Called Out Of Egypt

I invite you to turn with me this morning to Matthew chapter 2, the same chapter we had turned to last week's Sunday morning. This morning we'll read together verses 13 through the end of the chapter, verse 23, the text being verses 19 through 23. We had mentioned last Sunday morning that Matthew, written specifically, primarily for the Jews, of course, Matthew shows specifically how Jesus Christ, especially in these first two chapters, how He is the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation, how He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. And I had pointed out that we see that in Matthew 1, verse 23, where Matthew says the virgin will be with child, or quotes the angel as saying, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. Taken from Isaiah 7.14. And then with regard to the visit of the Magi, when Herod was searching for the place where the Christ child was to be born, Matthew quotes from Micah 5.2 and in verse 6 of chapter 2, But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. and then we considered both our Lord's escape to Egypt and also the massacre of the boys of Bethlehem and with regard to the escape Matthew quotes from Hosea chapter 11 verse 1 when he says in verse 15 of Matthew 2 out of Egypt I called my son and then with regard to the murder of the Bethlehem boys he quotes from Jeremiah chapter 31 saying, A voice is heard in Ramah weeping in great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more. And then now this morning we turn to this last section, the return to Nazareth, which again Matthew points out as the fulfillment of prophecy. And I believe that especially in these first two chapters as Matthew is setting up his letter, his teaching for the Jews, he is reminding us of what we just have sung. thy love to me. God's love to His Son in preserving His Son as an infant child. Then ultimately, God's love for His people. So beginning at verse 13, hear now the Word of God. 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. So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt 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. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious and he gave orders to kill all the boys of Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled. 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. After Herod died, 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 to the land of Israel. For those who were trying to take the child's life are dead. So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, he will be called a Nazarene. May God this morning add His blessing grant His blessing to the reading and consideration of His Word. Beloved, in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we know, when Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child were told to escape to Egypt, the angel said, Stay there until I tell you. As we mentioned last week, Sunday morning, a promise indeed that God would speak to them again. And it also implied in those words a promise that Herod's plot to kill the true king of the Jews would fail. It must fail. It couldn't be any other way. It wouldn't be any other way. And not only is that what really happened, but Matthew wants his Jewish audience to understand that. And as we have said, he wants his audience to understand that this child is the Messiah that they had been looking and waiting for for so very long. So in essence, he is saying, look no further. Wait no longer. And also, as we have tried to show, Matthew shows throughout these first two chapters how God providentially and extraordinarily with His angels and through dreams protected this child using the means as well of His earthly parents. And now for this one, this Christ child who identified with Israel with a sort of a slavery in Egypt because of the danger to him in the Holy Land, the time had come. The time had come for him to be called out of Egypt. And to be called out, first of all, as God promised. And beloved, this took place just as it had taken place for Israel. after her slavery was foretold. In Genesis 15, verses 13 and 14, it says, Then the Lord said to him, to Abram, Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated 400 years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You see, the Lord had told Abram that his many descendants, when there wasn't even one yet, there wasn't even a single descendant yet, but the Lord had told him that his many descendants would be slaves in another country, but that they would be called out of there. They would be delivered up from there after 400 years. And we find the record of that being fulfilled in Exodus 12, verses 40 and 41. Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord's divisions left Egypt. God had fulfilled His promise to Israel in Egypt. And now in the very same way, this child of Mary and Joseph whom Matthew identified with Israel's bondage in Egypt, he was called out, being called out as God had promised. Verses 19 and 20, After Herod died, 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 to the land of Israel. For those who were trying to take the child's life are dead. Called out of Egypt. But notice, it took place upon Herod's death. And all we read there about Herod's death is this, after Herod died. Interestingly, Herod's death, as it's recorded in the Word of God, is unimportant for God. In very few words, we are told simply that Herod died, and in that given confirmation of what? Herod's plot failed. this one whom the history books record as Herod the Great, and all that the Word of God says is that he died. Not the Christ child. It was not the Christ child who died, but it was this great one, according to earthly historians, the one who tried to kill him who was dead. Herod is so unimportant here that the circumstances of his death are not even given the time of day in God's Word by the inspired Matthew. Yet it is interesting what the historians have to say about his death and about that which led up to it. The historians point out that this wicked king, this one who caused so much terror and so much suffering that himself suffered a terrible, horrible death. The end of his life, at the end of his life, Herod suffered sort of a slow death. What I mean by that is he wasn't healthy one moment seemingly and all of a sudden suffered a massive heart attack and he was gone in an instant. Not at all. Whether it was weeks or months or maybe even a year or two, it was a horrible slow death. And with regard to the gruesome details that are given, all I'm going to say is that we can describe it that he was rotting from inside out. And the diseases that were afflicting him from those, he experienced excruciating pain from which he could find no relief. And really, his condition was such that he was, as we might say, too gross to be near. But all we're simply told is that Herod died. A simple reminder, beloved, that you cannot take your earthly greatness with you. And a reminder that the Herods and the Neros and the Hitlers and the Husseins and the Bin Ladens must and will die. And as the writer of Hebrews says, it is appointed for man once to die. And then the judgment. All of mankind, unless Christ returns first, we know, will face death and without faith in Jesus Christ, that one will suffer eternally. A simple reminder here with these words after Herod died that God has the final word. His is the only word. Herod the Great died, but Jesus, this child, was preserved to do that for which He had been given. And though the circumstances of Herod's death are unimportant for God, the news of Herod's death was important for Joseph and Mary and Jesus. They needed to know the danger had been removed. Those, the angel says, who were trying to take the child's life are dead. You don't need to fear Herod and his soldiers anymore. And therefore, the young family is homeward bound. Go back to Israel. Now Mary and Joseph knew that Israel is where they and the child belong because as Simeon had said, the child would be the glory to God's people Israel. Only now there's no urgent rush. They're not running for their lives. They enjoy, no doubt, a leisurely return to Israel. Beloved, as Matthew gives this history of Christ's early childhood, he clearly teaches, on the one hand, of God's providential care. God was indeed in charge fully and completely the whole time. God was directing the events. God is in charge. He knows what's going on for you and me. He is there to uphold us, to protect us, to keep us in His care. And Matthew clearly teaches of God's fulfilled promises. Promise after promise was fulfilled as Matthew shows us. And we too are to take great comfort in God's promises, which are yes and amen in Jesus Christ. The things that we still look forward to, which God has promised, will indeed be fulfilled. Matthew teaches that salvation was planned and orchestrated by God Himself and no one is able to undo it. No one is able to snatch you and me out of His hand. No one is able to tear from us. The salvation that Christ has accomplished for you and me. Here he fulfilled his promise to call the Christ out of Egypt in the second place to settle in Nazareth. Notice, Mary and Joseph weren't told specifically where to go. Go back to Israel. And Joseph was, in a sense, allowed to choose where. But they settled in Nazareth because of Archelaus. Beginning at verse 21, So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Now, it seems as if Joseph's destination might have been, obviously, back to Judea. But he had a change of plans. It seems that he had desired and planned maybe even to go back to Bethlehem. It's possible that for the time they had lived there for the year or so, the first year of the child's life, however long that may have been, that he maybe had work, maybe good work. It's also possible that he was thinking that as a descendant of David and as Israel's future king, this is where Jesus should be raised. But he became afraid when he heard that Herod's son, Archelaus, was reigning and with a good reason. Because as we might say, Archelaus was a chip off the old block. He began his rule as wickedly as his father Herod had been. You see, before Herod died, he was allowed, it seems, to make the decision about the leadership. He was allowed to appoint his successor, and we might say wisely on Herod's part, he did so based on Rome's approval. Rome had to give the rubber stamp. And Herod had decided that it wouldn't be just one son to replace him. And it wouldn't be just one son who would rule as king over all of the territory. But he chose three sons and divided up the territory. Three sons which included Herod Antipas, whose territory included Galilee. And then there was Philip who had another territory that he was assigned to. And then Archelaus, whose territory included Judea and Galilee. And the most dangerous and the most wicked by far was Archelaus. Which, as I said, he demonstrated at the very beginning. You see, not long before Herod, his father, died, Herod did something terrible. Which isn't surprising, is it? But two most honored and loved rabbis who the history books say led a wild band of men to wipe out the traces of Herod's idolatrous rule, traces visibly that were even found on the temple, and they set out to remove those traces, those two leaders, those two most loved rabbis, were executed. Herod had them burned alive. And then shortly after Herod died, the people of that region, who were definitely not satisfied with Archelaus, they rose up at the time of the Passover, They rose up in anger and protest because of the execution of these beloved rabbis. And Archelaus, he stopped them by slaughtering 3,000 of them reportedly in the temple area. That's how he began his rule, with an iron fist, a rule of bloodshed. Archelaus was as wicked or more than his father. He did not accomplish the great things that we said he had accomplished. He wasn't great militarily or as far as building. He didn't show his wisdom as we said Herod did by preserving the people in a time of drought. He simply was as wicked as his father Herod. And for that reason too, the people rose up and Rome replaced him after about six years. Yet because of his wickedness from the very beginning, Joseph feared for the child's safety and he went to the district of Galilee and settled in Nazareth. And he did so, beloved, by divine direction. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. Now, we're not told that he was specifically told to go to Nazareth, but he was warned and he turned away from the rule of the wicked Archelaus. And it was natural for Joseph to settle in Nazareth because he was going home. You recall from Luke 2 that Nazareth was home for Joseph and Mary. It was the place from where Joseph and Mary had went to Bethlehem in order to register in the census at the time of Jesus' birth. And therefore, led by God through the means of a dream, they settled in Nazareth for their safety and protection, but also, as Matthew points out, to fulfill Scripture. so was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, he will be called a Nazarene. Yet the fifth and the last time in these two chapters that Matthew points the attention of his hearers to Old Testament Israel and the connection of this child with them, with their people of the Old Testament. The problem is that there is no verse of Old Testament Scripture that says this. He will be called a Nazarene. There's no verse that says that. Now, there are some who try to make a connection with the word shoot that we find in Isaiah 11, verse 1. The shoot that will come from Jesse's stem and will become the branch. Indeed, because of shoot begins small and insignificant like Jesus in Nazareth, and also because the words for Nazareth and shoot are very similar in the Hebrew language. But I agree with those who say there's a better, another explanation. Notice the difference here. Matthew says, So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets. Plural. In the other four previous places, Matthew talks about prophet. What was said by the prophet. And then quotes almost verbatim what we find in the record of the Old Testament. But here he simply says prophets. You see, it seems here, beloved, that Matthew is pointing out the general teaching of the Old Testament Scripture and the prophets about the Messiah. How He would be considered. How He would be treated. And here, Matthew makes it clear that that teaching of His treatment, of His consideration, is wrapped up in Jesus' identity as a resident of Nazareth. He would be called a Nazarene. One from Nazareth. Like a San Diegan is one whose residence is San Diego. Yet, being a Nazarene, you see, was no badge of honor. It was nothing to brag about. And that is the point here as Jesus is called out of Egypt to settle in Nazareth in the third place in preparation to deliver. Just as Israel was delivered out of the bondage of Egypt and her line was preserved to bring forth a Messiah, the Messiah is here delivered to deliver His people. And being a Nazarene was a part of His path to the cross. You see, beloved, humanly speaking, His was guilt by association. Sometimes when a school or a town, let's say, has a certain reputation that's negative, it's a bad reputation, then those who attend that school or those who live in that town, whether they deserve it or not, by the simple fact that they live there or attend there, they are assumed to fit that reputation or that reputation, it is assumed, fits them. It must be true of them too. Boys and girls and young people, the same thing is true with regard to whatever crowd you might hang out with. If you hang out with those who have a bad, bad reputation for doing bad things, even if you don't participate by the very fact that you hang around with them, that reputation might be given to you. Growing up in northwest Iowa, there was a town or two in southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa where they had reputations, not good reputations, for excessive drinking and rowdy living. And when you would find out that someone was from one of those places, you would kind of automatically think, sadly so, but automatically think, well, that reputation must be true of them as well. This was Nazareth. As Pastor Kamega mentioned in his Christmas devotion for the youth of yesterday in Christian fellowship, Nazareth was either a hick town, a town of little significance, a town of unimportance, or it was a town of ill repute. But either way, it was not thought well of. Either way, the residents were considered to be worthless. As one commentator says, some believe the town was held in disrepute whether because it is said the people of Galilee were a rude and less cultivated class and were largely influenced by the Gentiles who mingled with them, or because of their low type of moral and religious character. No wonder when Jesus is gathering His disciples for the first time, Philip goes to Nathanael and says, we found the Messiah. And he identifies Him as Jesus of Nazareth. And in John 1.46, Nathanael says, Nazareth? Can anything good come from there? See, everybody knew that leadership could not be produced in Nazareth. You would not find the names of Rockefeller or Kennedy or Trump in Nazareth in a place like that. And besides, Nazareth was in the district of Galilee. Galilee was despised by Jerusalem as Galilee of the Gentiles, as Matthew says in chapter 4.15, quoting from Isaiah 9. You see, the excellency of the Jewish religion and true piety. Now that was found in Judea. But not Galilee. Galilee was too influenced by paganism. The Jews in Galilee were considered to be less faithful. They were considered to be looser with the law, less traditional in their application of the law. You see, they were much more progressive. And we cannot have that. Jesus, beloved, did not enjoy the honor. Among men, He did not enjoy the honored reputation of being born in the city of David and growing up in Jerusalem. And from a human perspective, He was despised and He was rejected because Nazareth was. He did not show up on the stage of history as a ready-made king with credentials the Jews could accept. And the reputation that was applied to him stuck. It was passed on to his followers. In Acts 24, verse 5, Paul was accused of being the ringleader of the Nazarene sect. Yet, beloved, all of this was fulfillment of prophecy. The Old Testament told how the Jews would despise him. In Psalm 22, verse 6, we read, But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. pointing to the Messiah. In Isaiah 49, verse 7, speaking of the suffering servant, it says he would be despised and abhorred by the nation. And in that familiar Isaiah 53, verse 3, we read, He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. That's what the prophets foretold about him. Jesus was not well received. The prophets foretold that the Messiah would be despised. He was not the kind of king they expected. He was not the Messiah being looked for, but He is the Savior that was desperately needed. This was all part of His humiliation leading to His rejection, leading to the cross where He accomplished the salvation that He came to accomplish, not only for the Jews who would believe, but for the Gentiles too, for all who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, the reputation of Nazareth, even though it might have been true for the town, and maybe it was true for many of the residents, it was undeserved for Jesus Christ. He didn't deserve it. And it points to the truth that He took our sin upon Himself. That was undeserved for Him. And we didn't deserve that either. He was despised and rejected because that's what sin does. It despises God. It rejects God. But Jesus endured it all the way to the cross because of love. Because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Oh, beloved, we deserved to be despised and rejected by God because in our sin, we willfully and with desire sinned against Him. But instead, Jesus Christ was despised and rejected by His Father in our place for you and me. And because of the perfect finished work of Jesus Christ, those who believe in Him by the grace of God, we are delivered. We have been called out of darkness, called out of the bondage of sin, and brought into His wonderful, marvelous light the light of His truth. Jesus Christ, as a child, was called out of Egypt as God promised in order to be despised and hated and rejected by men all the way to death on the cross so that we who believe would not be forever despised and rejected by God. He provided, He accomplished the only way to enjoy the eternal love of God. And now those who love Him by His grace and those who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, live for Him, they will be despised and rejected and hated and laughed at and hurt by the world. And beloved, may that not discourage you and me, but may that be an encouragement to you and me. May that cause us to rejoice. because that is a confirmation that we are in good company. We are in good company with the One alone who saved us. And through that, we are reminded that man's work faileth, Christ's availeth. He is all our righteousness. And we ought to rejoice, beloved, that the world sees Him living in us, that the world sees that we belong to Him. Herod's plot failed. God's plan prevailed. He has the last word. His is the only word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's God's word for you and me. That's His sure promise. He will not reject those who believe. But He accepts us as His own. He makes us citizens of His kingdom forever because of our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, as we bow before You, the close of this service together. Having heard Your Word, Father, indeed we rejoice. even as You have reminded us of Your Word, how Your Word stands together, how the history of Your people is our history, the history of all who believe, how Jesus Christ indeed is the fulfillment of all of Your promises, and how we may have the confidence that that which is yet to come will indeed come true, even as You have said. And therefore, Father, we have no need to fear even in the midst of a world that hates You and continues to try to destroy Your church, Your people, and Your Word. But indeed, Your Word will never be destroyed. Your people will live forever in Your presence. And we thank You for that blessed truth, for that comfort that You have reminded us with already again in this season of the year. May we rejoice and celebrate every day of our lives that we belong to you for Jesus' sake. In his name we pray, amen.