King Herod was a paranoid and ruthless leader. So it is no surprise that he slaughtered all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under at the time, about 15-20 of them in total.
The Interpretive Framework
The Exile, like the Exodus, is another significant signpost in the history of redemption. Matthew is showing us another link by connecting the Patriarchs, the Exodus, and the Exile to the Christ. Jesus as the Messiah would fulfill the hope of the return from the Exile by establishing the promised New Covenant.
The historical incident about Rachel is less well known, so here is a brief review. Rachel was one of Jacob’s wives and a mother of the Hebrew people. In Genesis, we read that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin while traveling from Bethel to Bethlehem. She was buried in a tomb in Zelzah, in the region of Ramah.
In Jeremiah, Rachel is personified as crying out from her grave, weeping over the loss of Israel’s children. It was in Ramah where the exiles were gathered in 586 BC for their long march to Babylon. Those gathered at Ramah for Exile were considered as good as dead.
What Matthew is Saying to the World
In Matthew, Rachel is personified again as crying out from her grave, weeping over the children. This time the children are in Bethlehem. But this is not really the point. Matthew is not simply matching up Biblical references to crying and mourning.
Matthew is declaring that the weeping of Rachel in Jeremiah’s day, in the time of the Exile, has now been fulfilled. Look at what is promised in the two verses following that Jeremiah quotation.
Keeping Context and Hope in View
We need to observe the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy. This is the interpretive key to unlock the meaning and the hope. Matthew quoted Jeremiah with reference to its wider context. The passage is located just prior to the promise of the New Covenant, and it rests within an even broader context of Messianic joy. The ultimate hope of the Exile was not just a return to the land but a New Covenant!
And this New Covenant would be established by the Messiah, namely Jesus. He has brought the hope promised after the Exile. Jesus Christ has brought the New Covenant with its promises of full forgiveness, the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and life in true obedience.
The Exile was the result of the Israelites’ continual disobedience. The Exile’s fulfillment then is the solution to this problem—the Spirit of obedience. And so, the Child Messiah under Divine Fatherly protection would eventually grant forgiveness of sin and obedience in the Spirit.
Matthew 2:16–18 ESV “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.””This horrible event is part of the history of God’s people, and it fulfilled Jeremiah 31:15. The original context of this prophecy in Jeremiah is from the Exile period. We need to apply the redemptive-historical interpretive method in order to grasp Matthew’s meaning and purpose. This approach was discussed in a previous blog about understanding the Exodus reference used in Matthew 2:13-15, “The Egyptian Flight In Fulfillment.”
The Interpretive Framework
The Exile, like the Exodus, is another significant signpost in the history of redemption. Matthew is showing us another link by connecting the Patriarchs, the Exodus, and the Exile to the Christ. Jesus as the Messiah would fulfill the hope of the return from the Exile by establishing the promised New Covenant.
The historical incident about Rachel is less well known, so here is a brief review. Rachel was one of Jacob’s wives and a mother of the Hebrew people. In Genesis, we read that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin while traveling from Bethel to Bethlehem. She was buried in a tomb in Zelzah, in the region of Ramah.
In Jeremiah, Rachel is personified as crying out from her grave, weeping over the loss of Israel’s children. It was in Ramah where the exiles were gathered in 586 BC for their long march to Babylon. Those gathered at Ramah for Exile were considered as good as dead.
What Matthew is Saying to the World
In Matthew, Rachel is personified again as crying out from her grave, weeping over the children. This time the children are in Bethlehem. But this is not really the point. Matthew is not simply matching up Biblical references to crying and mourning.
Matthew is declaring that the weeping of Rachel in Jeremiah’s day, in the time of the Exile, has now been fulfilled. Look at what is promised in the two verses following that Jeremiah quotation.
Jeremiah 31:16–17 ESV “Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.”The weeping is soon to be over. Her bereavement now would be replaced with blessing. Matthew’s point, what he is saying to the world, is that the tears of the Exile are now over and the promised hope has finally come!
Keeping Context and Hope in View
We need to observe the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy. This is the interpretive key to unlock the meaning and the hope. Matthew quoted Jeremiah with reference to its wider context. The passage is located just prior to the promise of the New Covenant, and it rests within an even broader context of Messianic joy. The ultimate hope of the Exile was not just a return to the land but a New Covenant!
And this New Covenant would be established by the Messiah, namely Jesus. He has brought the hope promised after the Exile. Jesus Christ has brought the New Covenant with its promises of full forgiveness, the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and life in true obedience.
The Exile was the result of the Israelites’ continual disobedience. The Exile’s fulfillment then is the solution to this problem—the Spirit of obedience. And so, the Child Messiah under Divine Fatherly protection would eventually grant forgiveness of sin and obedience in the Spirit.
Romans 8:3–4 ESV “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”Have you experienced the joy of returning from the exile of sin by Jesus Christ? Share your experience with others that they too might walk in a new life in the Spirit of God.
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