When God Was in Hiding But Still in Control

December 31, 2007 by admin.

Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

 In the name of the Babe of Bethlehem, dear friends in Christ,

Just a couple more days, and the holidays will be over for another year. You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from people everywhere. But the relief that many anticipate is not necessarily because the hectic pace of shopping, parties, travel, and the like are finally coming to an end. Some are happy to see the holidays fade away because they find the holidays to be the most depressing time of the year. As I mentioned in an earlier sermon, suicides peak at this time of year, along with reports of spousal and child abuse. While many are celebrating with family and friends, others are left feeling unwanted, as if no one cares about them, not even God himself. They’re left by themselves to handle life and all that comes with it, and so often the burden heaped upon their sagging shoulders becomes too much for them to bear.

There’s some sad irony here, because Christmas is meant to provide hope. It’s meant to assure us that someone does care, that we’re never alone, because God is always with us. Yes, we have a loving Lord who cared so much that he sent his Son to save us. We have a loving Lord who is constantly watching over us. We have a loving Lord who promises to be us always until we’re with him forever in heaven.

This morning we have the account of the Baby Jesus having to take refuge in Egypt in order to escape a threat to his life. Even though he seemed to be a victim of circumstances, don’t think for a moment that the Lord was caught off guard by these events and fumbling for answers as to what to do next. Not in the least! This morning we find comfort in reviewing the time:

“When God Was in Hiding But Still in Control”

I. Completely rely on his protection

II. Confidently trust in his promises

We find Mary, Joseph, and their newborn just a few weeks or maybe months removed from Jesus’ birth. The wise men had made their visit to their home (cf. Mt. 2:11 – “house”), and were now on their way back, having left behind some gifts. Not just a coincidence or a nice gesture on their part, but these gifts serve as proof that God is always in control, for the gifts would help fund a little journey in Mary and Joseph’s future (v 13), “When [the wise men] 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.’” God the Father was protecting his Son by sending him into hiding. He wasn’t safe in Bethlehem. The maniacal monarch Herod had become paranoid about his throne, misunderstanding the wise men when they told him they were looking for the “king of the Jews” (Mt 2:2). He assumed they were talking about an earthly king, a threat to his reign. So he asked them to report back to him once they had found the child, presumably so he too could worship him. But God was in control of this situation as well, sending an angel to tell the wise men to skip their little visit to Herod on the way back and to head straight home.

No news from the Magi only fueled the fire of Herod’s paranoia. He now had a new plan to eliminate his perceived competition (Mt 2:16), “When Herod realized 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.” Herod went on a bloody rampage. Some have concluded that thousands of baby boys lost their lives that evening, but keep in mind that we sing “O little town of Bethlehem.” Bible scholars estimate there may have been only 15-30 baby boys killed, which still doesn’t make the act any less brutal. That little town which not long before had been filled with angelic songs now became the site of bitter tears.

But one baby boy was spared, because Joseph listened to the angelic travel agent sent to him by God (vv 14,15), “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.’” The flight to Egypt saved Jesus’ life, and it saved our lives as well. We’ve been protected from eternal death because Jesus was protected from the sword of Herod.

Even though we’re still basking in the joy of another Christmas celebration, still we realize that our lives are filled with sorrows and trials yet to come. But should we expect otherwise? Does this fact mean that we’re not being protected by our God? Think of Mary and Joseph. Their lives actually grew very complicated once Jesus entered their lives. An expecting virgin to explain, a long trip to Bethlehem in the ninth month of pregnancy, an emergency barnyard birth in a “No Vacancy” town, and now an unplanned trip south to a foreign country. Mary and Joseph still faced grief and endured troubles even with Jesus in their lives. And so will we. Scripture tells us not to expect to be surrounded by a rose garden just because we’re Christians. Instead (Ac 14:22), “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” And you can expect to see your share in the coming new year. The very same hearts where Christ has made his manger bed will often be broken by grief. There are no guarantees that our future here on this earth will ever be free from pain and sorrow.

But we can still rely completely on God’s protection – the same protection that averted Herod’s evil plans. Even while in hiding God was still in control! Herod may have had his soldiers and henchmen hunting down the Son of God, but God the Father was using his own angelic soldiers to warn Joseph and to keep his Son safe. That same God also knows the evil plans of the devil and others who are intent on doing us harm. He knows everything that lies ahead in our lives. He’s seen our tomorrow before we even get there. And he knows how to protect us! What comfort there is for us when we completely rely on the Lord’s protection, understanding that even in our topsy-turvy world God is still always in control!

But how do we know that God will continue to watch over and protect us in the future? After all, we live in a world littered with broken promises. Friends – even so-called “best” friends – often turn out to be something different than we thought. Family members, whether intentionally or not, often let us down and fail to come through with promises they’ve made. When we hear the words, “I promise,” we almost cringe with the dreaded anticipation of being let down once again. But with God there’s never a disappointment. He was there for his Son, and through his Son he was there for the world. Don’t expect things to change. Confidently trust in his promises!

It was through the prophet Hosea that the Lord proclaimed (Hos 11:1), “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” This prophecy was made over 700 years before Christ’s birth. In our text Matthew reminds us that this passage also applies to Jesus. God was fulfilling another prophecy – keeping another promise – by using Herod’s threat to send his Son to Egypt. Even this event shows that God is always in control!

But all those Old Testament prophecies that spoke of Jesus being raised back in Galilee still had to be fulfilled. How was that going to happen with Jesus down in Egypt? No problem for the Lord (vv 19,20), “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 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.’” Again Joseph trusted the Lord (v 21), “So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.” But there was another obstacle facing Joseph: Herod’s evil son had taken his place. Again, not a problem for the Lord (vv 22,23), “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, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.” More changes in the plans, but even these were made to fulfill promises and prophecies made by God in the past (v 23), “So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Getting Mary and Joseph down to Bethlehem to have the baby fulfilled one prophecy, and now God controls history to get them back to Nazareth in order to fulfill more prophecies – giving us every reason to confidently trust in all of his promises today!

Our Lord doesn’t lie – never has, never will – so everything he’s promised us will come true. He promised us cleansing from all our sins (Isa 1:18), “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” He delivered on that promise (1 Jn 1:7), “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Now we know that he’ll keep us safe while we live our lives here on this earth (Ro 8:28), “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We know that eternal life in heaven is in our future because of the promise of our Good Shepherd (Jn 10:27,28), “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Eternal mansions await us (Jn 14:1-3), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

When it seems as if your life is spinning out of control, just look up. Look to the one who promises so much to you and to me, the one who has a perfect record when it comes to keeping promises. Listen to Jesus: “Trust in God; trust also in me.” Trust completely in his promises, knowing that the Lord is always in control!

With the end of the holidays you might be dreading getting back to the daily grind of the same old routine. Perhaps you find that thought a bit depressing. If so, follow the example of the shepherds when they went back to their “same old routine” (Lk 2:20), “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” They didn’t hide their joy, and it made a difference in their lives. Let’s not put Jesus back in hiding, but let’s take him with us every day, singing his praises and showing the joy that is ours with a God who’s always watching over us, a God who always keeps his promises, a God who’s always in control!

Amen

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

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