Divinely Guided, Divinely Warned, Divinely Saved, Matthew 2

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I don’t know if there is a more day to day PRACTICAL and useful miracle than God warning us and God guiding us, seemingly tweaking the system for us while keeping everything going. I mean He is magnificent and meaningful too… God intercedes!

God knows us and therefore He knows when to TRY to get our attention – and certainly He urges us to “Pray without ceasing” – so we SHOULD take advantage of this great offer – not just a gimmick but a God Who CARES and is aware and knows that this world is broken and calls for us to hold onto His Peace – try try try…

We can pray to the Lord for guidance – and trust in HIM over trusting in people (even if they are well meaning) and trust IN Him over trusting our failable hearts – and TRUST in HIM – over second guessing.

Certainly for the major spiritual activities that defined the path for Jesus to grow up in – and to fulfil prophecy, God Divinely guided the outcomes and every step of the way: Matthew’s gospel recounts Divine Guidance for the traveling wisemen: “behold, the star which they [the Wisemen] had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” 

I am sure that a “Trust your gut” feeling was what the Wisemen had in addition to that dream. I am sure we also need to read the situations around us and see what is plain as day and know that there must be a path forward – just keep looking. A Divine path is what the Lord provides.

AND the advice to Joseph was Divine too: “when they [the Wiseman] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

Divinely guided and Divinely Warned – God does both – and for some reason God allows for scheming too – we fail to understand why such heartache and evil exists in the world – like Herod does to put 2 and 2 together with his scholars knowing the prophecy and the wisemen seeing the signs. But in this case, God allowed Divine intervention for both the wisemen and Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus to steer clear of the worldly danger for this time…  Wisemen went home in a different direction, not telling Herod, and separately Joseph learned from a divine intervention to escape down to Egypt with the babe Jesus.

The tragedy that enfolded, killing of innocents, is summarized in a sad prophecy: Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

Why does God allow pain? I have no authority nor Divine healing power to say why – and it is not feeling enough to say “it is what it is” – too cold to say that…  We do know “God will right the wrong” – He will eventually judge all – and He will be certainly healing our broken wounds. We are told in scripture to let God handle everything in that Divine punishment – let God do the retribution and not us – and we are to be forgiving and “turn the other cheek” – this is not easy – this is Divine intervention that we MUST wait upon and in the meantime tap into His Wisdom to get out of the situations but also understand the situations that we are in – we must see the brokenness not ignore it – and then see which is the door opening or window opening to look for the guiding Hand of the Lord. Divinely Saved.

The Lord has a Divine Plan that has lasted from before time – He will guide the rest – let us let HIM help us…

AMEN

Matthew 2 New King James Version
Wise Men from the East
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Flight into Egypt
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Massacre of the Innocents
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

The Home in Nazareth
Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”