But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Joseph provides for us a compelling example of Christian submission to God.
When he learned that his espoused wife, Mary, was pregnant, the Bible says he was “minded to put her away.”
Culture would have agreed with the decision to put her away.
This was not his child. The culture of the day would have had little tolerance for promiscuous behavior, and, as far as anyone one of them would have known, her pregnancy was the result of promiscuity.
His parents certainly would have agreed with the decision to put her away.
Though the Bible does not say it of his parents, we know that she left public view going with haste to the hill country of Judah where Elizabeth was.
Joseph personally was minded to put her away.
It says he was minded to put her away privily, quietly. Perhaps his love for her prevented him from causing her too much pain. Perhaps he wished to avoid the shame and humiliation. Whatever the motives, his personal leaning was toward putting her away.
The angel of the Lord had a different instruction
God had a different plan despite what common wisdom and the typical counselors were telling Joseph. It was based on something no one else understood or could have comprehended. It was based on something this world had never seen before. God’s plan was so unique to this world that it defied reason.
Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him
That’s what we need today. We need Christians who will choose to do what God says even when everyone else says to do otherwise, even when their own desires are to do otherwise; even when we must pay a stiff price to do what God says to do in His Word.
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
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