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"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to
make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly."
(Matthew 1:19)
Today, I want us to focus on Joseph, the husband of Mary who was chosen by God to help raise the Son of God, Jesus. Talk about a huge assignment! God, in His sovereignty, chooses whom He wants to choose to do the work He has planned for them. I believe God has a plan and a mission for all His children, and if we pray and are open, God will reveal that plan to us. Some people are given hard tasks and assignments. As a friend of mine has put it, "God will not just ask anyone to do the hard assignments. He picks those He can trust." God trusted Joseph with this most privileged and weighty responsibility.
Joseph is an integral part of the Christmas narrative. He was a just man (vs. 19). The word translated "just" is dikaios, which means "upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God" (BlueletterBible.org).
He was also a compassionate man (vs. 19). Here is how one biblical scholar described him: "While little is said about Joseph, one can imagine how his heart must have broken. He genuinely loved Mary, and yet the word came that she was pregnant. His love for her was demonstrated by his actions. He chose not to create a public scandal by exposing her condition to the judges at the city gate. Such an act could have resulted in Mary's death by stoning (Deut. 22:23–24). Instead he decided to divorce her quietly. . . . In light of this declaration, Joseph was not to be afraid to take Mary into his home (Matt. 1:20). There would be misunderstanding in the community and much gossip at the well, but Joseph knew the true story of Mary's pregnancy and God's will for his life." (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Ladies if you are single, this is the kind of man you want to marry, someone who is just and kind, who treats you with compassion and looks out for your best interest. I can see why Mary was attracted to him.
I think about my own marriage and relationship with Ashley, and I am grateful to God for the 35+ years He has given to us. I am smiling as I think about how on Monday of this week, as I was working at home, she said she was going to pick up groceries at the local HEB. She "encouraged" me that when I saw her return on our Ring camera that it would be good for me to come and help her. And help her I did! I believe Mary and Joseph had the two primary qualities of a healthy marriage, according to Dr. Emerson Eggerichs: love and respect. This is not a devotion about marriage, per se, but I will say that Ashley and I treat each other with the utmost respect, and it is reflected in how we speak to one another by using words like "thank you" and "please". This and praying together have blessed our marriage greatly.
Okay, moving on from marriage and back to Joseph... He was a just man, and he loved Mary and was compassionate toward her. He serves as an example to us today. He was also a man of faith. He loved God and received a very important dream from God.
Men, let me offer this challenge to you today: Let us be like Joseph. Let us be men of God who are righteous before God and our fellow man; let us also be men of compassion and show honor and respect to all people, especially to our wives.
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