Protective Father
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-15
When we are in the will of God, we have the protection of God. Even when the odds seem to be anti-Hunger Games (Never in your favor), He will see you through. At this point in the life of Jesus, Herod is looking to harm Jesus. The Lord, in His faithfulness, goes and prepares a way out of Egypt for Joseph to lead His family. This would fulfill two purposes. One, Jesus would be safe. Two, this would fulfill His word spoken long ago that He would call His son out of Egypt. Once again, can we just proclaim His faithfulness!
On a side note, I love the faithfulness we see in Joseph. There are few passages that speak of Jesus’ earthly father. What we do see of him though, we see a man being faithful to God and obedient with his life. Definitely something we can all be encouraged with.
Getting back to this passage in Matthew though, God was protecting His ways, Himself, His chosen people, and His plans. What God called forth and spoke into action, He would protect. It would have been a shame for Jesus to come all this way and be murdered by a coward such as Herod, however, cowards certainly did lead Him to the cross thirty-three years later. But God was not ready for Jesus to be offered as a ransom for sin just yet in His timeline.
Be encouraged today that God will protect that which He projects. What He calls forth will be covered by Him. A thousand may fall, but you will stand! Why, you ask? Because He is a faithful Father who protects His children. You may have a hard time with that concept because your earthly father is hardly protective, he may even be dangerous to you. Remember that your Father in heaven is not of this world, but He will certainly protect you until you reach the other side of eternity. Rest in the protection of your Faithful Father today.
Nate Staton 