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.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 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.” (Matthew 2:13-15)

Jesus Came Out Of Egypt

The first few years of the life of Jesus were remarkable. He was conceived in the womb of a virgin living in Nazareth. Prophecies were given that Jesus would be born of the house of David in the small town of Bethlehem, near Jerusalem. Because of a decree from Caesar Augustus that all in the Roman Empire should be registered, Joseph and Mary returned to the city of their birth. It must have been a difficult journey as Mary neared the end of her pregnancy. Arriving in Bethlehem, the time for the birth of God’s Son arrived. It was not a grand palace, or a wealthy home, or a place of notable significance where Jesus would be born. There will be no dignitaries to herald His birth. Mary delivered her Firstborn Son with only Joseph as her helper. Joseph cut the umbilical cord, wrapped Jesus tightly, and presented Him to Mary. The place of Jesus’ birth was in a barn and where Mary laid the Son of God in a manger.

Shepherds from the field outside of Bethlehem came to see the baby Jesus and marveled at Joseph and Mary as Jesus slept in the manger crib. Angels had told only some shepherds of the birth of Jesus. Soon, Joseph would find a house for the family to live in, and Jesus began to grow. When eight days were completed, in accordance with the Law of Moses, Jesus was circumcised. When Jesus was 40 days old, Joseph and Mary took the infant to the Temple in Jerusalem less than five miles away. The first two years of Jesus’ life were in Bethlehem. One day some men from the East came to visit Jesus and His family, leaving gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Shortly after the men left, an angel of the Lord warned Joseph to take Mary and the child and flee to Egypt. He was not told to return to Nazareth but to go to Egypt, a two-hundred-mile journey. The gifts from the wise men enabled the travel and stay in Egypt. It is not clear how long the family remained in Egypt, but after the death of Herod, the family returned to Nazareth. Jesus would grow up to be a Nazarene

Egypt always had a place in the story of the people of God. Abraham journeyed to Egypt when there was a famine in the land. Joseph was sold into slavery at the age of eighteen and would spend the rest of his life there. After his family moved to Egypt, the generations of sons of Jacob would become a mighty people among the Egyptians. When a Pharaoh arose that did not honor Joseph, he enslaved the Hebrews out of fear. The oppression became heavy upon the children of Abraham, and they cried out to God for deliverance. There was nothing in their power that could deliver them until the Lord sent Moses and, through many mighty works, saved the people from the bondage of slavery.

The final act of God upon the Egyptians was the death of the firstborn. Only the Jews were saved who put the blood of a lamb on the doorpost and lintel of their homes. God passed over the house when He saw the blood. Pharaoh relented and permitted the Hebrews to leave. Trapped by the Red Sea, the Israelites were fearful of being destroyed by the approaching Egyptian army after Pharaoh had a change of heart. Again, the Lord delivered the people as the Red Sea parted and the people walked across on dry land. What saved the Hebrews also destroyed the Egyptians when they entered the sea. Salvation came by the hand of God.

Jesus journeyed to Egypt and fulfilled prophecy. God would call His Son from Egypt and become a pattern of deliverance for all men. The bondage of Egypt is the bondage of sin. Nothing in the power of man can save him apart from the grace of God. Jesus went down into Egypt as a child to show the Father’s redemption of all men. Herod wanted to kill Jesus, but the Lord would not allow it. Jesus was called from Egypt to remind the Jews of how God had saved them. The Son of God lived in a world of His ancestors to show His place in the redemptive plan of the Father. Like the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel, the blood of Jesus will cause God to pass over sin. Only through the waters of baptism (the Red Sea) is deliverance granted to those who obey the word of the Lord and present the blood of Jesus to the Father. Jesus became the means of salvation as one called from Egypt.