The Enemy Rages (Matthew 2:13-23)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Hope in darkness…
I invite you to take a copy of God’s word, either yours or one of the Red Pew Bibles in the seat in front of you and open to Matthew 2. You can find this passage on page #960 in the Red Pew Bible.
Last week, we looked at Matthew 2:1-12 and as we walked through it, we saw the various responses to the news that one had been born king of the Jews. There were those who responded with troubled hearts, there were those who were indifferent to this, such as the chief priests and the scribes, and then there was the magi who sought to worship this new king, traveling a great distance from the east, bringing costly gifts to give to the new king in honor of him.
It is these different responses though that mark history. A history that began in the garden, in the fall of man and is still ongoing even now. A history of war. A war that focuses on God’s plan of redemption. Therefore to help give us a running start. I want us to start our scripture reading this morning back in verse 1 of Matthew 2. And read the whole chapter together. Matthew 2:1…
We again here see the various responses to the news that Jesus is the king of the Jews. We see that there is trouble brewing in Herod’s heart. A troubled heart that should remind us of Pharaoh’s heart in enslaving the Israelites in Egypt, of his refusing to let them go. Of his plot to kill all the male children to ensure the people are not able to rise against him and the Egyptians and overthrow them. This all underlies our text this morning.
But how are we to rightly understand this passage? As a new Exodus? Jesus being the one to bring fulfillment? Yes and yes! But there is something bigger I think we need to see. Therefore here is what I think is the main idea of Matthew 2:13-23, and LORD willing, the main idea of this message:
Main Idea:
The enemy’s rage endures, but the LORD defeats him at every turn.
Points:
The flight to Egypt (2:13-15)
The Slaughter in Bethlehem (2:16-18)
The Return to Nazareth (2:19-23)
Point #1: The flight to Egypt (2:13-15)
Point #1: The flight to Egypt (2:13-15)
Verse 13……
Herod in his troubled heart desires to search for the child, he seeks to find him and destroy him.
Herod, like the serpent of old, seeks to ruin God’s plans for his people. Satan caused Adam and Eve to take of the fruit of the forbidden tree in the garden and be forced out of God’s Promised Land. Herod here in hearing of a king of the Jews being born seeks to keep the king from rising to power by searching for him as a babe to kill him.
And yet God here makes it clear to us, that though their is evil brewing, his plans will not be stopped, that his king will not be kept from rising to fulfill his mission, to fulfill his purpose. That God’s king will grow and be the one to save his people from their sins.
We see this as the angel of the LORD is sent and appears to Jospeh in a dream. The angel instructing Jospeh what he is to do, to take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until told otherwise.
The LORD tells Joseph what is brewing and about to happen before it ever happens. God seeks to ensure his plans and purposes of salvation are fulfilled. In this case, he does so in instructing them to flee, starting with instructions for the child, the one born king of the Jews. Verse 14…
Joseph at once obeys, he waits not even for the morning sun to rise, but at once responds to God’s messenger and rises to take the child and his mother to the land of Egypt, to wait there as the LORD instructed him.
At various times the LORD calls his servants to flee for refuge. At other times he calls his servants to give up their earthly lives in service to the King. The call here of Joseph is not a call to flee, but to discern the will of the LORD and find our safety in it.
In her autobiography, The Hiding Place, we meet Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie and her family lived in the Netherlands which was invaded by Nazi Germany. Corrie is known for helping hide the Jewish people from the Nazis in their pursuit to eradicate the Jews. And in the midst of this background, she writes:
“There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety - let us pray that we may always know it!”
Friends, what a fitting reminder for Corrie and her family, and what a fitting reminder for us. Though trouble brews around us, the safest place for us is in the center of God’s will. A will that is set on saving a people to himself. A will that will ensure this plan succeeds to deliver a people to himself.
Therefore to preserve this plan, the baby, his mother, and Jospeh are sent into exile in Egypt. Joseph obeys at once, trusting the LORD and they go and they wait. Verse 15…
The child, Jesus, his mother, Mary, and Joseph waited in Egypt until all was clear, until Herod, the one searching for the child, was dead. And then, they were called out of Egypt.
But Matthew here does something interesting, He says this was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” This being a quote from Hosea 11:1.
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Matthew points us to this statement from Hosea 11:1 in order to show us of God’s plan of deliverance, of salvation. Matthew knows that Hosea 11:1 is talking about the nation of Israel, the people delivered out of Egypt in the Exodus. That it was they who were being described as being called out of Egypt.
But he applies this to being fulfilled in Jesus because Jesus has come as the new and better Israel! He is the better son who then will bring about a better Exodus.
You see, in the following verses there in Hosea 11, it is gone on and told how the first Israel who was called out of Egypt had actually began to reject God and go away from him. Instead of worshiping the only God who had delivered them out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, who had performed his signs in the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, they began to worship false idols, that of the Baals.
And it is then added in Hosea 11:7
7 My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.
The first Israel had failed. They failed to continually seek their God, they failed to delight in him, and because of this, exile was brought upon them.
Fast forward to this time of the birth of a babe who was called king of the Jews, a plot quickly rises to destroy him, he is forced to flee to Egypt. It would be easy to think that God’s plans have once again failed.
However, in Matthew saying this was to fulfill Hosea 11:1; in Jesus being called to exile in Egypt and then being called out is the grand signaling of this new exodus. A new exodus that would guarantee that God’s people would be delivered from their sins, to be saved from them.
It is a signaling that this Jesus would not fail, despite the opposition against him, despite the attacks that would be thrown at him.
And friends, this is the hope we have! That salvation has come and is guaranteed through Jesus! That in coming to him as King, we can rest assured that we are delivered out of our slavery to sin and death by faith in Jesus! Faith that God has indeed called his Son out of Egypt as our Savior, our deliverer.
When doubts swirl through our minds, let us remember that God has called his beloved son, Jesus, out of Egypt and has brought a new exodus, an exodus out of slavery, and exodus that leads to life everlasting!
And friends, you who tarry and have not come so far to Jesus, why do you still sit in your chains? The chains of sin and death? Why do you still hold allegiance to the power of death in resisting to come to the one who has been called out of Egypt to deliver us from these chains? Friend, see as we continue that Jesus wins and he alone brings comfort and hope!
Point #2: The Slaughter in Bethlehem (2:16-18)
Point #2: The Slaughter in Bethlehem (2:16-18)
Verse 16……
The malice of Herod was so great that he wanted to leave no chance that the one who was named king of the Jews was not destroyed, so he instructs an unnamed individual or group to destroy all the children two and under, not only in Bethlehem, but in all the surrounding region of Bethlehem.
Herod recalls here the timing of the Magi gave in the rising of the star in which they were following. He likely adds some cushion room in saying all the male children up to two years old, and he gives orders for all these males two and under to be eradicated, to be slaughtered.
The war on this king of the Jews who had been born starts because of a troubled heart and escalates to the point of innocent children being slaughtered. It is estimated as many as 20 or so little ones were killed in this slaughter. The numbers are not greater than the Holocaust, but they are tragic nonetheless.
Charles Spurgeon comments here:
The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew Chapter 2: The King Appearing and the King Assailed
Men will do anything to be rid of Jesus. They care not how many children, or men, or women, are destroyed, so that they can but resist his kingdom,
And resist God’s kingdom Herod did! And because of this tragedy of an event. Because of how it might seem again that here God makes a plan to save people, yet children are dying, Matthew like a skilled theological physician points us to Jeremiah 31:15 which he quotes here in verses 17-18…
Here in the slaughtering of these male children two years old and under, there was certainly weeping and loud lamentation by the region. It is a fitting and right response.
But there is more to it than just Matthew trying to give a fitting response. Matthew acknowledges the grief, and yet he goes further. He offers comfort. Comfort not in himself, but who this child is who has come. Comfort that is found in this king of the Jews, in this Jesus.
For yes, as we read Jeremiah 31:15, we read:
15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
However, there is more surrounding this that is to shift our understanding of what is being said. Right before this, the Lord tells Jeremiah that he will turn their mourning to joy. And right after that they are to keep their voice from weeping and their eyes from tears. Why? Because the Lord tells them that there is hope for them. In the midst of their sorrow, in the midst of their afflictions, in the midst of their present exile, there is hope!
Daniel Doriani puts it like this in his commentary:
Matthew, Volumes 1 & 2 The Malice of Herod
Matthew would have us understand that God yet loves the people of Bethlehem and will restore them, and all who likewise suffer, even as he restored Israel after the exile.
John Calvin adds:
as Jeremiah promises a restoration, where a nation has been cut off, down to their little children, so Matthew reminds his readers, that this massacre would not prevent Christ from appearing shortly afterwards as the Redeemer of the whole nation
Herod tried to usurp the king of the Jews by destroying him as a baby. His plot was foiled and the King was protected and grew and would rise to the throne. Those resisting the worship of God and the glory of God, though they rage, they do not succeed. God’s plans succeed and he brings comfort to those who are weeping and in loud lamentation. He brings comfort to those who had previously refused to be comforted.
Point #3: The Return to Nazareth (2:19-23)
Point #3: The Return to Nazareth (2:19-23)
Verses 19 and 20….…
The very one that pursued to put Jesus to death from the time he was born died and was no more. Literally he came to an end. This is a good reminder for us, beloved. To use the words of J.C. Ryle (Matthew. The Crossway Classic Commentaries. p.10) :
“The rulers of millions have no power to hold on to life when the hour of their departure comes. The murderer of helpless infants must himself die.”
Beloved, rulers may live and stand strongly against our God and King! They will stand opposed to us as part of King Jesus’ kingdom. But let us be comforted in knowing that their rule will not last long. For even when they strike the saints of God, they will suffer a greater fate, an eternity separated from God in a place where there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth without any hope of comfort.
We who are in Christ have the hope of all eternity, to reign and rule with King Jesus forever in the new heavens and new earth. This is the picture that Matthew is painting here in this second chapter of his gospel account.
For Jesus and his mother, Mary, and Joseph return to the land of Israel. Verse 21…
But there is a problem in their return. Verse 22……
It is said that Archelaus was only given a 1/3 of his father’s kingdom, Judea. Apparently his two brothers had the remaining 2/3 of the kingdom. But Archelaus, it is recorded, was much like his father, Herod. He was unstable in all his ways, acting hastily and foolishly. So, Joseph was struck with fear in hearing it was now Archelaus on the throne after Herod.
Joseph’s fear was quickly handled, for the LORD sent another angel to him in another dream. Joseph was warned to withdraw to the district of Galilee. And so, verse 23……
They go to Galilee and they settle in a city called Nazareth. This, Matthew says, is another fulfillment.
But there is a problem here, nowhere in the Law or the Prophets does it say that the Messiah, the Son of David was to be born in Nazareth. In fact, Nazareth is not even named in the entirety of the Old Testament canon. Not a single mention from Genesis to Malachi. That is in all 39 books of the Old Testament are void of this idea.
So why does Matthew write this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he, Jesus, would be called a Nazarene?
I think we are helped by Nathanael’s response to hearing that the Messiah has been found. John 1:46
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Nothing good was expected to come from Nazareth. Nothing of high esteem, certainly not a king. And yet, this is the very point that Matthew is making and showing us. The very victory that is to come of God’s good plan of redemption, his crushing of the head of the serpent, is to come in one who is lowly.
R.T. France in his helpful commentary writes,
The Gospel of Matthew 5. A Galilean Messiah (2:19–23)
On this view, then, the words “He shall be called a Nazorean” represent the prophetic expectation that the Messiah would appear from nowhere and would as a result meet with incomprehension and rejection.
Better yet, Daniel Doriani adds,
Matthew, Volumes 1 & 2 The Malice of Herod
“Jesus the Nazarene” carries “overtones of contempt,” and this reminds us that Jesus would be “despised and rejected” (Isa. 53:3).
In Jesus being called a Nazarene, it carries the weight of a savior coming who would be despised and rejected. It points to him as the one long promised in Isaiah 53 as the Suffering Servant.
Jesus would seek to save his people not by conquering with the sword, but in having his heel stricken by the great enemy, Satan, as he was pierced to the tree. As one who would be mocked and spit upon, beaten, and shamed by the cruelest of deaths, yet as one innocent of any guilt.
It is here that God’s promised King of the Jews would bring about salvation for his people! Though Satan and all Jerusalem with him for a few moments rejoiced and seemed untroubled, it would not last.
Though the Savior was stricken, smitten, and afflicted. Though he was killed on a cross and buried, he did not remain dead! The victory of God’s Messiah King came through his death and his rising from the grave on the third day! This showing that he was innocent of guilt, that he was one who has come to undo the curse of sin in death.
Yes, Jesus was stricken on his heel, but in his rising he crushes the head of the serpent, sealing his victory over sin and death!
Yes, the battle still rages on in the here and now, even after Jesus has sealed his victory. For while Matthew 2 has been tied to many other parts of the Bible in looking backward, we would be helped here in our time this morning being pointed forward, to pull back the curtain to see what is going on here in Matthew 2 and throughout history of this great war in attempting to stop God’s plan of salvation and deliverance.
Listen as I read these words from Revelation 12:4-6:
4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
In Herod seeking to devour the child at birth, he is an instrument of Satan. Yet, as Jesus was born, he rose and lived and died, and has now risen to power in being seated next to his Father who is in heaven.
Yet, even as Jesus sits on the throne, as one ruling with a rod of iron, as he was caught up to God and his throne, Satan continues to seek to devour the woman, the King’s people. Christians.
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
But here God’s promise to us in his Savior King!
14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
This war continues, but the enemy, in the midst of all his rage, his doom is sure! The whole of Revelation 18-20 prove this too us, that the enemy’s time is short, that his defeat is guaranteed!
Christian, let us see that despite the raging of the enemy, Satan himself, the victory belongs to our Saving King, King Jesus! Let us rest in this hope, in this promise!
And you friend, see that though you may rage against the Savior, even in a heart of indifference, your doom is sure unless you turn and repent from your sin. Hear Jesus calling, calling you to himself and out of the exile of your sin today! Come and believe and be saved!
Let’s pray.