Matthew 2:13 - Meaning and Application

We see here Christ’s flight into Egypt to escape Herod’s cruelty, and this came after the wise men’s search for him. Before that, his hidden life was his protection. Very little honor was shown to Christ in his infancy, far less than he deserved. Even the honor he did receive only made him more exposed among his own people.

First, notice the command given to Joseph about this. Joseph did not know the danger the child faced, or how to avoid it, but God told him both through an angel in a dream, just as he had done before (Matthew 1:20). Before he was joined to Christ, Joseph was not used to speaking with angels in this way. Those who are joined to Christ by faith have fellowship with heaven that they did not have before.

Joseph is told what the danger is: Herod will search for the young child in order to kill him. God knows all the cruel plans of the enemies of his church. He said to Sennacherib, “I know your rage against me” (Isaiah 37:28). How early the blessed Jesus was brought into trouble. Most people, even if their later years are full of hardship and danger, have a peaceful childhood. It was not so with Jesus. His life and his sufferings began together. He was born a man of sorrows, as Jeremiah was a man under attack (Jeremiah 15:10), one who was set apart from the womb (Jeremiah 1:5). Both Christ the head and the church his body can say, “Many times they have afflicted me from my youth” (Psalm 129:1). Pharaoh’s cruelty struck the Hebrew children, and a great red dragon stood ready to devour the male child as soon as he was born (Revelation 12:4).

Joseph is also told what to do to escape the danger: “Take the young child and flee into Egypt.” In this way Christ gave an early example of his own rule, “When they persecute you in one city, flee to another” (Matthew 10:23). He came to die for us, but when his time had not yet come, he fled to protect himself. Care for one’s own life is part of the natural law God has built into us, and so it is also part of God’s law.

Why Egypt? Egypt was known for idolatry, tyranny, and hatred toward God’s people. It had been a house of bondage for Israel, and it had been especially cruel to Israel’s infants. Rachel wept for her children in Egypt as well as in Ramah. Yet that very land was chosen as a refuge for the holy child Jesus. God can, when he wishes, make the worst places serve his best purposes, because the earth belongs to the Lord and he uses it as he pleases. Sometimes even the earth helps the woman (Revelation 12:16). The same God who made Moab a shelter for his outcasts made Egypt a refuge for his Son.

This command was a test of faith for Joseph and Mary. They might have wondered, “If this child is the Son of God, as we have been told, why must he be protected from a mere man by such a low and humbling retreat? Why does he not call legions of angels to guard him? Why not strike Herod dead, or dry up the hand stretched out against him?” They had been told that he would be the glory of his people Israel, and yet Israel’s land seemed too dangerous for him so soon. Still, they did not object. Their faith was tested and proved firm. They believed he was the Son of God, even though no miracle was done to keep him safe. Instead, they were sent to use ordinary means.

Joseph had already been honored by being given the blessed virgin as his wife, but honor in this world always brings trouble with it. Now he had to take the young child and carry him into Egypt. This shows how well God had already provided for the child and his mother by placing Joseph so near to them. The gold brought by the wise men would now help pay for the journey. God sees his people’s troubles ahead of time and makes provision before they arrive. His words, “Stay there until I tell you,” also show that Joseph must keep depending on God and not move without fresh direction.

We should also see here the humiliation of our Lord Jesus. As there was no room for him in the inn at Bethlehem, so there was no quiet place for him in Judea. He was driven out of earthly Canaan, so that we, who were shut out from heavenly Canaan because of sin, would not be cast out forever. If we, or our children, are ever in tight circumstances, we should remember the straits Christ was brought into as an infant and learn patience.

This also shows God’s displeasure against the Jews, who paid so little attention to Christ. He justly leaves those who despise him. At the same time, it hints at his favor toward the Gentiles, to whom the apostles would later bring the gospel when the Jews rejected it. If Egypt receives Christ when he is forced out of Judea, it will not be long before it is said, “Blessed be Egypt my people” (Isaiah 19:25).

Joseph obeyed this command (Matthew 2:14). The trip would be hard and risky for the young child and his mother. They were poorly supplied, and Egypt was not likely to welcome them warmly. Yet Joseph was not slow to obey the heavenly warning. As soon as he received the order, he got up and left by night, likely that very same night. Those who want to obey well must obey quickly.

Joseph went out like Abraham did, trusting God without knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Joseph and Mary had little, so they had little to lose in this move. A great deal of property makes a necessary flight harder. Rich people have an advantage while they keep what they own, but poor people often have the advantage when they must leave it behind. Joseph took the young child and his mother. Some note that the young child is named first, as the chief person, and Mary is called not Joseph’s wife, but the mother of the young child, which was her highest honor.

This was not the first Joseph driven from Canaan into Egypt for safety from the anger of his brothers. That Joseph should have been welcome there for his sake. According to tradition, when they entered Egypt and went into a temple, the idols fell down by an unseen power, like Dagon before the ark. This matches the prophecy that “the Lord will come into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence” (Isaiah 19:1). They stayed in Egypt until Herod died, which some think was seven years, and others think was not so many months.

There they were, far from the temple and its worship, and living among idolaters. But God had sent them there, and he desires mercy, not sacrifice. Even when they were far from the Lord’s temple, they still had with them the Lord of the temple. Forced distance from God’s ordinances, and forced contact with wicked people, may be part of a believer’s lot. It is not their sin, though it is still a heavy grief to them.

Third, Matthew shows the fulfillment of Scripture here, in Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Of all the Gospel writers, Matthew pays the most attention to how Scripture was fulfilled in Christ. That makes sense, because his Gospel was first published among the Jews, and this would give it extra force and beauty.

The prophet was clearly speaking first about Israel’s rescue from Egypt, when God called them his son, his firstborn (Exodus 4:22). But Matthew applies it to Christ, the head of the church, by way of comparison. Scripture has many fulfillments, because it is so rich and well ordered in all things. God is still fulfilling Scripture every day, and Scripture is not to be limited to only one meaning.

“When Israel was a child, I loved him. Though I loved him, I let him remain for a long time in Egypt, but because I loved him, in due time I called him out.” When people read this, they should look both backward and forward. What has happened before will happen again (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Even the way the words are phrased points to this, because it does not say, “I called him,” but “I called my son out of Egypt.”

It is nothing new for God’s sons to be in Egypt, in a foreign land and a place of bondage. But they will be brought out. They may be hidden in Egypt for a time, but they will not be left there. All God’s chosen people, since they are by nature children of wrath, are born into a spiritual Egypt, and in conversion they are truly called out of it.

Someone might object against Christ that he had been in Egypt. Must the Sun of righteousness rise out of that dark land? But this only shows that it is nothing strange. Israel was brought out of Egypt and raised to great honor, and Christ’s case is the same.