PROTECTION
Matthew 2:12
“And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”
The kings, who came to bring Jesus’ gifts because they realized He was a special king, were protected by God. After they ministered to the Lord by worshipping Him and bringing Him their gifts, God the Father gave them a dream to protect them. At the same time, in the next verse (Matthew 2:13), we see God giving Joseph a visitation from an angel telling him to take the child to Egypt.
God the Father is a protector; He has always protected His man. He started with Adam. God gave Adam and Eve authority over the entire Earth, over all the animals, and especially the ones that creeped (the devil included, as he came as a serpent). There was not anything that was not under Adam and Eve’s dominion; this is the utmost in protection. God was even trying to protect them from themselves by what He said about the Tree of Knowledge. Genesis 2:17 says, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”They clearly understood the truth of, “If we eat it, we will die,” because Eve repeated it to the devil. I also like that she said, “We are not supposed to touch it,” because if you don’t touch it, you won’t eat it. Adam and Eve clearly knew their boundaries with God.
Yet, the devil deceived Eve, and she ate it because she believed the lie that she would not die; but Adam just flat-out disobeyed. When they ate, they lost their protection! God was protecting them, but by their disobedience, they lost that protection. God has always protected His man.
The Lord Jesus was in natural danger because of the plan of Herod to kill all the babies two and under to make sure this new king was destroyed. God, however, knew long ago that the devil would try to destroy His Son. God did not make Jesus’ entry into the Earth a secret, nor the star, the angels, the caravan of kings, and their gifts. The devil inspired Herod to kill Jesus, but God was prepared to protect Him by moving Him to Egypt with all the provision He would need until the time they could come back to Nazareth. It was prophesied that it would happen this way; Matthew 2:15 says that this prophecy from Hosea 11:1 was fully fulfilled. That’s awesome! God knows the future, and He knows how to protect us. In Jesus’ case, it was to protect Him from the devil, the destroyer, who tried to destroy Jesus in His infancy before He could accomplish the will of God. God is also your Father, and He will protect you.
I know that Psalm 91 is for every believer, but in our household, Pastor Rhonda has made it a staple in our lives, and I am forever grateful she did. This Word has caused our lives to be spared on more than one occasion because I know that a thousand may fall on one side of me and ten thousand on the other side, but it is not coming near me. I know that there are angels guarding and protecting me all the days of my life. I know that no plague can come near me. We have all these promises because we are children of God. If we dwell in that secret place with Him, we will walk in the protection He promised.
This season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, know this—just like Adam, you have authority, and God will even try and protect you from yourself. He protected Jesus, and He will do the same for you.
Merry Christmas! You are protected by God! What a gift!