Matthew 2:13…….Ready

Matthew 2:13…….Ready

When they had gone, (Magi’s departure back to their own country. That Joseph’s escape and the Magi’s departure occurred on the same night.) an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” (make haste, run, flee) he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. (Egypt would take them safely outside of Herod’s jurisdiction.) Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Continued From Book

“Displays God’s divine intervention, assuring our safety and survival. God assures survival, not freedom from troubles.” ⇒ God did not miraculously deliver the holy family from difficulties – Joseph and Mary faced a lot of difficulties on their path even as they sought to obey God.  Think about it, Mary and Joseph were the mother and adopted father of God’s own Son. If God ever desired to protect a family from difficulties and hardships, one would think that He would want His own Son’s family to have an easy life. But He didn’t choose an easy life for Jesus. Nor will He chose one for us?

“Teaches how God often warns us beforehand of the dangers that are lurking even before we see it.” ⇒ Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense because there doesn’t seem to be any danger, but afterward the behavior of such a person becomes clear. Remember that Herod had done nothing to tip anyone off as to his intentions, only after he discovered that the Magi didn’t return, he killed every boy that had been born in Bethlehem who was under two years of age.

“Teaches when God commands us to flee from something know it’s for our own good.” ⇒ When God tells us to flee sin, that’s for our good. When God tells us to flee drugs and alcohol, that’s for our own good. When He tells us to flee the desires of the flesh, that’s for our own good. When He tells us to flee ungodly relationships, that’s for our own good. When Joseph was tempted to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife-(Gen. 39:12) he ran outside and fled! It might sound extreme, but if you want to keep from sinning, you must be willing to do whatever it takes.

“Calls for staying faithful to God no matter the costs.” ⇒ For Joseph it meant becoming a fugitive from justice. It meant a long and grueling journey with many dangers; robbers, wild animals, snakes, scorpions, exhaustion, just to name a few.

“Teaches how following divine directives means relying what God provides and then doing the hard work of faithfulness and obedience.” ⇒ Though God’s commands are given supernaturally, the means and methods are often marked by no special intervention or provision. God leaves it to us to fill in the blanks, the details, of how to get from where we are to where He wants us to be. Also note whatever can be accomplished by ordinary means should be done. Or do you presume upon God expecting Him to do everything at no cost or involvement from you? Or do you prescribe the time, manner, and place for God’s help?

“Teaches just as Joseph & Marry were in the will of God and found themselves objects of Herod’s wrath . So to for us, we can be doing God’s work and still find ourselves objects of hostility and hate.”……..(To be Continued)

“Calls for staying faithful to God no matter the costs.” ⇒ In Joseph’s case that meant becoming a fugitive from justice. It meant a long and grueling journey with many dangers; robbers, wild animals, snakes, scorpions, exhaustion, fatigue, just to name a few. Not to mention a upset wife, angry about having to make such a journey with a young child, and the fact that they were returning to the land where they were once enslaved. Where a similar slaughter of Hebrew boys had taken place 1400 years earlier. Or what Joseph must have endured in taking a two year old over 300 miles through the desert. Would we be able to leave our jobs, our homes, our family, our friends, our security structure and flee to a foreign land at a moment’s notice? Or would we put other priorities first, would we set conditions on God’s call first before we would follow and obey?

“Teaches how God never promised us an easy road without hardships and difficulties. For Mary it meant taking a difficult journey across a hot and dangerous desert!” ⇒ Although the hardships and trials of life do not immediately vanish, our stress and hopeless anticipations do. Often the difficult tasks that we undertake in life have the greatest reward. We often achieve little because we only undertake the easy route. Will you obey God even in the face of difficult circumstances and bitter hardship?

“Calls for a faith that is willing to pick up and move on a moments notice. Sometimes following God requires a huge move!” ⇒ When God asks you to strike out into uncharted territory and accomplish something new and difficult, it can be challenging to bring your will into compliance with what He is asking you to do. Your mind will try to argue as if it knows best, and your flesh will try to drag its feet every step of the way. In these moments, you are faced with a defining moment in your life when you must place your trust in God’s plan for your life and obey Him unconditionally. I know this struggle intimately from experiences in my own life. I knew God had something truly wonderful in store for me, but my flesh didn’t relish the idea. Each night as I lay in bed, my mind would bombard me with a stream of negative thoughts of doubt and unbelief. My flesh would tell me, this is the stupidest thing you could ever do in your life. If you really go through with this absurd notion, you will lose everything you have and never recover. I remember asking God, “Are You really asking me to do this?”How about you, have you ever encountered a situation where God asked something of you, and you felt like it was asking too much? What if God asked you to uproot your whole family, move from your home, your church, your job, your career, your friends, your support structure, your whole life, to do mission work in a far away country? For most people this would be extreme cases. But there can be many different degrees of things that God can ask us to do. Things that could be difficult, and possibly even painful. Would you have the simple faith, that if God wanted you to do it, then it had to be done?      

Additional Notes & Applications

Teaches those who are open to the plan of God for their lives will find His daily protection.

Calls for remaining faithful to God in whatever situation He sends us into. We do not always live on the “mountain top”. There are times we go through valleys. There are valleys of depression, of indecision, of lost focus, of deep questioning. But God’s plan is never to leave us in the valley. He uses them to lead us into greater glory, into greater service, into stronger anointing, into larger influence, into deeper relationship with Him.  Will you persevere through the Egypt experience. Just wait ‘till you see what is on the other side!

Teaches how in this life there are times when the wise thing to do is to flee the evil in the world then try to fight it! (Know that its best to flee in times of danger, that you may fight another day!)

Teaches how God protects those who are doing His will by warning them of the evil motives and plans of others. There are times that God will reveal to us a persons real intentions or give us a sense of their true character and nature.

Teaches how God works His will despite the opposition of sinful people. Earthly kings like Herod may try to circumvent the divine purpose, but in the end they are always defeated.

Displays how often times we don’t realize we’re being used by others, thinking that because were living a godly & honest life, others will be honest as well and do the right thing. (The simplicity of heart and pleasing manners of believers can sometimes be a liability if not careful!) (cf. Matt. 10:16)

Warns how being innocent does not protect us from pain and peril, but rather the exact opposite, evil will often use our good nature to exploit us and destroy us!

Calls for trusting that God knows better than we do, that God sees the bigger picture and will help us to make wise and healthy decisions that will keep us out of harms way!

Teaches the importance of heeding God’s warnings. Just as Joseph believed the report of Herod’s plot, so to with us, that when God says something we’re involved in is going to harm and hurt us, we had better believe it and take action to turn from it. Or when God says there’s a coming judgment we had better believe it and be prepared!

Calls for a faith that is willing to pick up and move on a moments notice. Sometimes following God requires a huge move! Will you be willing to put off a career, or give up job security and income to do what God wants. Or move away from your family, friends, and support structures?

Calls for a faith that is willing to submit and follow God in all things. Will you obey God even in the face of difficult circumstances and bitter hardship? Or when God asks us to do things we don’t like, or work in places we don’t want to work, or live in places we don’t want to live?

Calls for having empathy and compassion for refuges who are seeking a new and better life. (Will you provide refuge and shelter for those who are lost and hurting that nobody else wants, giving them a place to heal and recover from a life of guilt, regret, failure, bondage, and addiction?)

Note: Though we are not told what Joseph & Mary did with Magi’s gifts, most assume they used it to finance their trip to Egypt. That God has a way of supplying for our financial needs even before there’s an apparent need for it! That what may not seem very useful or practical at the time, God will make use of it down the road in incredible ways we never imaged! (How often have you been in a situation and confronted with a need, only to realize God got there first and provided for you, even before you asked Him or realized your need?)

The safest place to be is where God leads you..

• A dream led Joseph to accept Mary

• A dream led the wise men to Jesus

• A dream led Wise Men to escape Herod’s wrath

• A dream led Joseph and His family to safety

(For more Applications get the whole Book) 

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