Matthew 2:13-23 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 2:13-23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Verse 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, Verse 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
Verse 16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Verse 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: Verse 18"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
Verse 19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, Verse 20"Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." Verse 21Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. Verse 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. Verse 23There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
Devotion
Dreams that changed history are recorded within these verses. Matthew himself, like many writers of Scripture, must have experienced God’s guidance in dreams in order for him to give dreams center stage. Think of how dramatically dreams given to Joseph and to the wise men changed history.
Joseph took Mary as his wife, giving up his need to preserve his honor and resolving her problematic pregnancy. The wise men, after visiting the Christ child, avoided going back to Herod. Joseph quickly escaped to Egypt with his little family until a dream bid him to return. They then returned, not to Judea, but to safety in Nazareth of Galilee.
Following each dream, there is definite certainty, new courage and decisive action even against social custom. Throughout Scripture and in the early church it was normative for God’s will to be revealed through dreams and visions. This great gift was lost to the West until being revived recently by Carl Jung, Morton Kelsey and many more who have taught us to listen to our dreams.
Prayer
Dear God, give us courageous responses to your will, revealed even through our dreams. Amen.