Joseph’s Obedience
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive a bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I love him, and out of Egypt I called My son.
Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Rule in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting
Matthew 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means ‘God with us’). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi came from the east to Jerusalem and asked “Where id the one who has been born kind of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:5-6 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse the father of King David.
Matthew 2:13-15 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:19-23 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those day that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syris. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, our of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:39-40 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2:41-49 Passover Festival in Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old.
The time had come.
God chose Joseph to be Jesus’ paternal figure while he was a growing child. He is described as a righteous man. Our creator knew Joseph’s character, his willingness to be obedient, and that he had planned to wed Mary. And God knew both of these children of His and had decided they would be the best parents for His Son to be raised on earth. What a huge responsibility this man had.
Joseph was already preparing a home for Mary whom he would marry when all was ready. How did he learn of her travel? Did one of her relatives come and tell him? Had an angel or dream come to him and reassured him she was fine and traveling before the marriage. Did he wonder if she had doubts or fears about becoming a wife? Was Joseph wondering if he had made the best choice? Although she would not know the exact time., why had she chosen to go so close to the wedding time,
Did the angel appear to Joseph in his dream during the time she was gone, reassuring him that it was okay to marry Mary or did that happen when Mary returned and it was becoming obvious of her physical changes with the pregnancy? Had his dream reassured him that she had no hesitation in becoming his wife, but needed to see her close relative, Elizabeth. Perhaps Joseph knew her well enough to know that Elizabeth and Zacharias were the closest relatives Mary had.
We know only that Joseph was reassured Mary had not been with a man, and the Child she carried was by the Holy Spirit. So he proceeded with what was right, and brought Mary home. They did not consummate the marriage until after the birth. What a blessing to be the parents of the Messiah, but how daunting that must have been.
One assumes, although not stated, that Joseph learned of her pregnancy when she returned, although that is never imparted to us. But reassured through a dream that Mary’s child was fathered through the Holy Spirit, Joseph brought her into his home, doing right by Mary, the child and God.. Joseph was obedient and apparently accustomed to hearing from God through dreams. Both Mary and Joseph were reliable in following God and trusting in God, and after centuries of waiting for the promised Messiah, now they were to become His earthly parents. And they committed to raising Him to the very best of their abilities.
A census had been called for, so the couple had to travel from Galilee to Bethlehem and while traveling, it became time for the Child to be born. Again, a prophecy fulfilled saying the Messiah would be born in the tiny town of Bethlehem.
When Herod heard of this new “King of the Jews” he plotted how to kill him—alleviate the competition—at all costs, including the death of male toddlers. But Joseph was warned in a dream to take the Child and his mother and flee to Egypt until God told him it was safe to return to Israel. Because he was a carpenter, one would assume he worked as a carpenter there. They lived in Egypt for 3-4 years. Once Herod died, Joseph was told in a dream to return back to Israel. Because Herod’s son, Herod Archelaus was living in and reigning in Judah, Joseph decided to take his small family to Nazareth in Galilee.
We do know that Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters, but there is not a lot known about his childhood. The family traveled to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve for the Passover Festival. When the family left to return home, it was a day before they realized Jesus was not with them, so they hurriedly returned to Jerusalem to search for him. He was found attentively listening in the Temple, sharing His thoughts and those who heard Him were amazed at His thoughts and the things He said.
God appointed a steadfast man who honored Him and faithfully followed His laws. How awed he must have been to learn he had been chosen to be the earthly man responsible with raising the boy and keeping him and his mother safe. On their trek to Bethlehem, did he remember the prophecy by Micah that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of God’s chosen king? Had he and Mary remembered Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be born to a virgin? Did they have discussions about many of the prophecies?
Lord, initially, I found reading much of Your Word difficult to understand, difficult to see how the Old Testament was relevant to my life and it meant nothing much when talking about Jesus and the disciples in the New Testament. How wrong I was. How often I have wished I had been raised in a Protestant bible teaching church instead of the church we attended. But Lord, how very grateful I am that you led me to different teachers and bible studies. I wanted to learn more, and with others teaching and guiding, and my own reading, the Holy Spirit began to clarify and how blessed I am to now be able to see the connections. Praise You, Lord for Your guidance, for the Holy Spirit, and placing me in learning environments. You are so awesome to me and “mybellaviews.”
Comments