Matthew Chapter 2:1-23
#5: There are four places in this passage of scripture where Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecies.
Place 1: (V5-6) Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This is significant for a few reasons one it fulfills the prophecy that told us the Messiah would be born there and secondly it was the birthplace of another great king, King David. David was born a shepherd of sheep but he would grow up to be the Shepherd of Israel (2 Sam 5:2) when he became the king. Like David, the Messiah would also be a shepherd from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4).
Place 2: (V15) Joseph takes Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to flee Herod. This refers to the prophecy that states that God's son will come out of Egypt (Hos 11:1).
Place 3: (V18) In an attempt to kill the new King of the Jews Herod demands that every male child in and around Bethlehem under the age of two be put to death. This prophecy comes from (Jer 31:15).
Place 4: (V23) After the death of Herod, Joseph is called upon to lead his young family back to Israel. After the death of Herod, the Roman empire split his kingdom in two. They gave half of his lands to Archelaus and the other half to Antipas was given the other half. Joseph feared Archelaus who ruled over the lands of Judea so he settled in the land of Galilee in a town called Nazareth. Little did he know this choice was, of course, the correct one because it fulfilled the prophecy that stated "He will be called a Nazarene" (Isa 11:1).
#4: The Wise men are often seen or portrayed as kings (think of the "we three kings" song). The fact that they saw this particular star and noticed that it was different from other stars shows us that they were probably more like astrologers. It's also interesting to note that they had a decent knowledge of the Old Testament because they knew the star was leading to the Messiah ( Numbers 24:17). They probably lived in an area that was highly populated by Jewish followers, which would have exposed them to the Old Testament quite frequently.
#3: The three wise men were also Gentiles. This is important because it foreshadows the coming story. These men who were not Jewish and had no reason to worship the Messiah traveled a great distance to worship the Jewish Messiah while the Jewish leaders who should be worshiping him are actually out to destroy Him. This theme will be echoed throughout the rest of the Gospels as many more Gentiles will come to worship and follow the Messiah as Jewish teachers, leaders, and Pharisees seek to oppose Him.
#2: Like I mentioned yesterday in the chapter 1 post, Joseph was a man of tremendous faith. Once again he is called upon to do some pretty crazy things and he rises to the occasion without hesitation. I realize at this point he has seen the promises of God fulfilled and he has been visited by Angles on multiple occasions but still he acts without question and that is really cool to see. Think of how difficult that must have been, you just had a baby in a stable. You are leading a very young family with an infant and the Lord calls up and say "Yeah I need you to uproot your whole life and move to Egypt. I'm no geography nerd but I am sure that was not a short trip by donkey! But like a champ Joseph packs up his family and their belongings and moves away. And wouldn't you know it once they get settled into their nice new place in Egypt, God calls again and says " Joseph its time to move again". Once again without a question, he packs up and moves. My hope is that I too can be more like Joseph and I hope that God calls on me, that I will pack up and move without question.
#1: After re-reading this passage I picked up on something that was kind of neat. In verse 22 we see that God called Joseph and his family back to the land of Israel. Joesph fulfills this request but I noticed that he doesn't go back to the land of Judea. He chooses not to return there because he is afraid of Herod's son. He chooses instead to relocated to the land of Nazareth. The cool thing about this is that his fear and uncertainty actually turned out to be the right choice. I don't believe that this was a random occurrence. I think it was God controlled occurrence. I think it is very encouraging that God can take our fears and anxiety and use it to fulfill His mission. He can take our choices and do great things with them. It doesn't matter how dumb, silly, or bad the choices we make are, He can always use them for his greater mission. He is a powerful and wonderful God and this is just one example of how he can work in our lives.
Place 1: (V5-6) Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This is significant for a few reasons one it fulfills the prophecy that told us the Messiah would be born there and secondly it was the birthplace of another great king, King David. David was born a shepherd of sheep but he would grow up to be the Shepherd of Israel (2 Sam 5:2) when he became the king. Like David, the Messiah would also be a shepherd from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4).
Place 2: (V15) Joseph takes Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to flee Herod. This refers to the prophecy that states that God's son will come out of Egypt (Hos 11:1).
Place 3: (V18) In an attempt to kill the new King of the Jews Herod demands that every male child in and around Bethlehem under the age of two be put to death. This prophecy comes from (Jer 31:15).
Place 4: (V23) After the death of Herod, Joseph is called upon to lead his young family back to Israel. After the death of Herod, the Roman empire split his kingdom in two. They gave half of his lands to Archelaus and the other half to Antipas was given the other half. Joseph feared Archelaus who ruled over the lands of Judea so he settled in the land of Galilee in a town called Nazareth. Little did he know this choice was, of course, the correct one because it fulfilled the prophecy that stated "He will be called a Nazarene" (Isa 11:1).
#4: The Wise men are often seen or portrayed as kings (think of the "we three kings" song). The fact that they saw this particular star and noticed that it was different from other stars shows us that they were probably more like astrologers. It's also interesting to note that they had a decent knowledge of the Old Testament because they knew the star was leading to the Messiah ( Numbers 24:17). They probably lived in an area that was highly populated by Jewish followers, which would have exposed them to the Old Testament quite frequently.
#3: The three wise men were also Gentiles. This is important because it foreshadows the coming story. These men who were not Jewish and had no reason to worship the Messiah traveled a great distance to worship the Jewish Messiah while the Jewish leaders who should be worshiping him are actually out to destroy Him. This theme will be echoed throughout the rest of the Gospels as many more Gentiles will come to worship and follow the Messiah as Jewish teachers, leaders, and Pharisees seek to oppose Him.
#2: Like I mentioned yesterday in the chapter 1 post, Joseph was a man of tremendous faith. Once again he is called upon to do some pretty crazy things and he rises to the occasion without hesitation. I realize at this point he has seen the promises of God fulfilled and he has been visited by Angles on multiple occasions but still he acts without question and that is really cool to see. Think of how difficult that must have been, you just had a baby in a stable. You are leading a very young family with an infant and the Lord calls up and say "Yeah I need you to uproot your whole life and move to Egypt. I'm no geography nerd but I am sure that was not a short trip by donkey! But like a champ Joseph packs up his family and their belongings and moves away. And wouldn't you know it once they get settled into their nice new place in Egypt, God calls again and says " Joseph its time to move again". Once again without a question, he packs up and moves. My hope is that I too can be more like Joseph and I hope that God calls on me, that I will pack up and move without question.
#1: After re-reading this passage I picked up on something that was kind of neat. In verse 22 we see that God called Joseph and his family back to the land of Israel. Joesph fulfills this request but I noticed that he doesn't go back to the land of Judea. He chooses not to return there because he is afraid of Herod's son. He chooses instead to relocated to the land of Nazareth. The cool thing about this is that his fear and uncertainty actually turned out to be the right choice. I don't believe that this was a random occurrence. I think it was God controlled occurrence. I think it is very encouraging that God can take our fears and anxiety and use it to fulfill His mission. He can take our choices and do great things with them. It doesn't matter how dumb, silly, or bad the choices we make are, He can always use them for his greater mission. He is a powerful and wonderful God and this is just one example of how he can work in our lives.
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