Two Dreams That Saved A Little Child
Two Dreams That Saved a Little Child
Yes, people found out about the birth of Jesus in strange ways. There were people who lived near by who found out about it. They were shepherds. And there were people who lived far away who found out about it. They were wise men who lived in another country. And when THEY found out about it, they did something that nearly caused baby Jesus harm - DREADFUL harm. It happened this way.
These wise men studied the stars. They knew that God had promised to send a Saviour-King.* [* This was baby Jesus.] One night they saw a HUGE star, brighter than all the rest. And they knew it must be the star that would tell them where the Saviour-King was.
So they packed some gifts and got on their camels and followed that star right to Bethlehem. And they went straight to the palace where King Herod lived.
"We have followed God's star," they told King Herod. "We are looking for the new King God promised."
King Herod was very polite and asked them all about the star.
"The child is not here," said King Herod. "But when you find him, let me know where he is. I would like to worship him, too." And he sent them on their way to Bethlehem.
The wise men went on to look for Jesus. But they didn't know one thing -
Herod was a WICKED king. And he didn't want to find Jesus to WORSHIP him. He wanted to KILL him!
When the wise men came to where Mary and Joseph and little Jesus were, they unpacked their camels and brought out the finest gifts of gold and rare perfumes. And they knelt down and worshiped Jesus. Then they got ready to go back and tell the wicked king where Jesus was. And they would have told him, and Jesus might have been KILLED - except for one thing.
God was watching!
That night in a dream, God told the wise men, "Do not go back to wicked King Herod. He doesn't want to worship Jesus. He wants to have him KILLED. Go back to your own country."
And the wise men did!
But King Herod was angry. He called his soldiers. "Go to Bethlehem," he told them, "and find this child - I want to have him killed!"
But God was still watching!
At night, in a dream, God told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and run away. Mary and Joseph packed up their things and wrapped up little Jesus, and stole out of the city and across the desert until they got to Egypt, a country far away.
And when the soldiers got to Bethlehem and looked in all the places where there were little children so they could kill baby Jesus - he was gone!
King Herod never found Jesus. And Mary and Joseph didn't bring him back until the wicked king was dead.
No harm could come to God's son. Because God was watching!

THINK!
Phew! That was close, wasn't it? They didn't have cablegrams and telegrams and phones back in those days, but God used other ways to announce Jesus' birth, and other ways to SAVE Jesus when his life was in danger. What were they? What are some ways God protects YOU from danger?
A VERSE TO LEARN
"The LORD is thy keeper" (Psalm 121:5).