Out of Egypt - Pastor Bradley Peters

Tracing Matthew 2 through the long arc of Scripture, the focus lands on the line “Out of Egypt I called my son” as the key that unlocks how Jesus fulfills Israel’s story in a way no one before Him could. The narrative threads begin with the patriarchs and a buried hope: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob anchored their futures in the promised land, while Joseph—the beloved son who descended into slavery and prison, then was exalted—foreshadowed a pattern of humiliation leading to glory. Egypt, the place of Joseph’s exaltation and Israel’s later bondage, becomes both sanctuary and threat. In the Exodus, God redeemed His firstborn people, marked their doors with blood, and inaugurated a story where every firstborn belonged to Him—a pattern that finds its completion in Christ, the true Firstborn who redeems all.

The history of kings exposes human failure: Solomon’s catastrophic disobedience, Jeroboam’s counterfeit promises and idolatry, and Herod’s murderous jealousy echo Pharaoh’s hardness. Yet where Jeroboam also “came up from Egypt” and led Israel astray, Jesus retraces the path without compromise—conceived by the Spirit, protected by divine direction, and obedient in every step. The Magi’s worship, Joseph’s sleepless obedience, and the night flight to Egypt showcase providence moving quietly and decisively. Matthew’s citations—Hosea 11, Jeremiah 31—are not trivia; they reframe loss within a larger hope. Rachel’s weeping names real grief; God’s answer is not denial but the advent of a Son who will carry that grief to its end on a cross and rise to reign.

The return to Nazareth signals more than geography; it announces the faithful Son who will succeed where Israel, Solomon, and Jeroboam failed. Psalm 2 crowns this vision: the Son is enthroned; the nations are His; refuge is offered to all who bow. This is not merely a beautiful story but a living claim: those once at war with God can be brought out of Egypt—out of bondage, idolatry, and self-rule—by union with the true King. Such news is treasure to be shared, not buried. Shared joy deepens joy. As one year closes and another opens, the call is clear: trust the Son, follow His lead, and make known the rescue He has accomplished.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus fulfills Israel’s exodus pattern. Jesus retraces Israel’s journey—down to Egypt and back—without Israel’s failures, succeeding where Solomon and Jeroboam collapsed. Matthew’s citations are theological lenses: the true Son embodies and completes the nation’s story. Typology becomes testimony: history wasn’t random; it was preparatory for Him. [59:10]
• 2. Providence moves through night obedience. God’s guidance often arrives in the quiet—dreams, a star, an urgent departure. Joseph’s prompt action becomes the hinge of preservation, showing that ordinary obedience is heaven’s chosen instrument. When the path is dark, faith moves its feet before it sees the sunrise. [55:24]
• 3. The firstborn redeemed points to Christ. From Passover onward, every firstborn belonged to the Lord, a sign that life must be redeemed. Jesus, the Firstborn, assumes that role decisively—both consecrated and the redeemer of others. He is not one more son to buy back; He is the Son who buys back all. [44:27]
• 4. God hears Rachel’s weeping with hope. Bethlehem’s mothers are not erased from the story; their pain is named and carried into prophecy. God answers grief not with slogans but with a Son who will absorb death and overturn it. Hope does not deny tears; it announces what only resurrection can do. [56:21]
• 5. Joy grows when the gospel is shared. A discovered treasure that remains buried is functionally lost. The good news matures into joy when it is told, given, and lived. Silence shrinks the soul; faithful witness expands it. [61:05]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:44] - Title and theme: Out of Egypt
• [33:11] - Prayer and purpose
• [34:19] - Hosea 11:1 in Matthew 2
• [36:36] - Joseph’s descent and exaltation
• [40:52] - Exodus, Passover, and firstborn
• [43:46] - Magi arrive; Herod disturbed
• [45:05] - David, Solomon, and fracture
• [46:11] - Ahijah’s word; Jeroboam’s chance
• [53:37] - Wise men warned; urgency revealed
• [55:24] - Joseph’s night flight to Egypt
• [56:21] - Herod’s massacre and Rachel’s tears
• [57:56] - Return to Nazareth; true Son emerges
• [62:26] - Psalm 2: The Son enthroned
• [64:08] - Closing prayer and sending

Bible reading

- Matthew 2:1-23

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 2, what forms of guidance does God use to direct people (think: Magi, Joseph, Scriptures)? List them and where you see them in the passage.
2. What did Joseph do immediately after his dream, and when did he do it? What details in the text show urgency?
3. Matthew quotes two Old Testament lines in this chapter. Where do you see “Out of Egypt I called my son” and “Rachel weeping,” and what moments in the story are they tied to? ([34:19])
4. After Egypt, where does the family settle, and how is that presented as a fulfillment? What small details show God’s quiet care? ([57:56])

Interpretation questions

1. Hosea 11:1 first spoke of Israel as God’s son. What does Matthew mean by applying it to Jesus? How does this shape the idea that Jesus is the faithful Son who completes Israel’s story? ([34:19])
2. Joseph’s “night obedience” becomes the hinge of protection. What does this suggest about how God’s providence often works—quietly, urgently, and through ordinary obedience? ([55:24])
3. Matthew includes Rachel’s weeping in the Bethlehem tragedy. What does this tell us about God’s way of naming grief and answering it with hope that doesn’t erase tears? ([56:21])
4. The move to Nazareth and the contrast with Jeroboam highlight a different kind of kingly path. What does it mean that Jesus “came up from Egypt” without compromise and succeeded where others failed? ([59:10])

Application questions

1. When guidance feels quiet or last-minute, like a dream in the night, what helps you move your feet in faith before you see the sunrise? Where might you need to take a clear, simple step of obedience this week? ([55:24])
2. “Every firstborn belongs to the Lord.” What would it look like to offer your first and best—time, resources, attention—to God in this season? Is there a “first” you need to place back in His hands? ([44:27])
3. Rachel’s tears are named, not dismissed. Where do you feel grief right now? What would trusting the Son in that place look like—practically, this month? Who could carry that burden with you? ([56:21])
4. Jeroboam feared losing control and led people into idols. Herod clung to power and harmed others. Where are you tempted toward self-rule or shortcuts today, and how could you retrace that path with Jesus instead? ([49:24])
5. Think of the “treasure” you’ve discovered in Christ. Who could you share it with this week so that your joy grows as it is given? What would be a natural, simple way to tell it? ([01:01:05])
6. Psalm 2 invites people to take refuge in the Son. As a new season begins, what “refuge practices” will help you live under His good rule—habits of prayer, Scripture, community, or mission? Pick one to start or renew. ([01:02:26])
7. “Out of Egypt” is rescue from bondage. What is your “Egypt” right now—fear, compromise, hidden sin, bitterness? How is Jesus calling you out, and what is one step you can take with a trusted friend this week? ([01:04:08])