Rachel Wept

Today’s reading is Matthew 2.

Herod did the unthinkable. Because he believed the wise men, because he believed the chief priests and scribes, because he believed the Scriptures, because he believed he could defy God and win, he slaughtered all the children of Bethlehem two years old and under.

Matthew refers to another prophecy that doesn’t actually seem to be about the Messiah. Rather, in Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet is talking about the Babylonian captivity. He is talking about the tragic way Babylon slaughtered Judeans, man, woman, and child. When Nebuchadnezzar brought this destruction on Judah, Rachel wept for her children. This brings to mind the wife of Jacob who wept so long because she didn’t have children. Then she died in childbirth, weeping about her child, calling him the son of her sorrow. Under Babylonian judgment, she weeps again metaphorically over the lost children.

However, this bit of prophetic reminder isn’t simply trying to act like Jesus fulfilled this single verse. Rather, keep reading in Jeremiah. The whole point of that prophecy is that while there are tears for a season, there is actually little reason to weep and cry. God shall reward Judah. God shall restore Judah. God shall bring back Israel from the land of captivity.

There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.

Jeremiah 31:17

No, God wasn’t going to bring those slaughtered children back to life in Matthew’s life time. But He was going to bring Jesus back. Jesus was going to come back from Egypt. But more than that. When He, like those little children, finally was executed, God would bring Him back. And that resurrection would pave the way for the resurrection of all those children and for us as well.

Rachel wept, but we can rejoice. Jesus didn’t just get executed, He was brought back.

Praise the Lord!

Next week’s reading is Matthew 3.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Are you learning anything about how we should dig deeper when one of the New Testament writers says we are fulfilling an Old Testament prophet? If so, what?
3. Why do you think Jeremiah uses Rachel as the example of one weeping for lost children?
4. Why was it good to read not just Jeremiah 31:15, but to keep on reading the verses that followed? Are you glad we did?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?