Topical Bible: Prophecies Respecting Christ: His Being Called out of Egypt

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The prophecy concerning Christ being called out of Egypt is a significant element in the messianic expectations found within the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New Testament. This prophecy is primarily rooted in the book of Hosea and finds its fulfillment in the Gospel of Matthew.

Old Testament Prophecy

The prophecy originates from Hosea 11:1, which states, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." In its immediate context, this verse refers to the historical event of the Exodus, where God called the nation of Israel, His "son," out of bondage in Egypt. However, this verse is also understood as a typological prophecy, where the historical event serves as a foreshadowing of a greater fulfillment in the Messiah.

New Testament Fulfillment

The Gospel of Matthew explicitly connects this prophecy to Jesus Christ. In Matthew 2:13-15, after the visit of the Magi, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take Mary and the child Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod's massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. The passage reads:

"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up!' he said. '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.' So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'" (Matthew 2:13-15)

Matthew's Gospel presents this event as a direct fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy, demonstrating that Jesus, as the true Son of God, recapitulates the history of Israel. Just as Israel was called out of Egypt to become God's covenant people, so too is Jesus called out of Egypt, signifying His role as the true Israel and the embodiment of God's redemptive plan.

Theological Significance

The calling of Jesus out of Egypt holds deep theological significance. It underscores the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, highlighting Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel's history and prophecies. This event also emphasizes God's sovereign protection and guidance over His Son, ensuring the fulfillment of His divine purposes despite human opposition.

Furthermore, this prophecy and its fulfillment illustrate the typological nature of biblical prophecy, where historical events in the Old Testament serve as patterns or foreshadows of greater realities revealed in the New Testament. Jesus, as the ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies, embodies the hope and salvation anticipated throughout the Scriptures.

In summary, the prophecy of Christ being called out of Egypt is a profound testament to the divine orchestration of history and the fulfillment of God's promises through Jesus Christ, the true Son of God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Isaiah's Prophecies Considered the virginity of Christ's Mother a ...
... Other Prophecies Also Signs ... nations round about, gold and silver." [3274] Moreover,
respecting that gift ... is easy enough to see, [3278] they believed in Christ. ...
/.../chapter xiii isaiahs prophecies considered the.htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... to become absorbed in calculations beforehand respecting its dates ... to Christ as the
chief subject of the prophecies. ... the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

Quotations from the Old Testament in the New.
... Respecting this class of quotations, it is only ... 6. Of the prophecies quoted, some
refer immediately to ... was confirmed for ever through Christ; and Solomon's ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxix quotations from the.htm

The Unity of Revelation. 1 "Known unto God are all his Works from ...
... from one of the Old Testament prophecies: "It hath ... of his primitive church, to settle
all questions respecting her ... man, the person and offices of Christ and the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvi the unity of.htm

Translated from the Greek.
... letter." [2932] For if the judgment respecting the "Jew ... its commencement lower down
with Christ, who is ... If, therefore, the prophecies relating to Judea, and ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from the greek.htm

Of the Sixth Seal.
... to which is that of Isaiah respecting the vengeance ... instance, the small points of
allegorical prophecies are not ... of his madness and temerity against Christ [14 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/of the sixth seal.htm

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
... (4.) In regard to those prophecies which relate ... regard as only the vehicle of certain
ideas respecting deity ... of their own, for this belongs to Christ alone; but ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxv the figurative language.htm

The Hebrew Prophecies.
... common denominator for this collection of prophecies.". ... upon several interesting
critical inquiries respecting the component ... to destroy the authority of Christ. ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter v the hebrew prophecies.htm

The Meaning
... Now to that vision the remaining prophecies of the same ... it is unnecessary to add
a word more respecting it. ... a war of three hundred years, when Christ saw that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the meaning 3.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... The hundreds of prophecies which are found in the Old ... we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto ... an argument at this point respecting the believer's ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm