He's Leading To Unknown Places

So, I am reading again today in the book of Matthew and a thought comes to mind. Joseph has packed up his little family of three and fled to Egypt. Who knows how long they've been there, but the time has come for them to return to the land of Israel. How does Joseph know this? Well, an angel of the Lord tells him so through a dream. So, as is his normal way, Joseph seems to instantly accept God's guidance and packs up the little three person group and heads for home. I'm sure nothing feels as good as knowing your finally going home after a long sojourn in a distant land.

Now, here is where it gets a bit interesting to me. As Joseph is heading home...presumably back to Bethlehem where he had been living prior to being forced to flee to Egypt, he gets word that Herod's son is now ruling the region. This scares Joseph, who no doubt takes his role as protector and provider of his family seriously. Joseph apparently doesn't want to march right into harms way and see his family hurt. It's also not a big stretch to imagine that Joseph is a bit confused as well. After all, he was commanded to run to Egypt to protect his family, and now he is being sent right back into the danger zone. So, why run in the first place? What is going on?

In the midst of all of this, here comes another dream. God now seems to change his mind, almost as though he were caught off guard. It's like God thought it was going to be safe for Joseph and his family to return to Bethlehem, but now the Lord is caught off guard by the fact that Herod's son is ruling the area. So, God shows up with another dream, to give a different set of instructions, because something He had not anticipated has happened. So God tells Joseph to change course and "withdraw to the district of Galilee." Joseph does just that, and ends up right back in Nazareth where the original news of Mary's pregnancy was announced.

What in the world is going on here? Is God actually caught off guard by historical realities He had not forseen? Is the Lord just reacting to random events unfolding on earth, constantly adjusting his plans? Well, I don't think so. You see, God knows something that Joseph likely knows nothing about. You see, the prophets had foretold that God's Son would be known as a Nazarene. However, that's not likely to happen if he grows up in Bethlehem. The prophets also said that it would be out of Egypt that God called His son. That, too, would not be possible if the boy grows up in Bethlehem. So, God arranges historical events in such a way that Joseph will take the boy to Egypt, and then to Nazareth.

I think this is amazing. You see, Joseph simply thinks he is running for cover when he goes to Egypt. But God is fulfilling prophecy. Joseph thinks he is altering course when he is rerouted to Nazareth. But God is fulfilling scripture. In addition, Joseph often finds himself in the unique position of thinking he is going to one place (like returning to Bethelehem) when in reality God is sending him to another place (like Nazareth). So, what seems like random historical events is, in actuality, the work of God to shape history in a way that honors His word and promise. And when Joseph thinks he is going to one place, he is actually being divinely guided to another place.

What do these events have to do with me? Well, as I sit here and think about it, it seems to me that often when I think God is sending me to one place, He is actually sending me to another. This is why I am sometimes surprised by where I find myself. But what is cool, is that while I am surprised, God is not. He knew all along where I was going, and He moved me along in a way that honors my freedom of choice and yet uses those choices to bring me to the exact location where He wants me. Pretty cool. It also means that the events of my life are not simply random coincidences. God is at work, often behind the scenes in ways I can't see or comprehend, to arrange the events of my life just as He desires. He is in control, and I need not worry. Finally, it means I can rest assured that this world will end just as God determines, when God determines, how God determines. He is the ruler over all, and this gives me confidence even if I don't know all the details.

Oh yea, and one more thing this story causes me to think about, "How does God speak to me today?" He seemed to speak to Joseph in dreams. Does He speak to me in the same way, or in other ways? If He speaks in other ways, then in what other ways? Through His Word? Through His people? Through life's circumstances? Through hardships and troubles? We would do well to pay attention to all these things, for in the end, the still small voice of God may come through any or all of them. And when it does, it is my hope to be as open and responsive as Joseph. My journey may be different from his...but it will be no less adventurous and no less challenging...not to mention rewarding. So let's get out there and live the adventure.