Thought for the Week

I want to look at the emotions of Joseph next. His might be more and more varied than those of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Remember Joseph was betrothed (like engaged) to a young virgin named Mary. Before marriage it became known she was pregnant and he knew he was not the father. If you are a man you can imagine some of the emotions that raged through Joseph. He would have been hurt, angry, feeling betrayed, embarrassed, and likely other feelings too. What was he going to do? In that culture, there were several options. The Law allowed for him to publicly break off the betrothal and Mary could have been executed by stoning. Joseph rejected that total picture; perhaps because he loved her, but surely because he was a good and righteous man, and felt that too harsh. He came to the conclusion he would break off the betrothal but do so privately. However, once he had reached that conclusion, God visited Joseph in a dream changing everything. God addressed Joseph by name and also as a son (descendant) of King David. This is important because it meant Joseph was royalty. God had an assignment in life for him. The yet unborn baby was a Boy, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Therefore He would be known as the Son of God, Whose life assignment was to ‘save His people from their sins.’ God wanted Joseph to serve as the surrogate father, raise the Boy as his own, name Him Jesus and as His father, give the Boy Jesus a royal title in the ancestral line of King David. The dream alluded to prophecy from Prophet Isaiah, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son and also give Him the name Immanuel, which means God (living) with us.” Joseph woke from his dream and without hesitation or question, did exactly what God asked him to do in the dream. Joseph and Mary also had no sexual relationship until after the Baby Jesus was born. I can see Joseph as a true servant of God. He commits himself to a life assignment, assuming responsibility for not only financial responsibility but all the other duties and responsibilities of fatherhood. All those emotions, experienced before the dream seem to have been dissolved and replaced by joy and willingness to be God’s man for this assignment. While no other man has received this exact assignment, everyman who becomes a father, has assignment from God to assume the duties of fatherhood. This is not only duty to bear financial responsibility but to set a godly example for the child, to bring the child up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” In addition it is the duty of every father to treat the child’s mother with loving respect. Most certainly also means there is responsibility to pray for the child not only when he/she is young but it is a lifetime assignment to pray for them.

Scriptures to Read

St. Matthew 1:18-25

St. Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Deuteronomy 22:13-21

Isaiah 7:14, 9: 1-7

St. Mathew 2:1-12

Ephesians 5:22-6:4

Proverbs 22:6