12 Days of Christmas - The Real Story (Day 11) - Another Way
Matthew 2:12-15
Having seen the infant Jesus, the wise men must have made camp or had a place to stay for the night. If the star stood above them when they arrived at the home of the Child, it was likely late at night.
That night, they dreamed a dream, or one of them did at least.1 In their dream, God warned them that they should not return to Herod. No other details of their dream are mentioned, and so any speculation about what the dream was or what they learned as a result of the dream is just that, speculation. Maybe they learned of Herod’s intentions, or maybe they did not.
And so, they left that little town of Bethlehem via another road. They did not make their way back through Jerusalem. Jerusalem would have been the next place to go on their route back to the east, and so going another direction was a bit out of their way. This was not a problem for them, because they understood that God had another plan.
It sounds from the text like Joseph and Mary were not immediately made aware of the danger that they were in. In verse 13 it says that when [the wise men] were departed, the angel .. appear[ed] to Joseph in a dream.2 This was not a vision, as in something revealed while awake, but a dream, which meant Joseph had been asleep. Either the wise men woke only a few hours later and rushed to leave, giving Joseph enough time to fall asleep again, or Joseph’s dream came on the next night.
Since these wise men would have traveled with a caravan and did not appear to be in a hurry, it makes more sense to me that there was a day between when the wise men left Bethlehem, and when Joseph and Mary left.
This dream that Joseph had was reminiscent of the dream he had before when Mary was found to be with child.3 In both cases the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him to take action. In the case of Mary, he was to take her as his wife. In this case, he was to take “the young Child and Mary His mother, and flee into Egypt”.
For both the wise men and for this young family, God was directing them to go another way. There had been no intention for them to change their plans, and no reason humanly speaking that they should do anything different than their original plan. The wise men would have gone back to king Herod, and Joseph would have kept his family in Bethlehem.
God sometimes leads us in another way. Sometimes that way seems like it will take extra effort, or extra time, and we don’t usually like it when that happens. There is a way that seems right to us, but there are times when that way is the way of death.4 If we are using only our own wisdom to make the decisions of our lives, we are likely headed for significant trouble.
Given the severity of the danger, that Herod was intent on seeking the young Child to destroy Him, Joseph arose that morning, perhaps December 27th of 2BC, and left Bethlehem toward Egypt.5
Herod would spiral into mental and physical torment, ultimately attempting suicide,6 and then dying a miserable death of kidney disease and gangrene.7 This all after killing countless innocent baby boys in the town of Bethlehem.
I think it is important to pause from time to time, and think about the direction of our lives. We each live a very brief life on this earth, and what we do with it is incredibly important. Do you have the kind of relationship with the Creator God that He would direct you away from danger? Are you spiraling downward into a place of depravity? Are you somewhere in-between?
Remember that even when things of this life are hard or challenging, or when they are so difficult you don’t know what to do, God has prepared another way. If we trust Him, He can lead the way.
Mat 2:12 KJV - And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Mat 2:13 KJV - And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 1:20 KJV - But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Pro 14:12 KJV - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.
Pro 16:25 KJV - There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.
Mat 2:14 KJV - When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98107&page=1