Mensa Otabil - God Guides Joseph
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We’re still looking at the story of Joseph, and we go back to Matthew chapter 1, verse 20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, «Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.»
Though Joseph was disturbed by what had happened to Mary, his heart was still right with God. In his heart, he wanted to do right as a human being. But then he went to sleep, and God spoke to him, opening something to him that he was blind to-that there was a divine dimension to what was happening in his life and in the life of the woman he had chosen to marry. So the angel of the Lord appeared to him to reveal something, and there are four things I believe the angel wanted Joseph to be aware of. First, to reveal God’s plans to Joseph. The angel of the Lord wanted Joseph to know that what is happening is divine. This is God at work; this is not just Mary acting out. This is God working with the events of life and the events of history to bring His eternal plans to fruition.
So this is bigger than Mary, it’s bigger than Joseph, it’s bigger than the community they lived in. This is heavenly stuff happening in our human life. Sometimes God does things around us, and we may think they are just ordinary, but they may be heavily spiritual and extraordinary. So Joseph had to know this is God’s hand; this is God’s plan.
Secondly, God had to include Joseph in His plans. Remember, God had included Mary in His plans. He had told Mary what was going to happen, but Joseph was clueless. So God now needed to get Joseph involved. I like how God involved Joseph in this. The angel of the Lord called Joseph the son of David. Now he’s taking Joseph way back. Why did he call him the son of David? Because David was the line of the Messiah.
The Messiah is coming through the line of David, and so God is telling Joseph, «You’re not a descendant of David for fun. You are a descendant of David because you have been chosen for a long time to be part of this plan, just like your great ancestor David was part of this plan.» Jesus will be called the son of David because both Mary and Joseph were descended from David in the distant past. Every Jewish student of prophecy knew that the Messiah was going to come from the line of David. By calling Joseph the son of David, God is saying this has to do with the Messiah, and you have a role to play in it. So God has a plan, and Joseph has a role to play.
The third thing is that God wanted to explain what was happening to Joseph. He says, «Joseph, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Mary has not been unfaithful; Mary has not acted unrighteously.» In any case, it was very difficult in those days for a young lady to act unrighteously because their consequences were dire. You would be stoned to death, and so people would not risk committing a casual sin that could cause their death.
Thus, he says, «This is God; this is the Holy Spirit at work.» The Holy Spirit is the one who initiated this process involving Mary. So, God wants Joseph to know His plans; He wants to include Joseph in the plan; and He explains the plans to Joseph. The fourth thing is that He shows Joseph what to do. He says, «You have to take Mary as your wife.» You had a noble plan to divorce her or to annul the relationship quietly. That’s noble-that’s human. But you now have to go a step further and take her as your wife.
And this is how God deals with us. When our heart is right, God finds a way to bring us on the right path. Joseph’s heart was right, and God pointed him in the right direction and explained everything that was happening to him. Keep your heart right with God, and He will direct you every step of the way.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for including me in Your plans. Help me to see things as You see them. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.