Matthew 2:13-18
The Escape to Egypt
13When 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." 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where 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."
16When 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. 17Then 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."
An angel came to Joseph in a dream...
King Herod was searching for Jesus...The wise men had told King Herod that a child was born who would be King of the Jews... Herod took this as a threat to his throne...He did not want a boy to grow up and take over his reign...The king would give orders to kill all the young boys in Bethlehem two years old and under...
Herod was an evil man...St. Matthew quotes the prophet Jeremiah about the killing of these young children in Bethlehem...Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob...She had children named Joseph and Benjamin...She was buried near Ramah... She wept for the children of Israel...While Jeremiah was writing about the exile and the troubled times hundreds of years ago, St. Matthew writes about the troubles of Joseph and his family in the current times of Bethlehem...
Families can go through struggling times...It may be economic, health, lose of family, and other troubles...We must not forget that Jesus' family went through struggling times as a king searched for the young Messiah, to put Him to death...
God sent an angel to Joseph...Joseph trusted God and followed His instructions...God provided safety for Jesus and His family...God gave Jesus' family an escape to Egypt...Egypt which had been a troubled place for the people of Israel before the Exodus, had now become a safe haven for Jesus' family...
Joseph trusted in the LORD...He would listen to the LORD... Joseph would follow the LORD's instructions...Joseph and his family would be safe...