But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. Matthew 2:22

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“And having heard that Archelaus reigns over Judea instead of Herod his father, he feared to go there. And having been admonished in a dream, he withdrew to the allotments of Galilee” (CG).

In the previous verse, it noted that Joseph took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel. Matthew next records, “And having heard that Archelaus reigns.”

Concerning what caliber of person Archelaus was, Albert Barnes notes –

“Archelaus possessed a cruel and tyrannical disposition similar to his father. At one of the Passovers he caused 3,000 of the people to be put to death in the temple and city. For his crimes, after he had reigned 9 years, he was banished by Augustus, the Roman emperor, to Gaul, where he died.”

With this Archelaus ruling in place of his father, Matthew next records that his reign was “over Judea instead of Herod his father.”

Charles Ellicott records this concerning Archelaus’ rule –

“Strictly speaking, this prince, who, under his father’s will (made just before his death), governed Judæa, Samaria, and Idumæa, was never recognised as a king by the Roman Emperor, but received the inferior title of Ethnarch. Antipas had Galilee and Peræa, Philip the region of Trachonitis. Popularly, however, the higher title was still used of him as we find it in 14:9 of the Tetrarch Antipas.”

Because this terrible successor to his father had begun to rule over the same place that Joseph had left from, “he feared to go there.”

This only makes sense. If his father had wanted to kill the children of Bethlehem, and if even a breath of the presence of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary had been made known to him, it is possible that the same knowledge was handed to Archelaus to be mindful of. If so, then if a report came back that they had returned to Bethlehem, it could only speak of further trouble for Joseph and his family.

Thus his fear was understandable in some ways. Therefore, another divine visitation is recorded, saying, “And having been admonished in a dream.”

This is now the fourth visitation in a dream received by Joseph. The Lord is directing his steps to ensure that Jesus will be properly tended to. God had spoken of the coming of the Messiah since the fall of man. His word is filled with information concerning His coming, and those prophetic utterances were being fulfilled with each new detail that is being recorded in the gospel, which includes the next movement of the family. Matthew records the words, saying, “he withdrew to the allotments ofGalilee.”

The word translated as “allotments” is meros. It has a variety of possible translations based on the context. It is derived from a word signifying “to get as a section or allotment” (Strong’s). The idea is that there is an overall area known as Galilee. Within that area, the various portions of land are allotted to be under the authority of whoever leads this greater area known as Galilee. That is then explained in Luke 23 –

“When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.” Luke 23:6-8

As Jesus will grow up in Nazareth, and as Nazareth is an allotment of Galilee, more prophecy will be fulfilled in this move. That will be seen in the next verse and in more verses ahead as Matthew unfolds.

Life application: In this verse, it said that Joseph feared to go to Judea because of the new ruler of that area. Fear is not uncommon, and it affects us all to some degree and in a wide variety of ways. However, there are things to fear – such as a baseball coming directly at your head – that are to then be avoided. For the Christian, however, there are other things that we truly should not fear, such as death.

That may sound contradictory. A baseball about to hit our head can lead to death, and yet we fear it and avoid it. This is natural, and nobody in their right mind would stand there and say, “I have no fear of this baseball hitting me in the face.”

However, some people live their lives consumed with the thought of death, as if there is some way they can think to avoid it. This is not a good mental state for anyone, but how much more for the Christian who says he truly believes Jesus prevailed over death?

Joseph’s immediate fear may have been understandable, but for the sake of the whole unfolding scenario, there was no need for it at all. God had selected him to be the human father figure for Jesus, the Messiah. He had already directed them several times, and the word assured Joseph that the Messiah would accomplish so many things. Therefore, instead of fearing, he should have been talking to the Lord, asking for direction, and understanding that God’s plan could not be thwarted.

We, too, should have this attitude. Whether we like it or not, unless Jesus comes first, we are all going to die. And we have no idea at all when or how that will occur. But God has made promises concerning our eternal destiny and that plan cannot be thwarted. And so, we can (and should) try to avoid disasters like a baseball to the head while at the same time not fearing the inevitable death that we all must face.

Let us handle our days reasonably, live our lives well for the Lord, and submit ourselves to him through life and in death. Let us not be people of fear –

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:17-19

Lord God, we know that Your word has sure and reliable promises for Your people that extend beyond death itself. And so, we commit ourselves to You, knowing that our days are set and that when they end, You will bring us to Yourself. We stand unafraid of what lies ahead because Jesus has gone before us. Thank You for this reassurance. Amen.