and lead His people into blessing.

‏ Matthew 2:13-16

Flee to Egypt

Joseph receives from God – again in a dream (Mt 2:13; Mt 1:20) – the command to flee to Egypt. He must remain there “until I tell you”. This is an important message for every believer. It means that he should only act when God says something. Here Joseph is still the person to whom God gives His commands.

Joseph is obedient and immediately, the very same night, does what God has said to him. Thus the Lord Jesus, while He is still only a Baby, must already flee. Angels, who have announced His birth, do not form an escort to protect Him. He is here in humility. Never has He used His power to protect Himself from evil. He flees or He hides Himself. He does not take a special place here among the children of men, but shares in their general fate. He undergoes every humiliation, for He does not want His people to suffer anything without His sharing in it.

Only when Herod has died does Joseph return. He does not challenge the danger. And when he returns, a prophetic word is fulfilled again. Again, we see how God uses the enemy to fulfil His Word. God knows how to link the actions of man and His own actions, which are so opposing to each other, to fulfil His plans. This is a great encouragement to all who belong to Him.

The prophetic word is a quotation from Hosea. It is a word that Hosea has spoken in view of Israel and the calling of the people out of slavery in Egypt. God calls Israel “My son” (Hos 11:1; Exo 4:22-23). Matthew now applies it to the Lord Jesus. This makes it clear that Christ wants to start His history on earth where His people started. He identifies Himself with them.

But how different is His path from theirs. Where the people have failed in their calling as sons, Christ will answer perfectly to this calling. Thus in Isaiah 49 He becomes the true Servant and in John 15 the true Vine – positions in which Israel once was, but did not live in accordance with them. He is the true Israel. In a broader sense, He begins the history of the first man, that is of all mankind, anew. He does so as the second Man and as the last Adam (1Cor 15:45-47) in relationship with God.

Herod is furious when he notices that he has been misled by the magi. In him we recognize the dragon that is looking for the male Child to devour it (Rev 12:3-5). His hatred of the born King is expressed in a terrible massacre. Innocent children fall prey to the hatred directed against Christ. Here we see that the slightest connection with a Christ Who is present makes satan active in his hatred. The children of two years and younger are so similar to Him that they share in the fate that is being devised for Him. God does not prevent Herod from becoming a child murderer. All these young children are saved from growing up to later murder the Lord Jesus with the people. They are in heaven.

With his massacre Herod fulfils a word from the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:15). Great is the pain on account of the death of these children. The children are attributed to Rachel, the wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is inconsolable because of this loss. It seems everything is over. But it does not get out of hand with God. He holds His protective hand over Him through and in Whom all His promises to His people will be fulfilled.

In the future, during the great tribulation, many who are connected with Him will also be killed and there will also be great mourning. Then the Lord Jesus will appear and bring salvation and lead His people into blessing.