Matthew 2:19-23 "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."
Herod sought to kill Jesus from the moment he heard that He had been born. Even though this great event happened practically under his nose, Herod had no idea concerning Jesus’s birth or the time it occurred. In his desire to destroy the very Truth of God, Herod slaughtered every child in and around Bethlehem from two years old and under. There have always been men willing to go to great and terrible extremes to try and show that they were greater than God.
One thing all these men have in common is that they die. When Herod died, the Lord’s messenger again appeared unto Joseph while he, Mary, and Jesus were still in Egypt. He was instructed to take his family and return to the land of Israel. However, they did not return to Bethlehem but instead turned aside to the city of Nazareth where it appears Mary and Jospeh were originally from (Luke 1:26-27).
We see again the hand of God in the life of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We see the words of the prophets continuing to be brought to fulfillment. While there is no direct mention of Nazareth in the prophets, it points to the many prophecies that speak of Jesus’s humility and the idea that He would be looked down on. In Jesus’s time, if you were from Nazareth, you were from the wrong side of the tracks.
Dear ones, if you follow Jesus there will be many who will consider you to be of less than a sound mind. The world does not appreciate that you strive to live a life that is pleasing to God. Trust Him and live that life anyway. Listen when He tells you in His word and by His Spirit the things you ought to do. The protecting hand of God will always bring you close to Him!