The Wise versus The UnWise

Scripture:

“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.... Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children.... An angel of the Lord appeard in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,... go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life is dead... And he went so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled." Matthew 2:13-23.

Study:

Here we see the old testament prophesies fulfilled at the time of Christ's birth. 1) The Christ Child would be born in Bethlehem (Mic.5:2). 2) He was called out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1), 3) Weeping in Ramah (Jer. 31:15) and 4) He would be from the stem of Jesse and called a Nazarene ( Isa. 11:11). While Herod was probably aware of a coming Messiah, "King," the Wise Men's coming was an affirmation that king had arrived. He did not want any competition. 

We see God's intervention in the Christ Child's life. Had the angel not appeared to the wise men and sent them another way and to Joseph warning him to take his the Child and his mother and leave, Herod would have killed Jesus along with the other baby boys.  Subsequently, the young family left and stayed in Egypt until another angel appeared to Joseph and told him Herod had died and to leave Egypt. He took his family to Nazareth. 

First, we encounter Joseph who is of no blood relation to Jesus but was obedient to God's calling upon his life. Both the WiseMen and Joseph, hear and obeyed the voice of God. Wise men and women, those that are spiritually related to Christ, or those seeking Christ by faith not only hear God's voice but they listen to and obey His voice, thereby supporting God's kingdom work.

On the other hand, we see how the unwise can allow their jealous, revengeful, desperate, minds to stop at nothing to destroy anything that gets in their way. Herod is just an example of how a person's unbridled wrath linked with his power can lead to destruction. And... many times, as in this case, more that the targeted one gets  hurt or killed. Throughout this chapter we see God's protective hand on Jesus for it was not yet time for him to die. 

Application: 
God wants to protect us and we if we seek him he will lead us to the right way. We would be wise to listen and heed to God's voice as he leads and direct us. Sometimes we are unwise and make unwise choices that lead us and others to destruction. Each day we have right and wrong choices. The way we choose reflects whose our faith and obedience in God. 

Prayer: 

Dear God, we all have the human desire to satisfy our own needs but convict me of my wrong doings so that I will not allow sin before to take my thoughts captive. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.