WEDNESDAY, 30 December, 2020 “Egypt Wilderness”

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

With now less than 48 hours until the ‘launch’ of a new year, 2021, I wonder what preparations you are making to complete the story of your life this year of 2020 and begin your life journey in a brand new year?

During these next two days, I hope you find time to pause and reflect… both back over 2020, and forward into 2021. These are precious moments and I urge you to ponder this thought: The trajectory of your 2021 may depend on how well you understand the journey and experiences of your life in 2020!

Would you join me in spending this day with Joseph, Mary, and infant Jesus… not in the Bethlehem stable, not in the ‘house’ in Bethlehem when the Magi visited, not even in their home in Nazareth where Jesus spent His childhood. But let’s spend this day with them in Egypt.

Have you ever considered the similarity between Moses and Jesus as infant boys? Remember in Exodus 1, Moses was born at a time in history when the Egyptian Pharaoh had declared that ALL baby boys, born to Hebrew women in Egypt, were to be thrown into the Nile river, as soon as they were born, to drown. And King Herod in Jerusalem had sent soldiers to slaughter all the baby boys in Bethlehem attempting to kill Jesus. Both boys were born in ‘the valley of the shadow of death’!

Moses’ parents hid him for several months and then finally made a little basket boat and set him afloat on the Nile, trusting him to God. (Exodus 2) Mary birthed Jesus in an animal stable, and with Joseph she attempted to provide as best they could in their poverty in Bethlehem, but then suddenly they were warned by an angel, to run for their lives… to Egypt!

Perhaps you know the life stories of Moses and Jesus well enough to continue following the comparison in their adult lives. It’s really quite amazing isn’t it?

We don’t know how long Joseph, Mary and Jesus spent in Egypt, but we are safe to imagine they lived like refugees. They knew no one in Egypt, they didn’t know the Egyptian language or customs. About all they had financially was the treasures the Magi had given them. Let’s walk with them as they approach their first Egyptian village having fled Bethlehem, in the middle of the night. Can you hear Mary asking Joseph, ‘Should we try here? Do you think you could find work here? Do you think we’d be safe here?’

2020 for us, all of us, wherever you are in the world, was a year we will never forget. Uncertainty, volatility, unpredictability, fear, sickness, death, job loss, the sudden closure of schools, churches, businesses and even travel… isolation, and far more questions than available answers. . .that was 2020 for many people, how about you?

As we walk our paths of life sometimes those paths lead us into the wilderness don’t they? Sometimes it’s our own bad choices, sometimes we are victims to things we can’t control. But the frustration, despair, hopelessness, confusion and often fear in the wilderness is a hard place to be, isn’t it? That’s where Joseph and Mary found themselves. Not for a moment or a long night or several days, but for months, maybe even a few years! In fact, I think it’s safe to say that ever since both Joseph and Mary were visited by angels and invited into God’s miraculous Christmas story… life had become very complicated and painful for both of them! Have you ever found yourself in a wilderness like their Egypt? What did you learn in your wilderness? How long did your wilderness last? What did you do during that time? How did you cry out to God? And what did God do FOR you, WITH you, and IN you during your wilderness experience?

There is a gap of time between Matthew 2:18 and 19… it’s the time Joseph, Mary and infant Jesus spent as refugees in Egypt, their wilderness experience. The Bible is silent about that time. What do you suppose happened in those months? There are several Psalms which reflect what they might have been thinking and feeling. I invite you to consider Psalm 13 or 143 this morning? May I ask… do those Psalms reflect your heart today, as 2020 draws to a close?

Now here’s a really important thought: Wilderness times shape us. They shape how we handle disappointment, frustration, and wilderness times especially shape our character. Wilderness times in many ways redefine our spiritual identity. Usually either our faith in and relationship with God grows dramatically in wilderness times, or we turn sour, we first doubt and then turn away and even reject God. So what has been your wilderness experience and who are you as a result? Are the circumstances of your life right now causing you to feel like you are in a wilderness? What are you doing about that? Are you seeking God, or are you angry at God, or are you watching carefully to see what God will do next? And in the meantime, are you doing the very best you can to live a God honoring life, even in the wilderness?

For Joseph and Mary, living in their wilderness in Egypt, suddenly one night Joseph’s sleep was interrupted by an angelic visitation! “It’s time. Get up, take the child and His mother and go back to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are now dead.” (Matt. 2:19) What do you suppose Joseph did? Did he wake Mary right away and tell her of the dream he just had? Did he ponder and pray, and make a plan, and then in the morning approach Mary with the best news she could have imagined? Did they pack and leave that Egyptian village that very day, heading north, back to their homeland, Israel?

As they walked along did they thank God over and over for His provision, His protection, His guidance and the remarkable blessing of little Jesus whom God had given them? Might little boy Jesus have been by then perhaps old enough to walk alongside Joseph? As they approached the border of Egypt and Israel, I wonder if Joseph recounted the story of the Exodus to Mary and little Jesus, reminding them that just as their ancestors had fled Egypt following God, so they were now doing the same and surely God would lead them to the right place for their new home. May I ask… how has God delivered you from the wildernesses in which you have found yourself?

As Joseph and Mary traveled, I’m sure they discussed plans, as you and I would have. But so many questions… should they return to Bethlehem again, or should they pick a new town? Had enough time passed that maybe they could consider returning to Nazareth? Evidently as they crossed the border between Egypt and Israel, they began asking questions of those people whom they met on the road. What was news in Israel? Since king Herod had died, who was now in charge, and how was life under a new administration in Israel?

History tells us that king Herod the Great died in 4bc of an incurable disease. Before his death he made a leadership succession plan, dividing his region of rule into three sections, one for each of his sons. Archelaus received from his father the area of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, including the city of Jerusalem. Herod Antipas received the region of the Galilee and Perea. Herod Philip II received Trachonitis. Here’s a map to help you see the regions described…

As Joseph, Mary and little Jesus traveled, their anxiety grew. Reports were that Archelaus was a vicious man. Perhaps even worse as a leader than his father Herod the Great. Matthew wrote this: “Having been warned in another dream, Joseph went to the district of Galilee, to the town of Nazareth.” (Matt. 2:22) And this, my friends, is where the Christmas accounts of Matthew and Luke rejoin together, with both of them telling us that Joseph settled his family in Nazareth, and that town became the earthly, boyhood home of Jesus. Dr. Luke writes: “And the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40)

Once again the Scriptures are silent, not giving us any indication of what took place in Nazareth until Jesus reached age 12. We’ll look at that event on New Year’s day, as we begin a new year together. For today, with only a few hours remaining in 2020, may I urge you to reflect on these questions: Was this past year a wilderness experience for you? Are you ready for God to lead you out, into a new and exciting future with Jesus in 2021?

I leave you today with one final, powerful Christmas song, called Joseph’s song. I think this song may help us understand some of the thoughts Joseph must have wrestled with, especially in their wilderness time in Egypt. I hope it helps you prepare for God leading you out of 2020 and into 2021. . .

Today’s Scripture is Luke 2.

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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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