Hosea 11:1 (NIV) “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-23 (NIV) 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.” 19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20and 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.” 21So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But 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, 23and 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.
Camels crossing a sea of sand, huge pyramids reaching for the sky surrounded on all sides by sand. These are some of the images that come to my mind whenever I think of Egypt. I also think of the Israelites in slavery and Moses leading them out of Egypt towards the promised land. Yet, in all of the images that come to mind when I think of Egypt, never do I think of a young couple with their newborn son fleeing across the Egyptian desert in the hopes of finding peace.
That is exactly what happened a little over 2000 years ago. An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee for their lives to Egypt. What a beginning to the story of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords - conceived out of wedlock, born in a barn, and now a refugee fleeing for his life.
And, yet, that is not the end of the story! For, God called his Son out of Egypt so that we might have hope in abundance, that we might have eternal salvation through Him. What are some of the ways that God has given you hope this holiday season?
Family Activity:
As a family set aside some time this weekend to go down to your local soup kitchen, or open door society to volunteer. Spend some time this holiday season helping out and sharing the hope that you have found in Christ with those who have not yet found that same hope.
Memory Verse: Hosea 11:1 (NIV)
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”