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Matt 2 cont'd
Just because Matthew states Herod realized he was outwitted, it doesn't mean he didn't send his spies out to find the wise men. It makes the most sense to have sent them in the morning. By morning, the wise men were gone, and returning a different route. Likely nobody saw which way either, if they left at night. Herod wasn't concerned about the wise men, he wanted Jesus anyway. No doubt Mary and Joseph didn't have much of a head start, but God had their back anyhow. Herod would have likely gone to Galilee even after all the killing. That's who is was.
I wonder if he heard any Moses or Joseph tales.
Even after only being in Bethlehem several weeks, it appears they intended to relocate there. What about the place he had set up for them in Nazareth? Maybe he just used Herod's son Archelaus as an excuse to go back up to Nazareth. While the appeal of being close to Jerusalem and probably some family still in the area existed, Nazareth was home. Hopefully Mary was able to visit Elizabeth either before they went to Egypt and/or when they returned. Joseph didn't need anymore convincing, but would surely enjoy seeing the one who would prepare the way of the Lord spoken by Malachi. That would be cool tripp'n on how old his parents were and the greatness John would achieve through total humility. Mary, no doubt would have longed to visit her relatives there, just a few miles away.

Matt 2 cont'd
As if I didn't struggle to see their wisdom on going to Herod to ask where his new king was, now they need to warned in a dream not to report back to him. Like he wasn't creepy enough wanting to know the exact details on when the star first appeared. No doubt, he sent spies to follow them. They probably returned that night with the location. Joseph was warned after they left, so it very well could have been that very night.
Remember, this is at least 40 days after Jesus' birth. As for when the wise men showed up, some say a year later, but not likely. When Simeon and Anna share who Jesus is at the temple, the word was out. It doesn't take but a day or two for him to get wind of the news. A paranoid psychopath who protects his throne by killing several family members has his scouts out to pick up any such rumbligs. This is why I'm convinced the star first appeared at Jesus' conception.
That means it took just over 10 months for the wise men to figure things out, decide, plan, pack, go, and arrive. The 800-900 mile trip can be done in a couple of months, but these men traveled more in comfort. No need for speed. It took Zerubbabel and the 40000 exiles about 4 months, so this is a more likely time frame. That leaves about 5 months to figure things out, realize they need to be there, and get ready. This also fits Herods orders to kill all the children 2 years old and younger. If one year was the time of the star, two year olds are a safe bet to secure his reign.
Mary and Joseph won't have to worry about all those naysayers back in Nazareth now either because God sent them to Egypt.
It wouldn't surprise me to find out the spies don't recognize Mary or Joseph after the raid, and Herod researches to find out Jesus will be from Galilee. He dies though within a year or two after this massacre. It wouldn't surprise me if he sent scouts to Nazareth to find Jesus there.

Matt 2
I'm not really convinced these were wise men. They may be wise on some accounts, but who goes up to the sitting king of a people and asks where the new king is? Any king is going to have a problem with this, let alone Herod. It would be different if God told them to say this because He can accomplish anything He wants. These "wise" men put themselves and Jesus in danger, even though nobody can put God in danger. It could be argued this snafu cost many parents the lives of their children, as Herod kills all the kids 2 years old and younger shortly after this. This scenario begs the question, why did God allow them to visit Herod? These wise men have followed the star for hundreds of miles, why do they now need to stop and ask for directions?God seems to have temporarily hidden the star. He did it, and that's that. God allows many painful events. Most of us have a problem accepting this, but we also realize our time here is to determine who we put our hope in. We are also here for God's glory, and not our comfort. Sure, God hurts when we hurt, but He gets to make the plan. Needless to say, we also cause a lot of our own problems anyway, so we only have ourselves to blame. I have an issue with what He allows to happen often, but the only other option of not accepting God's plan leads to total destruction. I'll put up with God's plan every time to avoid an eternity of ugliness.
Next, we don't know when the star first appeared to the wise men, but my best guess is at the conception of Jesus' incarnation.
Whoa, the star seems to be back, and they were overjoyed to see it again. They now follow it to the exact spot where Jesus lay. Many want to attribute celestial bodies to this star, but how does this star stop directly over the spot Jesus is. Epano is the Greek word used here for over Jesus. Matthew doesn't say the star pointed a beam to Jesus or something like that, it says it went before them until it arrived over Jesus. It doesn't matter either what this star is all about, but it did it's job.

Matt 1 cont'd
Why does the angel visit to Joseph cause me to linger on its implications so much longer than the visit to Mary. News of the Savior and the faith to accept a virgin conception seems much more challenging to accept for young Mary, compared to a more seasoned guy who also went through his Torah memory as a boy. He has memorized how the scepter will not depart from Judah. Joseph is older than Mary and has been challenged and disciplined more in his faith development. God knows how great a catch Mary is, and no doubt Joseph sees it also. So why wouldn't he spend more time trying to believe Mary than quickly dismiss her story? He obviously has enough interest in her and enough character to not have her stoned. God seems to be easy on Joseph though, since He sends an angel to clue him in. Maybe Joseph just didn't have the faith Mary did, afterall, who wants to be given a hard task by God and readily receive it? Well, Mary did.
What I do know, is I'm not usually too exited to jump into another tough situation because it's in His plan. That said, I'm definitely not going to take it well if I don't believe what God is doing without spending the time it takes to check it out and allow Him to be God. Maybe I'm not all that, but if God won't allow another plan that fits my agenda better, I know the only other option is bad. This involves the lies that lead to complete destruction over life.
We all know this is a big pill for Joseph to swallow, but Mary did it, and she had more to lose. Joseph is still God's guy, and He knows he will come through with a little help. There's nothing wrong with that, but I have to believe Joesph was unsettled with his decision and knew Mary was more than she appeared. I really struggle with Joseph's fumbling though, even knowing he was God's chosen guy. We all have our gifts, but Mary's was faithfulness to God's promises and not Joseph's faithfulness to the law.
This angel visit definitely had the power to give him the ability to accept Jesus being the Savior for sins. Think about that. Not the law, which Joseph was loyal to. Not freedom from the oppressive Roman rule. This is a major paradigm shift from Jewish culture, but the signs were still in plain sight. First, after the fall from grace, the savior will crush the head of the satan. After that, Abram goes to sacrifice his only son Isaac. After that, the first Passover. After that, Is 53:10 is Jesus being the offering for sin. C'mon Joseph, just because everybody else wants their own narrative on the Savior, you have to sense God doing something amazing. Yes, this is a big pill to swallow, but God designed you to succeed. And with His help, you did.

Matt 1 cont'd
Just wrapping up how long Mary might have lived with Joseph in Nazareth before giving birth in Bethlehem, consider how long she would have stayed with Elizabeth before coming back home. Elizabeth likely would appreciate help being so old and carrying an additional 30+/- lbs during her pregnancy. Joints just don't appreciate that at that age. Combined with Zechariah being old also, Mary likely was useful to them. Mary surely could use some first hand insight on the birthing process, in addition to what her own mother would share with her. No doubt she and Zechariah also had much to interact with about their angel visits. All said, Mary is going to be showing by time she comes home, but likely not traveling near full term.
This all taken into account, Mary very likely would have lived in Nazareth 2-5 months before heading back south. Maybe the rest of town wouldn't buy the John the Baptist/ Messiah story, but I have to believe Joseph and Mary's family had to. Just the scuttlebutt in town on the topic should have really caused people to reconsider the awesomeness of the situation. Certainly, it would have come up that a Bethlehem trip would somehow be necessary. How could you not be searching the scriptures and asking the rabbi for information on the messiah's birth?

Matt 1 cont'd
One last fear Joseph would have had was how his business and social network would suffer by marrying what appeared to be an adulterous. Matthew states he took her home as his wife. Whatever the living arrangements, she was with him as his wife. Of course, it took God sending an angel to remind him of the virgin birth and who Jesus is, but the point is; he believed and followed the plan.

Matt 1 cont'd
Why didn't Joseph know about the pregnancy until it was found out? Well, if Mary believed, but knew she would have a death sentence on a virgin conception, she may have wanted to go down to Elizabeth's place to get some encouragement. She believed, which means she knew Jesus would be born, but it also means we play a role in how God does things. He'll still accomplish His goal whether we do what He wants or not, but let's just play our role. Why Joseph was more faithful to the law than to God is a bigger question. Sure, what a guy, he won't have her stoned, but how does He not know the virgin birth of the messiah from Isaiah 7:4? I want to think that he prayed about it that first night and was open to what God was doing, and then the angel spoke in the dream. What was Joseph afraid of? Not dying. Maybe being cast out of the synogogue, which was a cultural suicide. Killing an innocent girl? I just want to believe he sensed Mary was being honest, he just needed help.

Matt 1
How could there be any more gripping reading than hearing about the incarnate life of Jesus? The OT gives much insight to who God is, but its main point is to demonstrate God's love to us through patience and the promise of the One who would reconcile us to Himself. Probably the only reading better than how Jesus made a way for us to be with Him, would be more details on our life without our sinful nature. We need the OT to set feel the exhaustion of sin and the need for help. Matthew's genealogy omits several figures for literary purposes, but very noticeably includes 5 women in a very masculine Hebrew culture. These women were included promiscuous lifestyles, Jewish enemy country heritages, and an unmarried pregnancy. This genealogy also includes Kings who were so vile they made these women look better than many of their best men. The point is that God did not pride Himself with appearances that impress us. The broken and dependant heart is what God chooses to use for His glory.

Mal 4
Sure, the joy promised will come, but the weight of being beaten down with sin is a hard concept see past. While we know repentance and brokenness will be replaced, true humility seemingly won't. First off, there is no joy in the death of the wicked. These people may have caused us grief, but these are the ones we have reached out to time and again. We know God designed humans with the will to reject. Most will. This is not comforting to me. While I have peace about their decision, no amount of hurt they caused will cause me to "frolic" in their destruction/our salvation. Yeah, the point of our joy won't be their destruction, but these are real people with souls that won't stop feeling the consequence of God's judgement. Every believer wants the Truth to overcome and be made known, but for the purpose of repentance and healing. Yes, the heaviness is how the Truth doesn't even bring repentance to everyone. Yes, we will no longer be concerned for the lost. Yes, we will "frolic" in our joy, even the most broken person. Yes, God can completely heal even the most broken person. The one who didn't wear humility like a facade in pretentious act of phoniness. God didn't create us with the intent of having to drag this heaviness around for eternity. We know this, and yet it seems more real than some hocus pocus healing. For those who know they are loved by God, but don't sense it; there will be healing. For those who have been on assignment so long, their deep cover has become their identity; there will be healing. Complete healing. Does complete healing may remove sin from our memory, but to pretend our separation from God never existed isn't truth. How can this fact be aknowledged if it's not known and felt?

Mal 3 cont
Does God consider us in a fallen state when we don't offer our full tithe to Him? You have to read this and consider His connection of return to me and how we rob Him when we don't bring the whole tithe to Him. We all have our reasons for giving what we have decided to give and when. Believers best keep their opinions in check on what they think of other believers giving decisions. Many factors are involved with these decisions. Time/service offerings, level of faith or commitment, and even allowances God grants. Nevertheless, a tithe is a tenth. For those of us who believe we can wait until the whole take comes in to determine what a tenth will be, we've missed the point of what first fruits is. As if we can give too much. We can always adjust later, we can't undo giving first. We can also justify to ourselves how we will eventually get to a tenth, but not yet. Fine, but we then state our priority. We say we can live with that decision, but when God isn't our priority, we risk everything. Thankfully He is resolved to His commitment to us. Does He change? In some contexts He is open to repentance and change. He expressed His sorrow in creating us at the time of Noah, but He was resolved to His plan. Moses had a role on whether God would destroy the Israelites in the desert or not. God very well could have used His line to test Moses. We can go on, but either you realize there is context in His comments or you don't. The main point, however, is there is a substantial consequence to our giving and when we do it.