Topical Bible: God: Preserver: Jesus and his Parents

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In the narrative of Jesus Christ's early life, the theme of God as Preserver is vividly illustrated through the divine protection and guidance provided to Jesus and His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. This preservation is evident in several key events recorded in the Gospels, highlighting God's sovereign care and intervention.

The Annunciation and Divine Assurance

The preservation of Jesus begins with the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel visits Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, to announce that she will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. In Luke 1:30-31 , Gabriel reassures Mary, saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus." This divine message not only foretells the miraculous birth but also assures Mary of God's favor and protection.

Joseph's Dream and Obedience

Joseph, initially troubled by Mary's pregnancy, is also preserved from making a grave decision through divine intervention. In Matthew 1:20-21 , an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." This revelation preserves the Holy Family by ensuring Joseph's acceptance and protection of Mary and the unborn Jesus.

The Flight to Egypt

The preservation of Jesus continues with the threat posed by King Herod, who seeks to destroy the newborn King. In Matthew 2:13 , after the visit of the Magi, an angel of the Lord warns Joseph in a dream: "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him." Joseph's immediate obedience to this divine warning ensures the safety of Jesus, as they escape to Egypt, fulfilling the prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (Matthew 2:15).

Return to Nazareth

After Herod's death, God's preservation is again evident as Joseph receives another divine message in a dream, instructing him to return to the land of Israel. In Matthew 2:19-21 , the angel says, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead." Joseph's compliance with this command leads the family to settle in Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23).

Conclusion

Throughout these events, the preservation of Jesus and His parents underscores God's providential care and the fulfillment of His redemptive plan. The divine interventions experienced by Mary and Joseph highlight the protective hand of God, ensuring the safety and mission of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 2:13,19-22
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be you there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Hymns and Spiritual Songs
... Hymn 1:112. The brazen serpent; or, Looking to Jesus, John 3. 14 15 16. Hymn 1:113. ...
Hymn 2:19. Our frail bodies, and God our preserver. Hymn 2:20. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/hymns and spiritual songs/

Friends, or Quakers.
... name, in the belief of one eternal God, the Creator and Preserver of the ... man by his
own effort, but is the free gift of God in Christ Jesus, nourished and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/friends or quakers.htm

The God of Peace
... Jesus was not our ambassador merely, but he was our peace; not the ... Thirdly, he is
the preserver of peace. ... I see peace in the world, I ascribe it to God, and if ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the god of peace.htm

The Fatherhood of God
... upon the earth.' If I call thee my Preserver thou wilt ... we are all deeply under
obligation to God, but it ... of the riches of his fullness in Christ Jesus the Lord ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the fatherhood of god.htm

Confession of the Free-Will Baptists. AD 1834, 1868.
... holy, just, and merciful; the Creator, Preserver, and Governor ... own, can become the
children of God; but they ... Jesus Christ, the Son of God, possesses all divine ...
/.../confession of the free-will baptists.htm

The Supremacy of Christ
... image of the invisible God, Creator and Preserver of all ... evil, to put "on the whole
armour of God.". ... hearted allegiance, their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ (4:1 ...
/.../sell/bible studies in the life of paul/study ix the supremacy of.htm

The Sinner Stripped of his Vain Pleas.
... God, and a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you ... of a convinced Sinner giving
up his vain pleas before God. ... shall I say unto thee, O thou Preserver of men ...
/.../the rise and progress of religion in the soul/chapter v the sinner stripped.htm

The Way of Salvation
... him all things consist"Maker, Creator, Preserver, God of providence ... that you may
believe that God the Father ... Jesus Christ stood as his substitute and scapegoat ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the way of salvation.htm

Melanchthon -- the Safety of the virtuous
... family of man, to be the protector and preserver of his ... I supplicate the Son of God,
our Lord Jesus Christ, who ... God will be owned in such deliverance just as in ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons volume i/melanchthon the safety of.htm

Meditations for the Sick.
... and raiseth up again; who art the only preserver of all ... to acknowledge thee alone
to be the God of my ... my sickness; and increase my faith in Jesus Christ, who ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bayly/the practice of piety/meditations for the sick.htm