Matthew 2 (NKJV)
Wise Men from the East
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in
the East and have come to worship Him.”
Note: Men came from far away to meet with Jesus. We can meet
with him right where we are at. He is always there.
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes
of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Note: So many people knew where the Christ would be born but
no one was looking for His coming. How many of us are looking today. The signs
are coming together, prophecy is being fulfilled, could Jesus be coming soon.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it
is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Note: Another prophecy being fulfilled concerning the coming
of Jesus. It comes from Micah 5:2
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men,
determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to
Bethlehem and said, “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.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the
star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood
over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when
they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.
Note: They brought gifts to Jesus which gave them the
finances they were going to need for their next move. They didn’t know what God
had planned yet. When God blesses us we need to inquire of the Lord what he
blessing is for. Don’t just spend, but maybe God is providing for you in
advance of something that is coming down the line. Also, don’t be afraid to
give to the Lord your tithes and offerings.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should
not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
Note: As we talked about in Chapter 1, God gives dreams but
it is up to us as to whether or not we fulfill them. God will show us the way
but it is up to us to walk in it.
The Flight into Egypt
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.”
Note: We have to majors here. One, prophecy being fulfilled.
That’s the second one in this chapter. This word was given in Hosea 11:1 and
fulfilled here. The second thing is again, the obedience to a dream. Begin
writing down your dreams to see what God is saying to you through your dreams.
Massacre of the Innocents
16 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.”
Note: The third fulfillment of prophecy of Christ in this
chapter. The odds of one fulfillment is incredible. They concluded that the
chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000. After examining
only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that
the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17.To
illustrate how large the number 10^17 IS (a figure with 17 zeros), 1 in 100000000000000000.
We already have three in this chapter.
19 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.
Note: Joseph was good at understanding dreams or at least
being obedient to them. It should encourage us to learn more on what God is
saying to us through our dreams.
22 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.”
Note: Here is number 4 prophecy being fulfilled just in Chapter
2. The promise we have is that Gods word does not return void to Him. It
accomplishes that which it was sent for. It’s okay to ask God what He is saying
to us. Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s important to ask.
