Joseph’s Dream
Matthew 2:13-23
The dream came in the night,
sharp and urgent as a blade:
Rise. Take the child and his mother.
Flee to Egypt. Now.
I woke with my heart hammering,
Mary breathing softly beside me,
the baby asleep in his basket.
Herod seeks the child’s life.
Words that changed everything.
We had visitors days before—
strange men from the East
with expensive gifts and stranger questions.
They knelt before my son—
as if he were a king.
I didn’t understand it then.
I’m not sure I understand it now.
But the dream made one thing clear:
this child—my son, not my son—
mattered enough to kill for.
We left before dawn.
I took what I could carry:
a few tools, some bread, the coins
those visitors had given us.
Mary wrapped the baby tight
and didn’t ask questions.
She knew, as I did,
that obedience meant survival.
Egypt.
A place our people fled from once,
now our only refuge.
Strange how YHWH works.
I don’t know which is harder:
that the other fathers had no warning,
or that I did.
Does the LORD give dreams
only to some?
To stop and think of the true faith Joseph and Mary had at that time of their young lives is beyond comprehension. I can learn a lot from those two! Thank you for this perspective of the flight to Egypt.
God bless you and yours, Tom, in this most wonderful time of the year. Thanks for all you do for us! Peace!
Ah Bill, your words mean a great deal to me. Many thanks.
Like Bill it makes me think how strong their faith was. But for them to flee to Egypt on foot with a newborn is extraordinary in itself. Joseph must have been terrified for the possibility of this newborn being killed and that they might all die in the wilderness.
Thank you for almost ten years of our Wednesday morning Bible study. You have been a faithful teacher whom I have learned so much from.
Wishing you a Blessed Christmas.
Judy
Thank you, Judy. Merry Christmas. Wednesdays have become my second favorite day of the week, behind Sundays. I so enjoy our discussion and our fellowship.
Grace and Peace.