“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt … for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” (Matthew 2:13)
Right from the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth, Satan tried to oppose His mission. In today’s text, we see his first attempt to kill Jesus.
King Herod feared that the “King of the Jews” about whom the wise men from the east told him, might be a potential rival. Therefore, he tried to kill Him. He even ordered to murder all male infants in Bethlehem that were in Jesus’ age range, to be sure that the “King of the Jews” wouldn’t escape. But God sent an angel to warn Joseph and Mary in time. They fled to Egypt, and Jesus was safe.
King Herod ordered Jesus’ death. But this wasn’t just his own idea. Throughout Jesus’ life and mission, Satan stirred people up to oppose Him, and once he himself tried to tempt Jesus to sin – which would have destroyed His mission. But Satan didn’t succeed. God guarded his Son, and Jesus Christ completed His mission to save humanity.
Be assured that Satan will never manage to destroy God’s work! Jesus Christ has conquered all evil powers. He is King!