Matthew 2 -- Knowing, Yet Choosing NOT To Obey

Matthew points out how Jesus’ birth and early years dovetail the prophecies from the Old Testament:

 

Verses 5-6  “A ruler will come from [Bethlehem] who will be like a shepherd for My people Israel.”  (Micah 5:2)

 

Verse 15 “And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died.  This happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “I call My Son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)

 

Verse 23 “And so what God had said through the prophet came true. ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” (Isaiah 11:1) [The Hebrew word netzer means a branch or shoot, and resembles Nazarene]

 

God had seeded the Old Testament with multiple clues that could be used by the priests to verify that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

My commentary made an interesting point:  “The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King.  These priests knew the Scriptures and pointed others (the Magi) to the Savior, but they would not go to worship Him themselves!  They quoted Micah 5:2 but did not obey it.  They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go see Him!  The Gentiles sought and found Him, but the Jews did not.”

 

Looking back now with 20/20 hindsight, we can much more easily see all of the Scriptural references to the Messiah and each one fits exactly.  Yet most people today are just as willfully blind about Jesus as the Jewish priests were!  Their casual indifference to the Son of God will be their worst decision of this lifetime.

 

Father, thank You for drawing me to You and for seeing that I understand about Jesus being the Christ.  Do that again in the lives of those I love.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford