God’s method of communication with Joseph is dreams. Here we see how dreams guide a journey back home. Scripture records Joseph’s third and fourth dreams in this passage.
Matthew 2: 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.” [1]
Dreams Give the Next Instructions
In the second dream, God had instructed Joseph to keep the family in Egypt until He told them to return. We don’t know how long the family lived in Egypt. But we do know that after Herod’s death, another dream instructed Joseph to return home. As was typical of Joseph, he immediately obeyed.
The family had left Bethlehem to go to Egypt, and now probably planned to return there. But then Joseph heard some disturbing news. Archelaus, one of Herod’s sons, was ruling over Judea, where Bethlehem was located. This ruler was known for his violent instability. Archelaus had begun his reign by killing 3000 influential people. Joseph heard of this reputation and was frightened for his family’s safety.
But God continued to guide Joseph through a fourth dream. God instructed them to return to Nazareth, located in Galilee. A different son of Herod, Herod Antipas, ruled this territory. So Joseph and Mary return to their hometown.
Jesus Was a Nazarene
Matthew sees their move back to Nazareth as fulfilling prophecy. Yet, there is no direct Old Testament prophecy that states this. There is, however, a hint of this. Isaiah 11:1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. [2] The Hebrew word for ‘Branch’ is netser, which means sprout or figurative branch.[3] This could be a play on words since Jesus is of David’s family and will bear new fruit with His ministry.
The word ‘Nazrene’ was also a term of contempt. Matthew could also be simply referring to the prophecies that stated the Messiah would be lowly, despised, and rejected. Jesus would fulfill these prophecies.
Joseph is a model of obedience for us. He obeyed God’s instructions quickly and without thought of what others would think. Let us stay focused on God and be obedient to follow His directions so He can use us to build His Kingdom. This gives God the glory He deserves.
To find out how dreams guide a journey, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-gift-of-dreams
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] H5342 Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.