Week 19 Matthew 2
Matthew says: …and so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son”. Matthew was talking about Joseph Mary & Jesus returning home from Egypt and he says that trip fulfilled what Hosea had said. I flipped back to Hosea 11: when Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son (quite a few versions say fulfilled. Others say things like the Lord’s promise came true or that the trip gave full meaning to what Hosea said).
I scanned through Hosea’s chapter 11. On the surface his out-of-Egypt verse doesn’t sound like a prophecy at all – it sounds like a reference back to The Exodus in Exodus 1-15.
Personally I think that Hosea was talking about Israel escaping from Pharaoh.
I think that if I got 100 people to read Hosea 11:1 then at least 99 of them would say: “this refers back to The Exodus”.
I think Matthew would admit Hosea was referring to the Exodus story. But according to Matthew Hosea was also referred to JM&J leaving Egypt. (It’s possible that Hosea knew there was a hidden message. But it’s possible he didn’t either.)
I think a normal OT reader wouldn’t see a prophecy there in Hosea.
So Matthew suddenly extracting a surprise meaning from Hosea isn’t the kind of prophecy I like. I prefer the Micah forecast in Matthew 2:6. Micah says that Event A will happen. And then it does happen.
Note: Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1 (NIV CEV ERV)