Seeds for 04/25/2023 - Matthew 2:19-23
Scripture: 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 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.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 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, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Observation: This passage displays a prominent feature of Matthew’s “birth narrative,” one that we’ve seen since Jesus’ birth was first announced to Joseph. God speaks to Joseph through dreams. Further, Joseph takes the Lord’s guidance seriously, following the instructions provided. At each step, Joseph gets a word from the Lord. Sometimes, as when he remained faithful to and supportive of Mary, that divine guidance is challenging and goes against what he had expected or was prepared for. But he followed faithfully and God provided.
Here, those dreams were a lifeline and a source of tremendous comfort and assurance, helping him navigate his way to Nazareth where Jesus would ultimately grow up.
The takeaway for me here is the interplay. God reaching out, Joseph listening. God guiding, Joseph following. It’s a great picture of how it’s not about us making our way in the world on our own. It’s also not about God just moving us around like chess pieces. It’s dynamic; a relationship, a dance. God providing direction, Joseph listening and trusting.
Application:
When have you been aware of and attentive to God’s leading in your life?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for offering your guidance and direction. Keep me attentively listening and obediently following. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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