a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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An evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. (NCV)
1 Samuel 19:9-10
David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” (NIV)
1 Samuel 27:1
With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure. (NIV)
Proverbs 11:9-14 |
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January 12
When God Stays Away - Matthew 2:13
After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child so he can kill him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to return.”
Full Text
Key Thought
Egypt was a long hard journey and a great unknown to this young family. Yet it was God’s place of protection. God’s commands can calls us to something undesirable, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable. Yet the Father shows us his reason for these demands throughout revealed Scripture; he wants to protect us and bless us, just as he protected Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from King Herod at this crucial juncture in Jesus' life. When fully analyzed, many of God's commands are not unreasonable demands or prohibitions, but they are part of his protection. When we do what God commands, we are blessed and protected in ways we may never understand. In addition, our obedience ensures that we are available to be used by him, in his work, at his time.
Today's Prayer
Thank you, God, for caring not only about my holiness, but also for my physical and spiritual protection. Give me strength to stay away from those things you prohibit, courage to do what you ask of me, and excitement to enjoy the life I have in you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus
(key verses in bold)
1 Jesus was born in the town of
Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. When Jesus was born,
some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the
baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and
have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, as well as all the people in
Jerusalem. 4 Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of
the law and asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They answered,
“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the
Scriptures: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are important
among the tribes of Judah. A ruler will come from you who will be like a
shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”see
Micah 5:2
7 Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them
the exact time they first saw the star. 8 He sent the wise men to Bethlehem,
saying, “Look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me so
I can worship him too.” 9 After the wise men heard the king, they left.
The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above
the place where the child was. 10 When the wise men saw the star, they were
filled with joy.
11 They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother,
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave
him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But God warned the wise men
in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a
different way.
Top of Page 13 After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a
dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to
Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child so he can kill him. Stay
in Egypt until I tell you to return.”
14 So Joseph got up and left for Egypt during the night with the child and
his mother. 15 And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to
bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: “I called my son
out of Egypt.” 16 When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was
furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the
surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with
the time he learned from the wise men. 17 So what God had said through the
prophet Jeremiah came true: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah of painful
crying and deep sadness: Rachel crying for her children. She refused to be
comforted, because her children are dead.” Jeremiah 31:15
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream while
he was in Egypt. 20 The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother
and go to the land of Israel, because the people who were trying to kill the
child are now dead.”
21 So Joseph took the child and his mother and went to Israel. 22 But he
heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea since his father Herod had died. So
Joseph was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the
area of Galilee, 23 to a town called Nazareth, and lived there. And so what God
had said through the prophets came true: “He will be called a
Nazarene.”
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas:
Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991.
Used by permission.
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