Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: Matthew 2:17

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“Then it was fulfilled that having been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying” (CG).

The previous verse detailed the massacre of the children of Bethlehem by Herod. As tragic as that was, God knew that it would occur. This is evidenced in the next words, where Matthew records, “Then it was fulfilled.”

Matthew is saying that the event of the killing of these children, which was just recorded in the previous verse, fulfilled a prophecy concerning the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem. The words were then a prophecy from “that having been spoken.”

The verse that Matthew will cite is from Jeremiah 31:15. That passage concerned the removal of the exiles from the land of Israel and into captivity in Babylon. It was recorded and its immediate fulfillment concerned those at that time. The prophecy was “through Jeremiah the prophet, saying.”

Matthew is setting the stage to cite a quote from the prophet, but ultimately it is a word from the Lord through Jeremiah. He was the instrument by which the Lord would speak out the prophecy.

Life application: There are quotes from the Old Testament in the New which make connections that others may not have even considered because they seem so unconnected. And yet, the statement that a particular verse or passage is fulfilled in an event in the New Testament is claimed.

Because of this, it is not uncommon for people to take other verses or passages and try to make some type of prophetic connection to an event in their own day. For example, it says in Isaiah 30 –

“There will be on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the great slaughter,
When the towers fall.” Isaiah 30:25

In 2001, Islamic terrorists used jet planes to bring down the Twin Towers in New York. Within a very short time, Isaiah 30:25 was being bandied about as a “fulfillment” of the words from Isaiah that pointed to the destruction of the Twin Towers.

This is not a responsible way of handling Scripture. And yet, it happens pretty much every day. Somebody finds something in the Bible that matches an event in their own sphere of existence, and he then claims that the Bible predicted the event. It happened with quite a few verses from the Bible at the time of a recent assassination attempt on a former US president.

But removing a verse out of its intended context is not a healthy way to handle one’s theology. Despite this, people could argue, “Yes, but what Matthew cites in several passages doesn’t really fit with the context of what he is citing.”

The difference is that Matthew was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He was guided by his knowledge of Scripture, his understanding of events at the time of Jesus, and – most importantly – by the Spirit of God who is the ultimate Author of Scripture. What God has determined to be within His word is up to Him.

It is our job to rightly handle what He has now completed and given to us. There are future prophecies that will come to pass that deal with the church, the tribulation period, and so forth. But not everything that happens in our short span of life needs to find some type of prophetic match in Scripture, even if a few of the words seem similar.

A proper thing to do with Scripture is to not manipulate it for personal agendas. Instead, use Scripture to find Jesus and His workings in redemptive history. Read it to find historical information, moral guidance, renourishment of your soul, and so forth.

Just because something sounds exciting or prophetically connected to your life, don’t just run with it. Think it through, check the context, and you will normally find that someone made an unacceptable leap in making the connection.

Having said this, there is an event that lies ahead that will affect you directly. The timing of it is unknown, but it is coming. Take time to read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. If you want to be intimately associated with Bible prophecy, that is a certain passage that will include you if you are a saved believer in Jesus Christ. And it will happen… maybe today.

Lord God Almighty, help us to be reasonable in our interpretation of Scripture. May we not try to force our lives and circumstances into the pages of Your word. Instead, we are passing through time and awaiting the final fulfillment of the prophetic word. It will come about as prophesied. Everything else is just us living out our lives. May that be done according to Your will. Amen.