January 2

The Road God Chose Was Not Paved

Matthew 2:13-3:6

The road Matthew lays out from Egypt to the Jordan is not a polished church hallway. It is a dusty trail with danger on one end and repentance on the other. When God warns Joseph to take the child and flee, Joseph does not call a meeting or ask for a second opinion. He gets up in the dark and moves. Scripture says he “rose, took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt” ~Matthew 2:14. That is obedience with boots on. God’s will does not always come with comfort, but it always comes with clarity. When God speaks, delay is disobedience wearing a disguise.

Herod shows us what happens when pride gets threatened. He hears about a King he did not appoint, and instead of bowing, he swings a sword. The massacre in Bethlehem is not an accident of history. It is what sin does when it feels cornered. Yet even in that blood-soaked moment, God is not scrambling. Matthew ties it straight to the Word, “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping” ~Matthew 2:18, spoken long before the tears ever fell. Evil may shout, but it never gets the last word. Herod dies with a crown on his head and judgment ahead of him. Jesus lives, because no man can choke out what God has ordained.

When Joseph is told to return, God does not send him to a throne room or a spotlight. He sends him to Nazareth, a nothing-town by worldly standards. Matthew says this happened “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” ~Matthew 2:23. God plants His Son in overlooked soil. That still rattles people today. We want God to use influence. God looks for obedience. We chase platforms. God builds character in quiet places.

Then the scene cuts from carpentry and silence to leather lungs and fire-breathing truth. John the Baptist comes out of the wilderness like a thunderclap. No choir. No stage lights. Just a man wrapped in rough clothes with a straight word from heaven. “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” ~Matthew 3:2. That message has not softened with age. Repentance is not a suggestion. It is the only doorway into God’s kingdom. John is not offering spiritual tips. He is calling people to turn around before they collide with judgment.

Isaiah saw John coming long before camel hair ever scratched his shoulders. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ~Isaiah 40:3. Straight paths do not happen by accident. You do not drift into righteousness. You clear the road. You remove what does not belong. That is why people came confessing their sins before they ever touched the water ~Matthew 3:6. Confession always comes before cleansing. God does not wash what we refuse to admit is dirty.

This passage leaves no room for fence-sitting. You either respond like Joseph, trusting God enough to move when He speaks, or like Herod, fighting truth until it destroys you. You either hear John’s voice and turn, or you stay comfortable and unprepared. The King has come. The kingdom is near. The question is not whether God is ready. The question is whether you are willing to repent, straighten the road, and meet Him on His terms. The fire is lit. The dust is rising. Now is the time to choose which direction you are walking.

Watch for the Deliverer

Song by True Grit Gospel

Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9

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Old Testament: Genesis 3:1-4:26

Summary:

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ~ Genesis 3:4

Deception! The words of Satan the deceiver who is a serpent that deceives, a liar, and a murderer. He questioned God’s word and God’s goodness, denied God’s warning, and then substituted a lie for God’s truth. You will be like God is his master lie, and people still believe it. Beware and do not fall for this age-old lie. Satan is still using the same tactics. Ensure that you are alert and in a sober state of mind. As a roaring lion, the devil continues to prowl around looking for prey. (But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ~ Genesis 3:4)

Interview with Lucifer - Click Here

We’ll read about the voice of deception. Now, up to this point in Genesis, God’s word is the only word that has been at work, creating and commanding. Now another so-called word enters the scene, the word of Satan the deceiver is a serpent that deceives a liar and a murderer. He questioned God’s word and God’s goodness, denied God’s warning, and then substituted a lie for God’s truth. You will be like God is his master lie, and people still believe it. Well, Eve was deceived when she ate, but Adam was not. He sinned with his eyes wide open. He would rather forfeit his dominion than be separated from his wife.

We’ll read about the voice of love. Guilt produces fear, and fear makes us want to run and hide. Ordinarily, Adam and Eve would have run to meet God, but they had become sinners. Sinners cannot cover their sins by their own works, nor can they hide from God. The Father sought the lost sinners, as Jesus did when he was on earth and as the Holy Spirit does today through his people. God wants to use us to call men and women to salvation. And in Genesis 3, we’ll read about the voice of judgment. God cursed the serpent and the ground, but he did not curse Adam and Eve.

The consequences of man’s fall are all around us, and we suffer because of them. The ultimate judgment is death. Man can overcome a difficult environment to some extent, but he can do nothing about the last enemy, death.

His only victory over death is through faith in Jesus Christ.

We’ll read about the voice of grace. We’ll see that in Genesis 3:15, God declared war on Satan and gave the first promise of the redeemer. Satan would bruise Christ’s heel, but Christ would bruise Satan’s head and defeat him. Adam believed the promise that his wife would bear children and his faith saved him. He called her Eve, which means life-giver.

In response to their faith, God shed innocent blood and clothed them. The only way sinners can be saved is by faith in the shed blood of Christ. Jesus Christ is the last Adam. The first Adam’s disobedience plunged us into sin. But the last Adam’s obedience brought salvation. The first Adam was a thief and was cast out of paradise. The last Adam told the thief he would enter paradise. What an irony.

In Adam, we die. In Christ, we have eternal life.

Grace to You

The Fall of Man, Part 1

Genesis 3:1–5

New Testament: Matthew 2:13-3:6

Matthew 3:2

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ~ Matthew 3:2

Refers to the sphere of God’s dominion over those who belong to Him. The kingdom is now manifest in heaven’s spiritual rule over the hearts of believers (Luke 17:21) and, one day, will be established in a literal earthly kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6).

Summary:
The Flight to Egypt
Herod Kills the Children
The Return to Nazareth
John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ~ Matthew 3:6

baptized. The symbolism of John’s baptism likely has its roots in OT purification rituals (Lev_15:13). Baptism had also long been administered to Gentile proselytes coming into Judaism. The baptism of John thus powerfully and dramatically symbolizes repentance. Jews accepting John’s baptism were admitting they had been as Gentiles and needed to become the people of God genuinely, inwardly (an amazing admission, given their hatred of Gentiles). The people were repenting in anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival. The meaning of John’s baptism differs somewhat from Christian baptism (Act_18:25). Actually, Christian baptism altered the significance of the ritual, symbolizing the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom_6:3-5; Col_2:12).

From ~ MacArthur Bible Commentary