Joseph, a Righteous Man - December 17

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)

************

Jesus was not conceived by an earthly father but through the power of the Holy Spirit so that he was both fully God and fully man. But as with any child, Jesus needed an earthly father to help his mother raise him. God found that father in the righteous, obedient Joseph. When it appeared that Mary had been unfaithful to him and to God's law, Joseph sought to do what would be most godly in the situation. Despite the pain he must have felt, he decided to divorce Mary quietly so as not to publicly shame her. When an angel interceded to explain the truth, Joseph again made the righteous choice to be obedient to God. He showed great faith in accepting that God would perform such an extraordinary miracle and include him in this amazing story.

Centuries before this event, God prophesied through the prophet Isaiah the birth of His Son to a virgin. Now Joseph finds himself in the middle of that story. The angel told him not to be afraid to marry Mary; he believed the angel and continued the engagement. In this way, he protected Mary from her apparent scandal by taking part of the responsibility and supporting her through her pregnancy. He did this in spite of the shame and pain that surely resulted when people assumed that the couple had conceived a child before their marriage was finalized. He was there for Mary and Jesus as Jesus grew up. Mary and Joseph were the only people who knew for certain about Jesus' conception. Thirty-three years later all believers would know the truth when Jesus rose from death. Joseph in his faith held the family and the story together.

Joseph is a great example for us of a man of faith. It is not always easy to stand against the pressures of our culture and remain faithful. We have to trust that God is still Immanuel, God with us today, just as Jesus promised. (Matthew 28:20) Joseph's story helps us to remember that God is sovereign and ultimately in control and that our faith is based on the power and wisdom of a loving God. In what ways can you demonstrate your faith this Christmas season and in the new year?

************

Holy God, I praise you for your wisdom, power and presence in my life. I thank you for loving me so much that you chose to live with humans, both in the flesh and in the Spirit. Please help me to live in your presence every moment of my day, for you are the rock that my faith is based upon. All glory to you! Amen.

************

“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org”