December 22, 2009
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Thought For The Week 28 pt 2
So these guys, these Magi, show up at the house to see the child. They didn’t show up at a manger. The only ones who apparently made it to the manger right after his birth were the shepherds.I formerly thought that they all had converged in the same place at the same time, but coming from 3 different locations and time via travelling distance. This is how it has been depicted, but this is not what Matthew is indicating here.
According to the way this is written, the Magi did not get there until about one year after he was born. This is why Herod went after baby boys 2 years old and younger.
Now, from past studies, I have found that the word “Egypt” means ‘land of copts,’ or ‘land of the dead.’ Thus I found that the idea of Jesus having to escape as a babe into the land of the dead and interesting one, being that basically, His presence there proverbially, was one of bringing life or light to the dead.
However, when I looked up Egypt this time, I found the meaning to be “double straits.” Unsure of what that meant, I looked up the word ‘strait’ in dictionary.com, and found that it means a position of difficulty, distress, or need.
Coming back to the word Egypt, it means “double” straits. This means they were in a doubly dire situation. Yet God told them to escape or flee there.
This made me think that sometimes when people believe they are going through hardship, and questioning within themselves as to “Where is God?” they need to recognize that sometimes the dire situation they find themselves in, is an escape from a worse situation.
Sometimes they need to just wait on God without whining, to adjust the circumstance and situation and restore them, because it could be much worse than it is.
Someone told me the other day that none of us should ever think we have it hard, no matter what is going on, because none of us ever had to deal with what He went through for us. THAT was hard. We can’t even begin, in our minor troubles or issues, to compete with that, so NONE of us have it hard.
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Aside from all I said above, this was done for the fulfillment of prophesy as well, a double purpose. I dare say a triple one, because I see an example to us in the fact that ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son,’
or out of double straits; out of the land of the dead; out of trouble, I called my son. I see an example to us; an assurance even in this, of God’s saving grace and of our salvation.Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.When Joseph heard that Archelaus, whose name means “prince of the people,” was reigning in the place of “heroic,” which was Herod, his father, he was afraid to go there. Rightfully so, considering the lineage, and the intent of these people. Also considering the fact that he was a “prince of the people,” not “prince of the Lord.”
Being warned in a dream, Joseph takes the family to a place that offers some protection. He takes them to Galilee, which means “Circuit.” When I looked up this word I found several meanings, but the one that struck me as applicable here is this one: the line going around or bounding any area or object; the distance about an area or object.
He took this special child and his mother to a place that was encircled with protection. Nazareth means “the guarded one,” so the purpose of this place was to ensure Jesus’ safety as he grew up; until such time as He was ready to step into His ministry.
It’s also interesting to note that this double barrier of protection is because as a Nazarene or Nazarite, He is “one separated,” and this is why He had to come from that particular place.
In all of this, I see a parallel for us. Jesus was in the land of the dead/copts or was in double straits; a very dire situation. As a people lost without a savior; so were we. He was brought out from this dire situation or the land of the dead, and brought into a guarded situation within a circuit of protection as “one separated.” So were we. Merry Christmas.
