#1422. Matthew 2:13–23 - Escape to Egypt and then to Nazareth (2/1/26)
- Matt Beaney
- Jan 2
- 3 min read
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue our Christmas series.
From Matthew 2:13–23, We see that God protects the infant Jesus and His family, and He will lead and protect us as His dearly loved children.
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1. God protects, leads and fulfils His Word
‘When 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.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where 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.”’ (Matthew 2:13-15)
The Christmas story repeatedly shows God speaking and leading in supernatural ways. Here, for the second time in these early chapters, God protects Jesus through a dream.
It remains a mystery why the God, who is Almighty, allows enemies and hardships to persist. Yet difficulties are part of life in a fallen world. Still, this passage reassures us that God is fully aware and sovereign over every threat against His purposes - and He actively protects and guides His people.
Joseph obeys immediately and sacrificially. He makes a seventy-five-mile journey to Egypt and waits there until God speaks again. Like Joseph (and like the Magi), we too can trust that God will lead, protect, and fulfil His promises when we listen and respond to His voice.
2. The enemy is opposes, but God is greater
‘When Herod realised 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. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “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.”’ (Matthew 2:16-18)
Herod’s mask quickly slips. His talk of ‘worship’ was a lie. His heart is full of pride, fear, and hatred - demonic forces at work to destroy God’s Messiah. But Herod’s rage cannot hinder God’s purposes.
Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15, a passage that laments deep sorrow but is immediately followed by God’s promise of hope and restoration:
‘This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. 17 So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord. “Your children will return to their own land.’ (Jeremiah 31:16-17)
This is exactly what is happening in Matthew’s account. Yes, there is grief and tragedy. Yet, in the coming of Jesus - and in His return from Egypt - God is announcing hope that breaks into darkness.
3. God leads them to Nazareth
‘After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and 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.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But 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, 23 and 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.’ (Matthew 2:19-23)
Once again, God leads Joseph through two dreams: first to return to Israel, then to settle in Nazareth for safety. Just as God once called Israel ‘out of Egypt’ (Hosea 11:1), so now He calls His Son out of exile and back into the land of promise. Even the obscure detail of settling in Nazareth fulfils God’s prophetic plan.
Response
The focus of this passage is God’s faithful protection over Jesus in His earliest days. The Father watched over His Son - and in Christ, He watches over us as His beloved family.
This does not promise a life free from disruption or hardship. Mary and Joseph had to ‘escape to Egypt’ - to make costly, uncomfortable choices in obedience to God. Yet through every trial, we can trust that God is working for good, guiding our steps, and fulfilling every one of His promises.
Today, let’s entrust ourselves once again to the God who leads, protects, and keeps His word.
Community Group Notes
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