The Flight Into Egypt

Barely had the wise men from the East departed when Joseph’s and Mary’s lives were turned upside down. It had been a high point in their lives when the men of the East, led by the Star and laden down with their gifts, came to declare that their Child was the Son of God. God’s Spirit had thereby provided that this Child would be received upon the earth, which had to be a great encouragement for Mary and Joseph. They were able to lay themselves down to sleep with a heavenly peace in their hearts after the wise men left. Even more than the poet of the old covenant they could experience with the new covenant, “I laid me down and slept; I waked; for the Lord sustained me.”

Now, however, came the lowest point. During the night Joseph was awakened and told that he should take the young Child and His mother and flee into Egypt because Herod was seeking to slay the young Child. Isn’t this a terrible, sobering thought? Joseph had just entered into a blessed sleep, and now he must flee. The Child was still too young to speak, and the angel of God did not further explain why they must flee.

Flee? And then with the Son of God? For Herod? For a human being? How is that possible? If this Child were truly the Son of God, isn’t it possible that with one act of His almighty power God could send a legion of angels to subdue Herod, or could He not send fire down from heaven to consume this wicked king? No, they must flee during this night, for otherwise this Child will be slain.

Is this now that Child for whom the wise men had bowed and whom they had worshipped? Is this now that Child who Simeon had seen and afterwards had said that he could die and of whom Anna had confessed the same? Is this the Child whom the shepherds worshipped and of whom they “made known abroad” of all that they had heard and seen? Had it all been true, or had they been mistaken?

How God’s work is tried in Mary and Joseph and for all those who have confessed Him here upon earth. The Church is losing its Child. Their Redeemer has to flee from a murderer. Isn’t that a riddle for those who have seen in Him everything which they are missing in themselves? It is a riddle because the solution is not given.

Dark ways would not be so dark if by every curve in that road there would be light posts along the way to allow us to see why all these things are happening. The Lord, however, does not provide an explanation of His secret will; He expects His people to follow, being blind for the future but seeing in faith. God leads in ways that are unknown and even less desired. Anyone who has ever seen anything in the Child Jesus does not go forward with this Child but backward. God’s people are brought upon a pathway against flesh and blood. Upon that pathway come the trials and the way of self denial.

“Take the Child and His mother.” The Child is named first. The mother does not go with her Child; no, the opposite is true. In the same manner as Christ takes His mother to Egypt, He takes His Church with him, for the Church in this scripture passage is typified by His mother. He has not only assumed the flesh and blood of Mary, but also through her He has assumed the flesh and blood of His Church. Through His birth He has become one with His Church, sin excepted. Through this union He takes them with Him in His humiliation and in His exaltation. Here He takes them with Him in His humiliation, for unless one has been mortified with Him, he shall not be exalted with Him. His Church must go along in such an incomprehensible way, in a way of discovering.

Herod, therefore, was only used as the means to send this Child to Egypt. It had to be to Egypt, the land of bondage, where once the children of Israel had been bound as slaves, not only of an evil people, but also of their own sins. They had served the idols in a heathen land, and if God had not created the need, they would not have had a desire to leave.

For that reason this Child must go to Egypt, for so Christ must suffer and go through a way of humiliation even from the day of His birth. The Church must travel along, also today, because they must learn from whence they came. Their origin lies in Egypt, in a lost paradise, in sin. Therefore this Child must go in a way of humiliation. The more Christ is followed, the smaller, the more sinful, and more insignificant in themselves a person must and will become. Isn’t it true that Christ, as Surety, takes His mother along on this journey? It is in the way of His mediatorial suffering that He shows sinners where their guilt lies. Only in this way can He become a Mediator for a lost guilty sinner.

Perhaps there are among our readers some who may have seen their salvation in this Child. What an unspeakable joy that is for a disconsolate sinner, an opening where earlier everything appeared closed. There is a desire, at such a time, to build tabernacles in Bethlehem because we cannot find our life in any other place. Do not marvel too much, however, when that blessed time is broken down so that there may come periods in your life that you cannot find it any more. It is so necessary that after Bethlehem one comes into Egypt. It is not a way which you would have chosen or could have known.

That Child is dearly beloved in Bethlehem but no less beloved in Egypt because His going into Egypt points to the fact that He is fulfilling His mediatorial work. He takes His mother along for He knows better what must be done to fulfill the law of God than does His Church whom He must save. If His Church would have to show the way, then it would be lost forever, for they are more lost than that they are aware of the same. They want to build tabernacles with the disciples; they want to rest too soon, but this is now the only comfort for a lost sinner, for otherwise they would never be able to be set at liberty and be taken out of Egypt. It was necessary so that for them Scripture could be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.” Oh, what a wonder; Christ takes them along in His humiliation so that He can take them along in His exultation. It is for this reason that the deepest trials at times provide the most fruits of thankfulness.

Rev. F. Bakker
(1919-1965)

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