Dem Come Back from Egypt

Another night. Another dream. And dis time di angel bring di news wey Joseph don dey wait for. Di danger don finish. Time don reach to go home.

We no know exactly where for Egypt di family live, or how long dem stay. E fit be months. E fit be one or two years. Maybe long reach for baby to learn how to waka and talk, for land where di big river Nile dey rise and go down every year, and where di language for market na foreign language. Dem don tell Joseph make e stay until God talk another tin. So e work, and e wait. E no make im own plan to sneak go back early. God don give am one word, and e dey wait for di next one.

Back for Judea, di old king dey die. Herod, wey build palaces and fortresses and one fine big temple, wey rule for more than thirty years and kill anybody wey e fear, no fit hold im own life. Sickness catch am well well, and then e die. Di man wey try to destroy di pikin don go. Matthew tell am with just few words: when Herod don die. No drama. Powerful people dey pass away, but God purpose dey continue.

Then, once again, one angel of di Lord appear to Joseph for dream for Egypt. And di words dey sound almost exactly like di first message. Get up, carry di young pikin and im mother, and go di land of Israel, because di people wey dey find di young pikin life don die. Di same God wey talk go, now talk come back. Di same careful words, di young pikin and im mother. Dem no tell Joseph make e first carry im own load. Dem remind am wetin matter pass: di pikin, and di pikin mother.

And Joseph do wetin Joseph dey always do. Matthew talk say e get up, carry di young pikin and im mother, and come di land of Israel. Imagine di journey back. Small boy now, maybe e dey sit for im papa shoulder. One mother wey don stay far from her family, wey go soon see di hills wey she know again. Many hundred years before, God people comot from Egypt after long years of slavery. Now one small family comot from Egypt too, dem dey waka go home, dem carry di one wey go lead God people comot from slavery wey deep pass dat one.

Di historian Josephus describe Herod last sickness with details wey dey pain person. E tell us say Herod die for Jericho, im palace for dry season near di Jordan, and say dem carry im body for one big procession go bury am for di Herodium, di fortress palace wey e build on top one hill few miles from Bethlehem. Most historians put im death around four years before Christ, and na why people dey usually date di birth of Jesus small before dat time.

Dem Come Back from Egypt. You go find am for Matthew chapter two, verse nineteen reach twenty-one. Joseph wait for God word, and when e come, e move. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Something dey wey you dey wait for, and you fit trust God timing as you dey wait?