for there I will make you a great nation.
We might not immediately make the relevant New Testament connection, but the readers of Matthew would remember today's reading from Genesis when they read
Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (See Matthew 2:13-14)
We learn about two men named Joseph who place their trust in God. God uses their obedience to make a great nation: Israel. Yet there is a sense in which Joseph remains in Egypt until God finally calls Mary, Joseph, and Jesus home. Egypt is the place of bondage to sin. God promises through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." But his true Son is not Israel, nor Jacob. His true Son is Jesus. So only when Jesus comes home from Egypt does the escape from sin and suffering truly begin.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."
Jacob sees the fulfillment of God's plan as the fulfillment of his own life. His son is not dead, but alive. He is in Egypt now. But Jacob comes to realize that God is faithful. He knows that he will be true to his promise to bring him back to his own land. It is a similar sort of fulfillment to that which Simeon experiences.
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples (see Luke 2:29-32)
What are we to make of all this? Trust in God! He is faithful to his promises. If we make his will the desire of our hearts we can find the fulfillment that Jacob and Simeon experience. When we learn these lessons Jesus is able to send us out "like sheep in the midst of wolves" fully trusting in him.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
So let's trust him! He has proven that he is faithful.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
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