Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Matthew 2 verses 9 through 12:
9 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. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
In the book of Matthew Jesus is the new Moses. And just like at the birth of Moses, when Pharaoh tried to kill all the infant boys immediately after their birth, so too does Herod try to kill Jesus at his.
But in both stories, these great leaders lives are spared by the refusal of some to follow orders. Shiprah and Puah were the midwives who refused to kill Moses at his birth as they were directed by Pharaoh. And here in today’s Lesson the Magi refuse to tell Herod where they’ve found Jesus, and this ultimately spares Jesus from murder.
These were courageous people. The world needs more like them. The world needs more courageous people who refuse to participate in or go along with acts of oppression and cruelty towards children — even if that means disobeying and even openly defying Pharaoh.
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