Matthew 2:13

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. -- Matthew 2:13-23.

GOLDEN TEXT. -- He delivered me because he delighted in me. -- Psalms 18:19. TIME. --B. C. 4. PLACES. --Bethlehem of Judea; Egypt; Nazareth in Galilee. HELPFUL READINGS. -- Luke 2:22-38; Psalms 2:1-12; Isaiah 53:1-12. LESSON ANALYSIS. --1. The Flight to Egypt; 2. The Murder of the Innocents; 3. The Home at Nazareth.

INTRODUCTION.

Of the flight into Egypt, and its duration, the Scripture gives us no particulars, telling us only that the Holy Family fled by night from Bethlehem, and returned when Joseph had been assured in. dream that it would be safe to take the Savior back to the land of his nativity. It is left to apocryphal legends to tell us how, on the way, dragons came and bowed to him, the lions and the leopards adored him, the roses of Jericho bloomed wherever his footsteps trod, the palm trees at his command bowed down to give them dates, the robbers were overawed by his majesty, and the journey was miraculously shortened.... All this wealth and prodigality of superfluous, aimless, and unmeaning miracle--arising in part from. mere craving for the supernatural, and in part from. fanciful application of Old Testament prophecies--furnishes. strong contrast to the truthful simplicity of the Gospel narrative. Matthew neither tells us where the Holy Family abode in Egypt, nor how long their exile continued; but ancient legends say that they remained two years absent from Palestine, and lived at Matareeh,. few miles northeast of Cairo.-- Farrar.

I. THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT.

13. And when they were departed.

Though we cannot be certain, it is probable that the Magi were led by the star to Bethlehem, offered their homage, departed, Joseph was warned, and the Holy Family started to Egypt, all the same night. The warning comes as soon as the Magi depart. This was after the night when the shepherds heard the angels, the most wonderful night in the history of Bethlehem. The Young Child must now have been over forty days old, for on the fortieth day he was presented at the temple and must have returned from thence to Bethlehem. See Luke 2:22. It is likely that as all these things occurred at night that none of them were generally known to the population of Bethlehem.

Flee into Egypt.

Egypt has. very intimate connection with Bible history. There Joseph,. type of Christ, was carried; there Israel sojourned 400 years, and was called from thence to Canaan; there Moses, another type of Christ, was reared; there the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Scriptures, the most important version ever made, was prepared; there tens of thousands of Jews found. home, so that it was almost. second Palestine. It had, therefore, special advantages as. place of refuge. It was the nearest of Roman provinces independent of Herod, was the home of thousands of Joseph's countrymen, and was convenient for. return at the proper time.