Read
Matthew 2:13-18 (NLT)
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
Jesus Storybook Bible:
The King of All Kings (p.192)
Meditate
“Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you, says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” (Jeremiah 3:16-17)
Pray
Heavenly Father, we weep with the mothers who lost their children to the tyrant Herod. We grieve the wickedness of his idolatry and mourn the evil of our own sin. Lord Jesus, you are the Anointed One of God, the rightful King of heaven and earth. Forgive us for rejecting Your sovereignty and building our own kingdoms. Thank you for looking on the weak and oppressed with a heart of compassion and mind for justice. We pray Lord Jesus that you would subdue all the tyrants of this world and return soon. Enable us by Your Spirit to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You our holy God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Sing
The Bruised Reed
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Watch below or on YouTube!
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