Carson Village, Birmingham, Alabama
When they (the magi) 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.” ~ Matthew 2:13
How often do you think about the flight to Egypt? I think most of us kinda forget about it because it’s after Christmas. But the Christmas Story; Jesus’s story; Joseph and Mary’s story; doesn’t end when the wise men left.
There’s a sense of tension, apprehension and danger hanging heavy in the air – maybe from the moment Joseph heard the Magi had stopped by to visit Herod, maybe not until Joseph awoke from his dream – but it was there. All of Heaven knew it. But they also knew that God had this covered.
And then the time came for the angel of the Lord to go speak to Joseph. Wonder if it was the same angel for all his dreams? I wonder if he spoke urgently, striking fear in Joseph’s heart so he’d move out as quickly as possible? I wonder if Joseph spoke calmly to Mary when he told her they had to leave immediately, or did he rush around in semi-panic mode as he gathered the supplies they’d need? I wonder what they thought about going to Egypt? This was the place God had removed His people from 1,500 years earlier. The place His people were supposed to avoid returning to – even though there was a Jewish population there at the time. Still, Joseph and Mary were righteous people, striving to do right in God’s sight at all times, so this had to seem like a strange command. Unless. Unless Joseph was considering yet another prophecy, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son.” ~ Hosea 11:1
And God told them to go for an undisclosed amount of time. Such faith this couple lived!
It wasn’t an easy trip God asked of Joseph and his family. It was roughly 100 miles to the nearest Jewish settlement in Egypt. And it was certainly not a walk in the park. The terrain would’ve been rocky, hilly and desert – arid, with canyons as well as wadis that produce flash floods in winter (we don’t know what time of year it was), bare craggy peaks, craters and rock-strewn plateaus where the climate is drier and the mountains are higher.
Just look at the pictures I found!
But it was necessary. Not only to protect Jesus in order to allow Him to fulfill His mission on earth (God could’ve done that without the journey); allowing Him to teach, and bring about the salvation of the entire world, but also to fulfill prophecy that the Messiah, God’s Son, would come out of Egypt. Have you ever considered that fulfilled prophesies provide proof?
I wonder what they did when they got there? What lessons did God teach them? Did He speak to them during and after the trip? Where did they live? How did Joseph provide for them? How long were they there? Were they tempted to tell people about this Son they were raising? Or did they just raise Him like any other child? What did the other kids and parents in the neighborhood think of Him? I’m thinking He surely must’ve come across like any other child/young man/adult, because Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that those who knew Him, questioned His knowledge and miraculous healing as He began His ministry on earth. So many questions!
In the midst of all the questions though, let’s not lose sight of the important lesson. Joseph and Mary did as God commanded, even though they didn’t know what they were going to do, or exactly where they were going to end up. Even though it caused hardship. Even though it wasn’t fun. Even thought it was scary.
Their faith – their steadfast belief that God would care for their family – won out against any doubts they may have had.
We ventured out on our final hike with David today, covering most of the trails at Turkey Creek once again. The difference today was in the amount of water flowing down the river. It made for a wonderful respite alongside the water as we enjoyed the sight and sound.
I just remember us fighting all the time. Mom probably does too. : )
He had us staring at the sun to take this. : )
Up there’s where I fell in the other day.
I managed to dissuade David from tossing me back into the drink by promising him Fried Rice for dinner tonight. 😊
No recipe. Just chop and fry up any leftover veggies you have in sesame oil (you can add diced spam if you want, which I did) – onion, green and red pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, carrots, peas, spinach, fresh parsley – along with a good amount of minced garlic, pour in soy sauce to taste. Stir in cooked rice and add more soy sauce if desired. That’s all there is to it!
Be sure you make enough to have leftovers!
Hmmmm . . . .
If not, maybe it’s because there’s quite a bit more water now. : )
Tomorrow David returns to work, and we prepare to leave town with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we’re really gonna miss David, ☹ but on the other hand, we’re anxious to get on the road again! Hey! I’ll bet I could write a really good country song about that . . . . 😊