Too Many Herods, Not Enough Josephs
“And when they were departed, behold, an angel of the LORD appeared 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.” Matthew 2:13
There are several occasions in scripture where God conveys messages and warnings to His people through dreams. Joseph had already experienced one revelation, the birth of Jesus, through a dream, and I’m sure he was very attentive to his dreams after hearing from the LORD. Joseph was a man who most likely paid little attention to politics and politicians. If so, he probably had no idea how much danger his family was in. He was alerted to the danger in a dream in which he was told to take Jesus and Mary and flee into Egypt.
King Herod was on the rampage and sought to kill Jesus because he saw Him as a threat to his royal position. So here we have a young Child, likely two years of age or less, who is already experiencing persecution. But why Egypt, a land of idolatry and hatred for the Jews? We can speculate that Herod’s men would not cross the border into Egypt, and therefore Jesus and His parents would be relatively safe there, living in anonymity until such time that God opened the door to return to Israel. The choice of a safe haven was also a fulfillment of prophecy: “When Israel was a Child, then I loved Him, and called My Son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1).
The wise men, who had visited and worshipped Jesus, were also warned in a dream not to return to Herod. He had requested that they let him know where to find Jesus so that he could go and “worship” Him, but when they didn’t return to him, he became enraged, taking his anger out on the people of Bethlehem and surrounding areas, ordering all children tw0 years old and under to be killed. He felt threatened by a Toddler, but people who live as tyrants always have to watch their backs because they can never really trust anyone. I can’t imagine the horror that those in Bethlehem endured because of such a brutal and evil man. Herod had one of his wives, his favorite, and her two brothers killed. On his deathbed he ordered his own son to be slain. He also ordered that, upon his death, an arena full of men were to be killed so that there would be a great outpouring of grief because he knew no one would grieve for him. Thanks be to God that order was never carried out (Unger’s Bible Dictionary).
After Herod’s death, Joseph had another dream which gave him instructions to return to Israel. When Joseph heard that Herod’s son was now ruling over Jerusalem, God sent another dream which led him and his family to Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus remained in Nazareth until He began His ministry around the age of 30.
In this world we have too many Herods, men and women who act as though they are gods, desiring privilege, position, and prosperity, always wanting what they want when they want it. They don’t care who they hurt in order to have their way. They have no regard for God nor for His people. Some of them even claim to be Christians, but one would never suspect it judging by their arrogance, insolence, and their disregard for what is godly and holy. On the other hand, we need more Josephs, men and women who will listen to the Lord and obey Him no matter the cost. Joseph was a very honorable man. He knew that he was not Jesus’ actual father, but was diligent in his protection of and care for this Little One who would one day become the Savior of mankind.
I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your families, food, and fun, but remember what we are truly celebrating.