Daily Devotions
Out of Egypt
Reading for January 3: Genesis 9-12
Weekly reading for January 1-7: Matthew 1-4
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:14-15
In the early chapters of his gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as Israel, God's "firstborn Son" (Ex 4:22-23). Jesus is introduced as the Son of Abraham (Mt 1:1). He is rescued from a jealous king who murders infants (Herod = Pharaoh) and then taken to Egypt. Jesus comes out of Egypt and is baptized in the Jordan (Israel was "baptized" in the sea, 1 Cor 10:1-2). After his baptism he is tempted for forty days in the wilderness (Israel was forty years in the wilderness). However, in every temptation where Israel failed, Jesus is successful (quoting from Deuteronomy, Mt 4:4, 6, 10).
What Matthew is showing us is that Jesus is the true Israel. He is what Israel was intended to be all along by God.
And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” (Isaiah 49:3)
"I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
And now we, as the true Israel, are given the same mission (Gal 3:29; 6:16; Rom 2:28-29). We are to bring God glory on the earth, to be a light for the nations (Mt 5:14-16). We do this by resisting the temptations the devil presents to us. We are to live by every word of God (Mt 4:4). We don't tempt the Lord (Mt 4:6). And we worship and serve only the Lord (Mt 4:10).
And some day we'll be brought out of our captivity. We'll be raised with God's first born Son and be called out of Egypt to dwell in God's land of rest.
Father, help us to bring glory to your name by resisting the temptations of the devil in our wilderness. Bring us safely out of Egypt into your land of rest.
