Lightened and Loaded
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
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.”
14 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.”
Matthew 2:12-15
The men who deal in dreams have no problem discerning the message from the Lord. They will not report to Herod, the unkingly king, of the child’s whereabouts. If Herod is half as conniving as he appears, he will have already sent a scout or two to see where the magi delegation settled. Given the regality of their procession it shouldn't have been difficult to ascertain.
The angel of the Lord comes to Joseph next, warning him to flee. He knows a thing or two about listening to angel messengers by now, and obeys immediately, even taking his wife and messiah child in the night hours.
There will be little rest for the weary, but maybe they’re accustomed to that by now. However, drawing from our own experiences in frequent moves and transitions, there is little acclimation to be had in the uprooting and reworking of daily life necessitated in sudden moves. Both unplanned travel and unplanned relocations have at least one thing in common. They are very expensive, always more expensive than anticipated.
As it turns out, Mary and Joseph have had a rather timely windfall, which should help finance this untimely transition(the further fruit of those ancient seeds in Babylon) . They would experience the life lived in obedience to the Father’s will. It will be marked by both unpleasant poverties and perfect provisions.
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
Hosea 11:1
When Israel was called out of Egypt, they were taught through no light struggles that they must trust and obey. In obedience, they would discover God’s kindly providences, while in rebellion they would be subject to His chastening…which would lead them back to obedience. Even forty years of training in trust was not enough for this stiff-necked people. Sojourning in the wilderness, the Lord would provide them with their daily bread, manna. The exercise was simple; trust the Lord for daily sustenance and provision. If and when they lacked trust and attempted to store up manna for themselves, when they sought to establish independence and self-reliance, their provision would turn rotten and maggot-infested (Exodus 16:20).
Unlike Israel, Jesus would learn this lesson well, from his youngest years. So thorough was his training in trusting God’s provision, he would later say things like,
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 6:31-32
And he would call His own words forth from ancient days, revealing them anew to his children:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
It was in the same eternal word-inspired breath He had uttered:
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
As they called them,
So they went from them;
They sacrificed to the Baals,
And burned incense to carved images.
3 “I taught Ephraim to walk,
Taking them by their arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
4 I drew them with gentle cords,
With bands of love,
And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck.
I stooped and fed them.
Hosea 11:1-4
There is a tenderness in the tribulations to which our Lord calls us. He offers us both crosses and consolations, poverties and provisions, lighter yokes in loaded labors. As complex as we might attempt to paint our realities, they are rather simple. Obedience or obstinance, moved toward his purposes or mired in our own. God calls His sons into and out of Egypt, and we must be willing both ways.
Have you fallen to the deception of sanctified self-reliance?
Are you willing to be lead back into Egypt should the Lord call? Can you give up your wealth and securities to trust in God’s provision alone?
Are you moveable to God’s purposes, or mired in your own?
