The birth of Christ Jesus and a very few but important events of the first weeks and years of His life are recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As mentioned, a few weeks ago, Matthew presents Jesus as King of the Jews, the Messiah or the anointed One prophesied about in the Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. And Luke presents Jesus as the Savior who is Christ the Lord, Luke 2:11. Luke also tells us about only two events after His birth, when Jesus was presented at the temple, Luke 2:21-40. Also, when Jesus was 12 years old at the temple in Jerusalem, Luke 2:41-52.
However, Matthew in chapter 2 verses 1 to 18 tells us of extremely important and tragic events that happened which took place possibly a few days or weeks after the birth of Christ.
When studying the events in Matthew we see an excellent example of the God’s providence. Even though we might not be able to give a theological explanation of what is the providence of God, most Christians have experienced God’s purpose, provision, protection and presence in our lives which is God’s providence. For most Christians, God’s providence in their lives is recognized after it happens. We even have a saying that applies to God’s providence, “hindsight is 20/20”.
PROVIDENCE—the continuous activity of God in His creation by which He preserves and governs. Through His providence God controls the universe (Ps. 103:19); the physical world (Matt. 5:45); the affairs of nations (Ps. 66:7); man’s birth and destiny (Gal. 1:15); man’s successes and failures (Luke 1:52); and the protection of His people (Ps. 4:8). God’s providence, then, is that divine government which sustains, the continued activity by which He directs all things to the ends He has chosen in His eternal plan. – Hayford’s Bible Handbook
There two very important aspects that will help us to understand God’s providence in relation to Jesus’ birth and even in our own lives.
- God acts in accordance with the laws and principles that He has established in the world.
- Man is free to choose and act independently from God’s will and plan. While God is above man’s choices and actions (Gen. 45:5; Deut. 8:18; Prov. 21:1), His actions never violate the reality of human choice or negate man’s responsibility as a moral being. He may permit sinful acts to occur, but He does not cause man to sin nor is He responsible for sin’s results (Gen. 45:5; Rom. 9:22). Still, in mercy, God’s providence often overrules evil for good and transcends circumstances in bringing about His benevolent will (Gen. 50:20; Acts 3:13). – Hayford’s Bible Handbook
Matthew Chapter 2 can be divided into three parts which gives us an excellent example of the providence of God in relation to the birth of Jesus and the events that took place not too long afterward. The visit of the Magi, Matthew 2:1-12. The escape to Egypt, Matthew 2:12-18. And The return to Nazareth, Matthew 2:19-23.
The first indication of God’s providence with the birth of Jesus we see in Matthew is in verse 2 with the Magi or wise men’s statement, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”. The Magi were “Probably astrologers, perhaps from Persia or southern Arabia or Mesopotamia, all of which are east of the Holy Land. Jerusalem.” The Old Testament does not give us a prophetic verse that says that there will be a star which will announce the birth of Christ. Somehow these Magi knew among the billions of stars that could be seen in the night sky that there was a specific star which announced the birth of Christ. In addition, they also knew what Old Testament prophetic scripture said concerning the birth of “…the one who has been born king of the Jews…”. Furthermore, what is amazing is they knew exactly where to travel to find the baby Jesus, which was over a thousand of miles. It was not a matter of luck that they knew where to find Jesus. This should challenge us to ask ourselves, how well do I know God and His Word to identify and confirm His providence in the events in my life?
God’s providence is not luck. What is luck? “Success or failure which is supposed brought by chance.” If we know who God is and what His Word teaches us about Him, the belief in luck has no place in our lives.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Ephesians 2:10, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Psalms 139:14-16 NLT
In verses 3-6 we see God’s providence of Jesus’ birth confirmed by Old Testament prophecy spoken hundreds of years before it happened. 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'”
What is interesting that the Magi who were not Jewish knew about “…the one who has been born king of the Jews…” but the Jewish experts in the Old Testament, “the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law”, would have not known about the birth of Jesus if it was not because of the Magi. This teaches us that God is not limited by who or what He uses to accomplish His will in our lives or in the different situations we might confront.
Verses 9-12 is a good example of how God by His provenance had a purpose for the Magi to come and worship and give to Jesus what they had brought with them. 11b, “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
When we receive from God the many different blessings, we might not know at the moment why or what they are for. And it might require weeks or even months and sometimes years before we realize the purpose of His providence in our lives. Even concerning the providence of God in our lives the well-known adage applies, “hindsight is 20/20”.
The purpose and practical use of what the Maji gave to Jesus is clearly understood in verses 13-15. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Verses 13 to 18 are some of the most difficult verses to understand if the providence of God is not understood. The agnostic, atheist or skeptic could easily argue and ask the following questions. “How could a so-called loving God allow the massacre of the innocent children in Matthew 2:16?” “Why did God clearly intervene in this situation to protect His son Jesus, but did nothing to protect the innocent infant boys of Bethlehem?” “If God is all powerful (omnipotent) and all knowing (omniscient), He could have easily prevented the killing of the children.”
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
At this point we must not forget as stated earlier what the second aspect of God’s providence says as it relates to man. 2. Man is free to choose and act independently from God’s will and plan. God’s actions never violate the reality of human choice or negate man’s responsibility as a moral being. He may permit sinful acts to occur, but He does not cause man to sin nor is He responsible for sin’s results.”
Romans 1:28-32 explains point 2 very clearly. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Reading these verses in Romans clearly explains the heart, mind and actions of Herod in Matthew 2:16.
“The fact that God allows suffering does not mean that he causes the evil that happens to us in this world or that he is personally and directly responsible for all of life’s tragedies. God never acts to bring about or cause evil or ungodliness to happen (Jas 1:13).”
Another fact to remember which we can learn from scripture concerning the providence of God, is that God could have easily intervened to save the lives of Stephen in Acts 7:54-8:1 and the apostle James, Acts 12:1-2. Also, God easily could have prevented the arrest and death of His own son Jesus, John 18:1-19:42. However in each instance looking at the bigger context in the verses that follow we see God’s bigger purpose realized in the lives of many because of His providence.
When we understand what the scripture teaches us concerning the providence of God and have learned to recognize God’s providence in our own relationship with Him, then we will begin to realize as we look back His purposes in His acts of providence which we have experienced.
Pastor John
