December 19, 2017 – Matthew 2:13

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13.

This one verse gives us the extent God goes to protect His own.  He sent an angel to prepare Joseph, a descendant of the King David, for accepting Mary as His wife, and become a protector for the woman who would bear the Son of God, Jesus.

When the Wisemen from the Orient, worshiped Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh left, they did not return to Herod. Herod, protecting his throne and power, wished to destroy Jesus.  Again an Angel of the Lord visited Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt to protect the Christ Child.

That same night, Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Joseph did not hesitate, make excuses to postpone the trip until morning. He listened and obeyed immediately the Angel of the Lord.  Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  Psalm 103:20. 

The appearance of Angels are recorded 282 times in the Bible, with Revelation having the highest number with 75.  Luke talks about angel visits 24 times.  In this day and age of vocal distractions and cynicism, how do we know we are hearing truth?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6.  Only through Jesus, following and listening Him through His Word, will we know the truth in this world of deceit and sin.  This same Jesus, who died to make a way for us to see the glory of God, is our truth.  We pray this scripture  in Psalm 86:11 – Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. Matthew 2:14.