#DailyDevotion Jesus Is YHWH’S Israel
Matthew 213After the wise men left, Joseph saw an angel of the Lord in a dream, who said, “Get up, take the little Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” 14Joseph got up at night, took the little Child and His mother, and went to Egypt. 15He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what the Lord said through the prophet was to come true: “I called My Son from Egypt.”
Jesus besides doing the first Adam’s life and getting it right also is the New Israel. Israel went down to Egypt and there became a great nation. There the LORD sent Moses to pharaoh who told pharaoh Israel was his firstborn son and to let them go. Israel eventually was delivered by the LORD from Egypt. Israel was given the covenant of the LORD but they were not faithful to it. The LORD forgave them and brought them into the Promised Land for the sake of their fathers. Yet, Israel continued in their sins and did not repent. They were supposed to be light shining on a hill to the nations but they did not fulfill that role. Instead of converting the nations, they adopted the ways of the nations.
So now the LORD is starting over with Jesus. Jesus is the LORD’s firstborn son from all eternity. He is the seed of Abraham through whom he will accomplish his purpose. As Israel went down to Egypt, so too, Jesus went down to Egypt. The LORD preserved Israel from a famine in the land through the sins of his sons. Now through the sin of Herod the Great, the LORD preserves his son Jesus, who is taking on the mantle of Israel and fulfilling Israel’s role in salvation.
Hosea wrote, 11:1 “When Israel was a boy, I loved him and I called My son out of Egypt.” This is the text Matthew quotes as Jesus fulfilling when he comes out of Egypt. Jesus is just a boy when he leaves Egypt to go back to Judea, to Nazareth. The Father’s love is with him, guarding him and protecting him. Jesus is the LORD’s true son. One of the funny things here is the verses following verse one in Hosea here go on to describe how Israel had sinned against the LORD. How they had turned to idolatry. He talks about how he would punish Israel. But then he talks about how he would gather them again unto himself from the nations he has dispersed them.
Jesus who is God’s Son, becomes the Israel whom the LORD always wanted. It is through Jesus the LORD will call his people back to him. He joins the fallen in Israel to Jesus in baptism and makes them his Israel again. He gathers the nations and joins them with Jesus in baptism and makes them one with Israel as they are one in Christ Jesus.
The LORD, our heavenly Father, will settle his new Israel in their own homes in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, John 142“In My Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I go to prepare a place for you. 3And when I have gone and prepared a place for you, I’ll come again and take you home with Me so you’ll be where I am.”
Heavenly Father, you sent your only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the world and in him you fulfilled Israel’s purpose and promises. You have joined us to him in baptism and faith in him. Continually keep us in this faith that with and in Christ we may be Israel’s fulfillment now and in the end of the age. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.