January 2
Matthew 2:13-3:6
We live in a messed-up world. A world filled with wickedness, war, and chaos, and we find these same things doing battle in our hearts. The Bible does does not gloss over the brokenness of the world: instead it shows us how we can have hope amid it. In Matthew’s gospel account we see the early life of Jesus mapped onto the story of the Exodus. The story of Israel becomes the story of Jesus. As Israel faced oppression and death of young baby boys, so Bethlehem faced the death of all the young boys under the age of two. But this great evil was not the end of the story. For as Israel was finally delivered out of Egypt, so Jesus was delivered from death and the grave.
The Exodus becomes not just a story of Israel and a story of Jesus, but it is meant to be the story of our lives as well. We need to acknowledge the sin, evil, and horror at work in our world and our lives and turn from it as John the Baptist called his audience to do. The way forward for us is through repentance, and thankfully, because of Jesus we can find forgiveness today and final deliverance in eternity. We can experience our own exodus from sin and walk in the victory which Christ makes available to us. He endured suffering and death, so that we can experience true, abundant, eternal life.
Father God, help me to walk in the life that Jesus has made available to me. Help me to overcome sin, struggles, and brokenness to experience your victory through the power of the Spirit. Amen.
How have you seen the themes of the exodus story play out in your life?
We live in a messed-up world. A world filled with wickedness, war, and chaos, and we find these same things doing battle in our hearts. The Bible does does not gloss over the brokenness of the world: instead it shows us how we can have hope amid it. In Matthew’s gospel account we see the early life of Jesus mapped onto the story of the Exodus. The story of Israel becomes the story of Jesus. As Israel faced oppression and death of young baby boys, so Bethlehem faced the death of all the young boys under the age of two. But this great evil was not the end of the story. For as Israel was finally delivered out of Egypt, so Jesus was delivered from death and the grave.
The Exodus becomes not just a story of Israel and a story of Jesus, but it is meant to be the story of our lives as well. We need to acknowledge the sin, evil, and horror at work in our world and our lives and turn from it as John the Baptist called his audience to do. The way forward for us is through repentance, and thankfully, because of Jesus we can find forgiveness today and final deliverance in eternity. We can experience our own exodus from sin and walk in the victory which Christ makes available to us. He endured suffering and death, so that we can experience true, abundant, eternal life.
Father God, help me to walk in the life that Jesus has made available to me. Help me to overcome sin, struggles, and brokenness to experience your victory through the power of the Spirit. Amen.
How have you seen the themes of the exodus story play out in your life?
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