Chapter 2 talks about the birth of Jesus in detail and their escape from Bethlehem to their final town of settlement, Nazareth. We have to understand all this was according to God's plan. God doesnt punish anyone without reason. There is always a lesson. At the end we will understand it wasnt a punishment to begin with.
According to the prophet, ' Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the cities of Judah. for from you will come a leader who will guide my children Israel '
Thus Herod knew that Jesus was the Messiah and he was afraid. He plotted with the chief priests to find this child out. He called the men who studied stars to follow that one star and to tell him of the whereabouts of the Messiah.
But God had warned them in a dream to not go back to Herod. So once they followed the star, they reached the place where baby Jesus was. They gifted him their gifts of gold, frankincense . They worshipped him as was fit for a king. Afterwards they returned to their land by another road.
Herod came to know how the visitors had cheated him and he was angry. Knowing this beforehand God ,through his angel, guided Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt. Again this was so that the prophecy come true.
Herod in his anger and his desperation ordered all the male children, newborn to be killed. Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied this.
Joseph with his family stayed in Egypt till Herod died. Then the angel guided him to go back to Egypt. But Archaelaus ,son of Herod had succeeded him. So Joseph did not want to risk going there again. So he went to Galilee and settled in Nazareth.
Thus once again what the prophets said came true ' He will be called a Nazarene.'
According to the prophet, ' Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the cities of Judah. for from you will come a leader who will guide my children Israel '
Thus Herod knew that Jesus was the Messiah and he was afraid. He plotted with the chief priests to find this child out. He called the men who studied stars to follow that one star and to tell him of the whereabouts of the Messiah.
But God had warned them in a dream to not go back to Herod. So once they followed the star, they reached the place where baby Jesus was. They gifted him their gifts of gold, frankincense . They worshipped him as was fit for a king. Afterwards they returned to their land by another road.
Herod came to know how the visitors had cheated him and he was angry. Knowing this beforehand God ,through his angel, guided Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt. Again this was so that the prophecy come true.
Herod in his anger and his desperation ordered all the male children, newborn to be killed. Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied this.
Joseph with his family stayed in Egypt till Herod died. Then the angel guided him to go back to Egypt. But Archaelaus ,son of Herod had succeeded him. So Joseph did not want to risk going there again. So he went to Galilee and settled in Nazareth.
Thus once again what the prophets said came true ' He will be called a Nazarene.'
