Out of Egypt

Matthew says that when Jesus came back from Egypt, God's old words came true: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matthew 2:15). To understand those words, we need to go back to Israel's story in Egypt.

Down to Egypt. In a famine, God told Jacob, “Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there” (Genesis 46:3). Jacob's son Joseph was already there, ruling under Pharaoh.

A promise to bring them back. God also said, “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again” (Genesis 46:4). God planned the way out before they ever went in.

A growing family. In Egypt, “the children of Israel were fruitful” and grew into a great nation (Exodus 1:7). God kept His promise.

Hard times. “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). The Egyptians made Israel slaves and made “their lives bitter with hard bondage” (Exodus 1:14). Bondage means slavery.

God heard. “So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24). A covenant is a promise God binds Himself to keep.

My son. God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me” (Exodus 4:22-23). God loved Israel the way a father loves his child.

Out of Egypt. God brought Israel out with mighty signs and wonders. “All the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41).

Through the sea. “So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 14:30). God's people walked through the sea on dry ground.

Never forget. God began the Ten Commandments with, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2).

Hosea remembers. Hundreds of years later God said through Hosea, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son” (Hosea 11:1).

A sad answer. In the very next verse, Hosea says Israel kept running away from God to worship idols (Hosea 11:2). God's son did not love Him back faithfully.

Waiting for a true Son. Israel needed a Son who would love and obey the Father with His whole heart. That Son is Jesus.

What we learn. God loves His people like a Father and rescues them from slavery. He kept every promise to Israel, and He keeps every promise to you.

Israel was God's son, but Israel often turned away. Jesus is God's true Son. He walked the same road Israel walked, and He did everything right.

Down to Egypt. Like Jacob's family long before, the young Child Jesus went down to Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:14).

Called out. When Herod died, God brought Him back: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matthew 2:15).

Through the water. Israel passed through the sea. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Into the desert. Israel was tested in the desert for forty years and often complained. Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

The right answer. When the devil tempted Him, Jesus answered with words from Deuteronomy, the book about Israel's desert years: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Without sin. Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Where Israel failed, Jesus obeyed.

Why it matters. “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Jesus obeyed for us.

A greater rescue. Israel needed rescue from Pharaoh. We need rescue from sin. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13).

The Lamb. In the first exodus, a lamb died so that the firstborn could live. Jesus is the Lamb who died for us. John the Baptist said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Bought back. We were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Redeemed means bought back.

Free indeed. Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

What we learn. Jesus is the faithful Son who did what Israel could not do and what we cannot do. Trust Him, and He sets you free from sin.

What to do. When you are tempted this week, answer the way Jesus did, with God's Word. Learn one verse by heart that you can say when you are tempted.