Jesus’s birth and young life were full of danger because of king Herod. He knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem because of his scribes and therefore wanted him exterminated before he took his throne. Thankfully an angel warned Joseph about this, and the family moved to Egypt until Herod died. All this is written in Matthew, chapter 2. It reads, “and being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matthew 2:12-15) God does work in mysterious ways. He acts in His own time, but like with Jesus, he rescues us in times of danger. The Lord is our shelter in the storms of life.
That prophesy mentioned comes from Hosea, chapter 11. It reads, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1) This speaks of Jesus going into Egypt, which he fulfilled. It was at this time that Herod commanded his soldiers to do the unthinkable. To kill every child that was two years and under in Bethlehem and other coasts around it. Then, he could know for sure that the Christ child was killed. It is written, “then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, in Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.” (Matthew 2:16-18) What happened here is as bad as abortion. I can just imagine all the tears shed on this dreary day in history. I just hope that one day that the killings in abortion will also cease. Amen.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that we will remember You not only in this time during the Christmas season, but every day of our lives. There is only one God who saves and I am so grateful that You have come into my life to save me. Who am I among the billions of people on this earth? Surely, You have called me out from the darkness and into Your light. I love Your ways, God. Your wise counsel breaths new life into my soul. Living for You makes me so happy. There is joy in my life that cannot be explained by mere feelings. You are so good to me, God. I just pray that I may be a light to my family, friends, and co-workers, who are around me most of the time. How can I say I love You and make people believe that I am just like everyone else while with people? I would be such a hypocrite to go out with co-workers to bars after work, when I should be letting them know why getting drunk is wrong. Lord, so often do people fear the worst and open their mouths because of this. They think that if they say something about their beliefs, that they will be looked down upon or even lose their job over time. This is so sad, and I promise to never compromise my beliefs for anything this world offers me. I love You more. Amen.
