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with the comfortless sorrow that was theirs. Much of the unassuaged grief that is: endured today is due to igno rance of, or unbelief, in the Word of Cod'. For example, some people rail against' God ^because of the prevail ing atrocities' of .global war, but in so doing they only reveal .their igno rance of Scripture and cut themselves off from the solace that could be theirs if they.believed. . IV. T he R eturn - to N azareth (19-23) Through another dream Joseph re ceived the promised instruction to return from Egypt; He was told to go into the land of Israel (not Galilee nor Judea). But although Herod was dead,
another dream warned God’s servant that a usurper was still on the throne, and Joseph went to dwell at Nazareth. Thus the. Lord Jesus became the “Nazarene,” t h e ' d e s p i s e d -One of whom the prophets wrote (cf. Num. 6:1-21; Judg. 13:5; 1 Sam, 1:11). The world* into which Jesus came was one possessed of much natural light, but little spiritual knowledge; a world of hatred against the righteousness of God; a world in rebellion against God. He came in order to bring this world inter harmony with God, and to re lieve it of its sin and darkness, its fear and lawlessness, its dread and despair. Alas—even as today—men rejected Him and cast Him out. But to as many as receive Him (John
1:12), He is ever ready to be the Saviour and Lord.
Points and Problems
1. "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt" (Matt 2:13). When was Jesus taken into Egypt? Evidently it was not im mediately after His birth, because Luke tells us that, after His birth and circumcision, “when they had per formed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth" (Lk. 2:39). ’ Matthew tells us that shortly after the. visit of the wise men from the east, Joseph.was warned by an angel to take the young child and His mother and flee into Egypt. Re member that it was as a babe in swaddling clothes That the shepherds found Christ, Rut.the wise men found Him, not in the -manger, but as a child in a “house.” Joseph complied with the instructions given in the dream and went with Mary and the “young child” to. Egypt ,to .remain un til the death of Herod. Very likely then the flight to Egypt occurred after Christ was at least a year old. The family had lived at Nazareth for a year following Christ’s birth and now had returned to Jerusalem to keep the feast which .Luke tells us His parents were wont to do each year. Bethlehem, being their ances tral home, would readily account for their lodging there at this later date. Subsequent to this time the flight Into Egypt occurred. 2. "And was there until the death of Herod" (v. 15). Herod acting as Satan’s agent was making every pos sible effort to destroy Christ. Joseph, acting in harmony with the revealed will of God, kept the holy Child and His mother out of Herod’s reach. He remained away from Satah’s power. A practical lesson of great importance is to be learned from this. Many ; earnest, soul? have fallen into tempta tion and sin because they did not stay away from places where Satan’s influence is known to be great. 3. "That it might be fulfilled" (v. 15). This phrase, or its equivalent, occurs sixteen times in the book of Matthew. Matthew has its roots deep in Old Testament prophecy. It is a book of amazing fulfillment. It is the Gospel record prepared especially, to appeal to .the Jewish mind, and to show without any question or doubt that the prophets’ promises concern ing the King are “ fulfilled” in the Person of Christ.
In Your Mailbox Next Month
The January issue of THE KING'S BUSINESS w ill be filled with good things which you and. your friends will want to share. Subscrip- tions entered NOW (see page 429) will make possible uninterrupted delivery. Look for these articles: ,• ' :'.‘V "' * : 1 pfe '•r.;-':V
• Are Christians Asleep? Dan E. L. Patch, a Chief of Police in Michigan, understands the juvenile delin quency problem because he must come to grips with it. His startling article reveals some forgotten causes. • Will Your Home Be Happier in 1945? William F. McDermott, the brilliant Christian journalist, .makes some straightforward observations. Regular contrib utor to some of the nation’s largest magazines (thirty of his articles have appeared in Reader's Digest), he writes with authority. ; B. B. Sutcliffe, beloved by KING’S BUSINESS readers, for his exposition of the International Sunday School Lessons, delves deeply into the riches of God’s Word to bring forth this heartening message. • Permanent Things.
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4. "Spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene" (v. 23). No pro phecy containing just these words is found in the Old Testament. The word "N a z a r e n e” probably comes
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