December 9th readings: Psalm 63 and Matthew 2:19-23

Psalm 63:1 O God you are my God, I seek you,
My soul thirsts for you…

Psalm 63 is a song of David longing for God and praising him even in the wilderness; and expressing faith in delivery from his enemies because of God’s mercy and David’s faithful belief. This song gives a person of faith peace that in the end God shall protect.

Matthew 2:19-23 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead. So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go here. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and went and lived in a own called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called Nazarene.”

Based on instructions from an angel o the Lord in a dream, Joseph takes Jesus and Mary rom exile in Egypt back to Israel. Instead of going to Jerusalem they bypass it because Herod’s son Archelaus’ rule and go on northward to the little known town of Nazareth in Galilee. I have to admit to struggling to find deep meaning in this passage which at first glance is a simple travelogue. On the other hand the passage describes the fulfillment of the prophets that said, “He will be called a Nazarene.” This is also a synonym for despised and an interesting foreshadowing of Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion. The passage is symbolic of God leading Jesus out of Egypt just as he did earlier with Moses. It also transitions from the exile to the work of John the Baptist, so it serves a real purpose in Matthew’s Gospel.

Jack Ely