When they had departed from there, now, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Arise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you, for Herod is seeking the Child to destroy Him.”
This verse bears witness to the divine providence by which the Lord protects the Child Jesus. Joseph again receives, through an angel, a direct message to flee into Egypt. Egypt, which once was the place of Israel’s bondage, now becomes the Savior’s place of refuge, showing that God’s plan transforms even former places of pain into places of salvation. This event is also the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea 11:1—“Out of Egypt I called My Son”; it shows the likeness of Jesus’ life to the history of Israel. Thus, as we shall see next, Joseph’s obedience became an instrument for the fulfillment of the Lord’s will, saving the Child from human wickedness.