Matthew devotes a lot of his gospel to commentary on Old Testament prophecy. Through many examples, Matthew shows how Jesus fulfilled even the most obscure prophecies.
When we look at the story of Jesus fleeing from Herod to Egypt as a child, Matthew writes "This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'" (Mt 2:15 ESV) At first glance, the passage Matthew uses seems to barely relate to Jesus at all.
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
(Hosea 11:1-2 ESV)
This didn't seem to point to Jesus at all. How could you compare Jesus with Israel?
* When Israel came out of Egypt, the worshipped idols. When Jesus came out he was a holy and obedient son.
* When Israel came out of Egypt, they wanted to return to slavery. When Jesus came out he led others closer to God.
* Most of the Israelites who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness. But Jesus says that he keeps and protects his own.
Where originally I was looking for similarities, I should have been looking for contrasts! This is what Jon Focht pointed out to me when we were studying this today. Israel suffered and withered away in shame and selfishness. Jesus was an honorable and obedient child who willingly suffered to save everyone.
God called his children out of Egypt, and one was perfect. How do we respond to his call? Let's follow his perfect son.
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