Matthew 2:13-23 "Guidance from God"

Good morning CCLC! We are in Matthew 2. Matthew's key theme is Jesus is the King of the Jews...the Messiah. In chapter 1 he demonstrated Jesus is the King through his earthly lineage, and His divine lineage. And, in Chapter 2, at Jesus' birth Wise Men came from the east as led by the star, to worship the King of the Jews, and to present Him with gifts fit for a King. Today, we will finish Chapter 2 looking at verses 13 to 23. Matthew lays out 4 prophecies in Chapter 2 that Jesus has fulfilled further demonstrating He is the King of the Jews. We will also see God directing Jesus' family in His early years...and Joseph's obedience. Being directed by God can be one of the most challenging experiences one faces. It requires walking in faith, patiently waiting on the Lord, and being flexible...three very difficult things for us to do. Joseph will serve as a great example for us today...a man who obediently walked in faith with the Lord. Well, let's pray and then get into the word! Matt 2:13 "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." 1. So, we see here in verse 13 that the events here take place after "they", speaking of the Wise Men, departed from Bethlehem in Judea. 2. An angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream...this is the 2nd time an angel has appeared to Joseph. 3. Interesting to note that the angel did not continue appearing to Mary, but to Joseph. This may be some indicator that the Lord recognizes the husband as the head of the wife, as scripture states in Eph 5:23. There is order and authority in the marital and family relationship, and God sends word to Joseph to lead his family as the Lord leads Joseph. 4. This angel sends this message to Joseph, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." 5. You may be thinking, "Egypt, why would God call them back to Egypt? Didn't He take them out of Egypt in the Exodus?" Yes, He did. But, here are some reasons why Egypt made a lot of sense, both naturally and supernaturally: 6. Egypt was a natural place of refuge for Joseph's family. Herod was seeking to destroy Jesus, and Egypt was outside his jurisdiction, plus according to Philo (writing circa a.d. 40), its population included about a million Jews. 7. Seeking refuge in Egypt, may also take the Jewish reader's minds to thinking about Jacob's family who sojourned to and sought refuge in Egypt during the great famine in Gen 46-50. Egypt preserved Israel then, and would preserve the Messiah now. 8. Finally, as we will see in ver 15 of Matt 2, this journey from Egypt, and the return to Israel will also fulfill the prophecy of Hos 11:1. 9. So, there are several natural and supernatural reasons why God called Joseph to take his family to Egypt. 10. In Matt 2:13, the Lord providentially speaks to Joseph in a dream, delivering a message that is directing His family to safety. But, this is no easy task...no simple step. 11. We have seen that Mary and Joseph are now in a house in Bethlehem, and they have been in Bethlehem for a couple years now. Joseph is likely working, and though poor they have likely set up their house with a bed, maybe some furniture, utensils to cook with, and now they are getting a leading from God via a dream to move to Egypt for a season...which would be very stressful for most people. Joseph is not told how long that season would be, and the reason for the move is because king Herod the Great...known for his brutality and paranoia...Herod wants to destroy, meaning "kill" Jesus...he's was coming after Joseph's family! 12. I don't think you call that a dream, I think that's called a nightmare. 13. But, look, amidst what is mostly some bad news (you have to move...you have to leave your material things behind...you have to leave your job...and the most powerful man in the city wants to kill your son)...look at the amazing thing God does. He reaches out from heaven to protect and preserve the Christ and His family. He divinely warns them of impending danger and guides them on where they are to reside for safety. 14. One scholar stated, "From infancy the threat of death hung over our Lord. It is apparent that He was born to die, but only at the appointed time. Anyone, who walks in God's will is immortal until his work is done." And, so it was true for Jesus, no matter who plotted against Him...He did not go to the cross until His appointed time. 15. Not only did God divinely protect Joseph's family, He also financially provided for Joseph's family which was needed as Jesus was born into a poor family. 16. In Luke 2:24, the baby Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, and Joseph offered a sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves, which according to Lev 12:8 was an acceptable substitute if the family could not afford a lamb as a sacrifice. So, we can assume from scripture they were a poor family. So, when God guides them to Egypt, He does not send them empty handed. Prior to this direction from God, He provided...Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh...they did not need to wonder, "How are we going to fund this trip?" The funds were provided by God. 17. There's a saying "Where God guides, He provides" and this was certainly true in the case of Joseph's family... 18. You likely can look back on your life and remember a time when the Lord guided you, and provided for you. I know I can. 19. When the Lord stirred my heart to go to Bible College in 2012...we didn't know exactly how we would finance the journey, but when we stepped out in faith...and, unprovoked, many people from our church just started giving us checks and someone even bought us a 5x10 trailer. Praise God! 20. When the Lord stirred my heart for missions, a church committed to cover all our living and travel expenses...which they did the entire time we were in the Philippines. Again, I say, praise God! Where God Guides, He does indeed provide! 21. The Lord was guiding Joseph, and He provided for Joseph. If He is truly calling you to a task, He will provide for you as well. 22. It is interesting to me that God varies on how He may call a person to a task, and the timing of when He provides may vary as well: 23. Sometimes you may see the provisions in advance, like Joseph did and like I did in going to the Philippines. I can't speak for Joseph, but for me, I'm not sure if I had enough faith to go to the Philippines if a clear financial provision was not already laid out. Perhaps Joseph needed this as well. 24. But, God is diverse in His dealings with us, and sometimes, you may not see the provisions until you step out in faith. I remember when the Lord guided us to build a church in the Philippines... I was not fully certain where the funds were going to come from, but was sure the Lord called us to build. I was driving to the hardware store with the Filipino contractor, and on the way to the store, an American man emailed me committing to fund the entire project! Such an amazing memory! Sometimes...God pours out provision as we step out in faith. 25. And, if the Lord doesn't provide...well...it may not be His will... James 4:3 states "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." If we have a selfish motive...if we are trying to exert our will...don't expect provision from the Lord. 26. For Joseph...the move to Egypt was definitely God's will. God provided gold, frankincense, and myrrh and spoke to Joseph in a dream...sojourning in Egypt...safety...was definitely God's plan. 27. Let's see Joseph's reaction... continue to verses 14-15 Matt 2:14-15 "When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." 1. In verse 14, we see Joseph's reaction to the divine warning...immediate obedience...just like we saw in Matt 1:24 when the angel of the Lord commanded him to take Mary as his wife and to name her Son "Jesus." When the Lord speaks to you, follow Joseph's example here. Don't be a Jonah and fight the Lord, and run the opposite direction...that didn't work out so well for Jonah. Be like Joseph...the Lord speaks and he obeyed. 2. We call Jesus "Lord"...and by definition "Lord" means "Master." If you have served in the military and a higher ranking officer gives a command, you listen; or if you have a boss and they tell you what to do, you do it; if you are a student and your teacher or Principle gives you instruction, you listen...this is assuming you respect order and are not defiant of course. But, so often when the Lord speaks we fight Him, or question Him, or even worse we just ignore Him. Joseph could have dismissed the dream and ignored the Lord, but instead He obeyed. He displays the proper Master/Servant relationship. Be like Joseph. 3. So, Joseph wakes up, and under the cover of night he takes the young Child and His mother and they depart for Egypt. 4. Notice Jesus is listed before Mary in verse 14...unusual to list a child before their parent, unless the child was superior to the parent...just another simple observation demonstrating Jesus' superiority to Mary...she's not a co-redemptress. 5. In verse 15, we see that Joseph and his family remain in Egypt until the death of Herod the Great... 6. Now this puts definite strain on the accuracy of the Gregorian calendar's calculation of when Jesus was born. In the Gregorian calendar B.C. means "Before Christ" and A.D. means "Anno Domini" (not "After Death"), Anno Domini is Latin for "In the Year of Our Lord." So, Jesus was born in the year 0...right? No, that's not right...there is no year 0...immediately following 1 B.C. is 1 A.D....ok so Jesus must have been born in 1 A.D....right? Well, no. What does the Bible say? 7. The Bible tells us Jesus was in Egypt "until the death of Herod" and according to history, Herod died in 4 B.C. So, 4 years "before Christ" Herod died, but how can that be? Herod the Great was alive when Jesus was alive, so how did he die in 4 B.C....4 years Before Christ? Well, simply speaking, the Gregorian Calendar founders did a poor job calculating the year of the birth of our Lord. So, when was Jesus born? 8. Well, let's look at these details...Herod wanted to kill Jesus, who was a "young child" when the Wise Men visited. Herod discerned, from the Wise Men, that the King of the Jews was around 1-2 years of age, so he had all the male children 2 years old and under put to death. 9. Herod dies in 4 B.C., Jesus is already 1-2 years old, so this would place the birth of Jesus at approximately 6-5 B.C. (And, this is when you make the "mind blown" motion). 10. And, there are additional Biblical and historic facts to substantiate this dating, such as when the census was conducted, John the Baptist starting his ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (Lk 3:1-2), and Jesus being about 30 years of age when He began His ministry...which we won't have time to discuss today, but all that said...Jesus was not born in the year 1 AD. He was born around 6-5 B.C. Last week we ruined the nativity scene for you, and this week we wreck the Gregorian calendar! But, come back next week...we will be discussing John the Baptist...I don't think there will be any surprises there. 11. Back to Matthew...so in verse 15, Joseph's family is in Egypt until the death of Herod in the year 4 B.C., so they were probably there only about a year or so before heading back to Judea, but we cannot say for certain. 12. At the end of verse 15, Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 "When Israel was a child I loved Him, And Out of Egypt I called my son." 13. This is the 2nd of 4 prophecies that Matthew references Jesus fulfilling in Chapter 2...all pointing out that Jesus is fulfilling prophecies...and indicator to the Jews that Jesus is their King and Messiah. 14. If you just read Hosea 11:1 at face value, you mind goes back to Exodus and Moses confronting Pharoah to "Let My people go..." and certainly that was relevant...even down to the point of God referring to Israel as His "son." 15. In Exo 4:22-23 God instructed Moses: "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn." 16. When Hosea wrote this prophecy, it did not seem prophetic, more of a recount of Israel's early history to compare and contrast how far they had fallen away from God. 17. But, Matthew gives us new light that Hos 11:1 was indeed prophetic looking forward to Jesus coming out of Egypt. 18. And, there are similarities between the account in Exodus and the account in Matthew...both Israel and Jesus were considered God's "son"...the nation of Israel by adoption, and the Messiah by divine and natural birthrights. Both went to Egypt to escape danger, and returned to Israel to fulfill their calling to God. 19. So, this is the 2nd fulfilled prophecy mentioned in Matthew 2. 20. The first was Mic 5:2 predicting the birthplace of the King...who would be a Ruler and a Shepherd. 21. The second was Hos 11:1 predicting the Son coming out of Egypt...and the Son of God, by all rights, is the King. continue to verses 16-18 Matt 2:16-18 "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more." Here in verses 16-18, we see that Herod the Great realizes he has been deceived by the wise men, he is very angry, and since they did not pinpoint who the Messiah was for him, Herod decides to kill all the male children under the age of 2 in Bethlehem. 1. It's interesting that Herod feels deceived by the wise men. If anyone was deceiving another, it was Herod attempting to deceive the wise men by saying in verse 8 "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." 2. Herod was the one trying to deceive...he did not want to worship, he wanted to destroy Messiah. 3. In verse 12, the wise men were warned of Herod's plot, through a divine dream and were instructed not to return to Herod. They were not being deceptive, the were being obedient to God. Which may have been some indicator that were saved at this point, as God is speaking to them...interesting that some of the first people to be saved in the New Testament are Gentiles. 4. And, in verse 16-18, we see some of the first, what you may call "martyrs" in the New Testament...when Herod has the male children of Bethlehem put to death...what is referred to as the "Massacre of the Innocents." 5. Herod recounts his conversation with the Wise Men, when they saw the star in the East, how long they travelled, etc. and determines Messiah's approximate age. Several scholars believe that he determined that age to be 1, and he doubled it to be sure. Whatever his calculation, he puts forth and orders soldiers to put to death all male children under the age of 2 in Bethlehem and all its districts... 6. This was a horrendous act! Herod sent soldiers to the small rural town of Bethlehem and had little boys who were still nursing killed, little boys just learning to walk and saying their first words murdered, not to mention family members were killed in this account...mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters who stepped up to protect their baby brothers. 7. All because Herod would not take any chances of losing his title. He was a horrible man, and many believe a type of Satan...influenced by Satan to try to destroy the Messiah. 8. Some people criticize the Bible because this account is not recorded in secular history, but Bethlehem was a small town...rather insignificant in secular history...some scholars estimate the number of male children killed would have been around 30 boys, which is still terrible, but in the grand scheme of how many people Herod killed, including his own notable family, it's no wonder the murder of these innocent boys eluded making it into the secular notation. 9. Matthew concludes this account citing that the Massacre of the Innocents, was a fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by Jeremiah. Jeremiah 31:15 10. When Jeremiah spoke this prophecy, he spoke of Rachel weeping. Rachel personified the mother's of Judah...she represented the nation of Judah...many of whom cried out in mourning as their children were killed or carried away into captivity, as king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah in 605 B.C. with Daniel, 597 B.C. with Ezekiel, and 586 B.C. the third deportation, ...in 586 B.C. specifically, Ramah was a staging point for the 3rd deportation, as is mentioned in Jer 40:1. 11. So, what does Ramah, a town 5 miles north of Jerusalem have to do with Bethlehem, a town 5 miles south of Jerusalem, and how do the invasions of Nebuchadnezzar relate to Herod's slaughter of the innocent children? 12. The fulfillment of Jer 31:15 as a fulfillment to the slaughter of the innocent children in Matt 2 hinges most upon the comparison of the deep seated grief expressed by mother's over the loss of their children (and certainly father's and other family members, but mother's typically wail the loudest when tragedy befalls their children). 13. The tremendous pain the mother's experienced in Ramah as they watched their children carried into exile realized it's full potential when Herod, who claimed to be the king of the Jews, slaughtered the Jewish boys in Bethlehem. Some would say that the weeping and mourning of this event was so great that it reached even the heart of Rachel, the ancestress of the nation of Judah...Rachel, mentioned here in Matt 2, is pictured as though she is lamenting from the grave. 14. Some scholars like to focus upon the geography, and even look back to Gen 35 when Rachel died in childbirth and named Benjamin "Ben-Oni" (son of my sorrow), and where she was buried...all good thoughts, but I see the greater fulfillment in the comparison of the deep emotion experienced by the mothers of Judah as they tragically lost their children. 15. It is worth noting that the following verse in Jeremiah... Jer 31:16 states "There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border." ...which was literally fulfilled in the near and the far, as the captives came back to Israel after 70 years in Babylon, and Jesus would return from Egypt. 16. So, this is the 3rd fulfilled prophecy mentioned in Chap. 2. 17. Mic 5:2 predicts the birthplace of the King. 18. Hos 11:1 predicts the Son coming out of Egypt...He is the Son of God, the rightful King. 19. Jer 31:15 predicts the great mourning as the enemy attempts the kill the King, and the King is exiled into Egypt continue to verses 19-21 Matt 2:19-21 "Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel." 1. Here in verse 19, we can pinpoint the date to 4 B.C....the year Herod the Great died. After Herod dies, the Lord now re-visits Joseph in a dream to let him know their season of sojourning in Egypt has come to a close. 2. We are not sure how long the family of Joseph was in Egypt, but most scholars agree Jesus was born in 6/5BC, and was 1-2 years old when the wise men visited and they travelled to Egypt. If God spoke to Joseph immediately following Herod's death, their return to Israel would have been around 4/5 B.C., making their stay in Egypt a short sojourn...maybe about a few months to max 2 years...whatever length of time...God in His divine protection took them out of Judah just enough time to protect Jesus from Herod's wrath. 3. Again, we see the Lord directing Joseph, and Joseph immediately obeys...he wakes up...takes the young Child Jesus, and Mary and returns to Israel. 4. This is the 3rd time an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream...quite the neat ministry he has...sleeping. If sleeping and divine revelation through dreams in your ministry...well that's pretty cool. 5. "Hey, tell me about your ministry!" "Well, you see, I sleep, and God speaks to me in dreams." Just imagine the reactions you would get today. 6. I doubt Joseph really vocalized this, except to Mary...good thing Gabriel spoke to her...she would have thought he lost his mind! 7. But hey, if God speaks to you in a dream, by a stirring of the spirit, in a vision...if you clearly receive a word from the Lord conclusively and without question...be like Joseph and obey...who cares what people think? You be obedient to God. Let's finish up in verses 22-23 Matt 2: 22-23 "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 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." 1. Joseph, Mary, and their young Child Jesus have now returned to Israel, and find out the Herod's son Archelaus was reigning over Judah, and they were afraid to live in any territory he oversaw (and Bethlehem was in Judea...one of his territories). 2. Listen for a minute to this abbreviated history of Archelaus coming into power...it helps us to understand why Joseph was afraid in verse 22, and why God directed Joseph to turn aside to Galilee. 3. Archelaus was born around 22 B.C. by Herod's wife Malthace (a Samaritan). He began his reign at age 18 and reigned from 4 B.C. to 6 A.D....10 years. Last week I mistakenly stated he only ruled 2 years. I must have looked at my dates wrong...but he indeed ruled 10 years. 4. Herod the Great, only 5 days prior to his death, revised his Will a 6th time naming Archelaus the principal heir to the throne, but this Will had not been ratified by the emperor. So, Archelaus began to rule in Judea as king, and even the soldiers pledged allegiance to him, but the Will would be contested. 5. Archelaus' rule started very bad. After Herod the Great died, the people made great demands (lower taxes, release of prisoners, retribution for Herod's brutality, replacement of the High Priest, etc.)...soon several revolts broke out. The first revolt was in retaliation for all the bloodshed caused by Herod the Great. To quell this revolution, Archelaus sent his horsemen who killed 3000 Jews in the Temple precinct during Passover. 6. And, there was another revolt that lasted 2 1/2 months while he was in route to Rome where Archelaus and his younger brother, Antipas, travelled to appeal to Caesar Augustus over who would rule. Archelaus wanted the title king and Antipas argued Herod had not been of sound mind and body in the final revision of the Will. Archelaus' Uncle Antipater testified against him; and his relatives sided with Antipas, all of whom hated Archelaus. 7. While in Rome a third rebellion broke out, which was quelled by Varus, Roman governor of Syria. Varus approved a delegation of 50 Jews to travel to Rome, who asked for annexation and direct Roman rule over Judea. This delegation was supported by 8000 Jews already living in Rome. 8. As you read through this history in Josephus' writings 'The Antiquities of the Jews' and in 'The War of Jews,' you can only imagine what a mess this was for Caesar. 9. In the end, as a compromise, Caesar denied the Archelaus the title king of the Jews, to which Archelaus was very bitter. 10. Archelaus was appointed Ethnarch...the ruler over an ethnic group...specifically Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. He ruled over half the kingdom king Herod the Great, his father, oversaw. Antipas and Philip each became a tetrach...ruling over 1/4th of the land. 11. Archelaus returned from Rome, outraged. He was told by Caesar that if he proved himself a capable ruler, he would be awarded the royal title, but he did not prove himself. 12. Josephus tells us when Archelaus took possession of his ethnarchy, he was resentful towards the Jews and Samaritans, because of former conflicts, and thus treated them "barbarously"...he was brutal towards them... so much so that Joseph, Jesus' father, was afraid to return to Judea, and for a 4th time, God appears to Joseph in a dream re-directing his steps from Judea to Galilee (where Antipas ruled). 13. Josephus summarized the end of Archelaus' reign as thus: "...in the tenth year of Archelaus's government, both his brethren and the principal men of Judea, and Samaria, [which was an amazing alliance because Jews and Samaritans hated one another] not being able to bear his barbarous and tyrannical usage of them, accused him before Caesar, and that especially because they knew he had broken the commands of Caesar... Whereupon Caesar, when he heard it, was very angry... And when he [Archelaus] was come [to Rome]...Caesar, ... both banished him, and appointed Vienna, a city of Gaul, to be the place of his habitation, and took his money away from him." 14. After Archelaus, only Roman Prefects and Procurators ruled this province. 15. So, divinely warned, Joseph steers clear of Archelaus and Judea, and brings his family to Nazareth, in Galilee...again it is notable to mention that Joseph is 4 for 4 in being obedient to God's direction as God reveals Joseph's next steps for where his family is to travel. Again, a reminder for us to be like Joseph in listening to and obeying our Lord. 16. Nazareth was a natural location for Joseph's family as Luke 1 records this was their hometown. This is where they lived when Gabriel first spoke to the virgin Mary. They only moved to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus decreed all should be registered in a census. But, in both these moves, not only were there natural reasons for their moves, but also supernatural, and the Messiah being born in Bethlehem fulfilled Mic 5:2, and being raised in Nazareth fulfill this prophecy in Matthew 2...our 4th prophecy in Matthew 2. 17. This is a difficult prophecy that Matthew records, in verse 23. He writes 'prophets' (plural) state "He shall be called a Nazarene." But, we don't have an exact recording of those words by any prophet. 18. Some scholars infer that Matthew is referring to Isaiah 11:1 "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots." The Hebrew word for Branch is "netser" which has consonants similar to those in the word "Nazarene." So, this would suggest Jesus was of king David's line, as Isa 11:1 speaks of the Messiah, the Branch, who comes out of Jesse (David's father). So, perhaps Matthew is being poetic or using a play on words to make this link. 19. An alternative, and perhaps better interpretation, is Matthew may be speaking more broadly about the character of Messiah. Since he speaks about prophets calling Messiah a "Nazarene" and many prophets wrote of his humble and lowly character, which was and is characteristic of Nazareth. 20. I remember when I visited Israel, we exchanged our money in Nazareth, and I was looking over my shoulder the whole time. Not the nicest of towns. 21. Nathaniel is recorded saying in John 1:46 "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" So, to be called a Nazarene, was a statement of contempt, and we know Jesus would be "despised and rejected by men" (Isa 53:3)...he would be "A reproach of men, and despised by the people." (Ps 22:6). 22. Amazing of our Lord to stoop so low to reach so many. 23. So, 4 prophecies in Chapter 2: 24. Mic 5:2 predicts the birthplace of the King. 25. Hos 11:1 predicts the Son coming out of Egypt...He is the Son of God, the rightful King. 26. Jer 31:15 predicts the great mourning as the enemy attempts the kill the King, and the King is exiled into Egypt 27. And, this obscure prophecy in Matthew 2:23 speaking about the King's lowly and humble beginning, the contempt man would have toward Him. 28. All significant prophecies. Wrapping Chapter 2 up today, we see that Matthew indeed continues to guide his Jewish audience along to see that Jesus is the King of the Jews, the Messiah. And we saw that God was guiding Joseph along, giving Him direction, guiding and providing...and Joseph...Joseph was obedient. You may come here today, and feel like you have no idea where or what direction the Lord is guiding you. I'd love to pray with you and ask the Lord to reveal His will for you life...to give you direction on how to follow him. Maybe the Lord has revealed something to you...maybe you need prayer to step out in faith and be obedient to that calling. I'd love to pray with you as well. And, maybe you are right in the center of God's will right now, and you are walking faithfully and to that I say Hallelujah. Wherever you are, be like Joseph...as God guided Joseph, he walked in faith and was obedient. Let's pray!