The Great Escape! Matthew 2:13-18

 The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

You can hear urgency in Herod's voice.  What Herod was going to do, he was going to do quickly.  It was not strange that the angel would direct Joseph to go to Egypt.  

“Egypt was a natural place to which to flee. It was nearby, a well-ordered Roman province outside Herod’s jurisdiction; and, according to Philo (writing circa A.D. 40), its population included about a million Jews.” (Carson)

With all that has already gone on, one can only imagine how frazzled Joseph's nerves must have been.  

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

We don't hear much about Mary's response, but given what we know in Luke's version and her knowledge of Jesus' calling, I am sure she was glad to be led by such a strong husband.  The prophet referred to is the prophet Hosea, who said these words, "Out of Egypt I will call my son."  Though originally it applied to God's calling Israel out of Egypt, it now applies to the Son of God.  

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Two years suggests that the Magi had left two years ago, though Herod might have added time just becaue he was so brutal.  Since we know King Herod died in 4 B.C. it leads us to believe Jesus was born sometime around 6 B.C. though we can't be exact.  

Especially in his last years Herod was cruel and suspicious. When he knew that his death was approaching, Herod had many Jewish leaders of Jerusalem arrested on false charges. He ordered that as soon as he died, they should all be killed – he knew well no one would mourn his own death, so he was determined that some tears be shed when he died. (Guzik)

17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

“This prophecy was literally fulfilled when Judah was carried into captivity; there was then a great mourning in the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, for their children that were slain and carried away into captivity. It was now fulfilled, that is, verified, a second time.” (Poole)'

Ramah was a place where the Israelites were held, as they were deported to Babylon by King Nebuchandezer in 586 B.C.  Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, her husband being Jacob.  Rachel was buried a half mile outside of Bethlehem and her mourning is spoken of here metaphorically.  

Bottom line is that although Herod did everything in his power to kill the baby Jesus, God used an angel to thwart his plans.  We also see Joseph's continued obedience and his role in the story of our Savior.  

Have you ever had to obey God even when it didn't seem to make sense, or you didn't know how it would affect your life?  Obeying God is at the heart of our relationship with Him.  Why?  Because it shows our trust in him.  When we obey God, we see that he wants to protect us, and he rewards those who obey him. 

In this case the Son of God was protected for the time being.  Later in his life another cruel leader will bring the Son of God to a cross in Jerusalem.  But this was part of God's plan to save the world and He allowed it to happen.