Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.” Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

“A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,
WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,
RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;
AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,
BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2.13-23

If we are honest most of us are already on the run this Christmas trying to balance shopping for the “perfect gifts”, going to office parties along with managing our everyday routine. In this text we see Joseph and Mary being on the run as well in a different way. After a visit from the Magi, Joseph was warned by an angel of the Lord to take Mary and Jesus to flee to Egypt in order to protect baby Jesus from King Herod as he was searching for the Child to kill Him. Joseph obeyed and began the journey to Egypt in order to protect his family.

There is no doubt that most of us would not need a lot of prodding to get up and move if we felt like we needed to protect any of our family from danger, but there are a few things we can learn from Joseph and Mary’s reaction. First, we see the virtue of obedience. The angel commands and the couple goes. We are reminded that prompt obedience finds favor with God. Next, we see the virtue of trust. It is one thing to blindly obey, it is another to obey the One in whom you trust.

Hoping and praying as we are on the run this season that we will remember to trust and obey the Lord with all our heart and that we will find Him worthy of it!

Weekly Memory Verse: O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8