Mensa Otabil - God Speaks to 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 Mary as 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, and in his heart, he wanted to do right as a human being. But then he goes to sleep, and God speaks to him, and God opens something to him that he was blinded 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. The angel of the Lord appeared to him to reveal something, and there are four things I believe the angel of the Lord wanted Joseph to be aware of.
First, to reveal God’s plans to Joseph. The angel of the Lord wanted Joseph to know God’s plans: 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 into 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, and sometimes God does things around us, and we may think they are just ordinary, but they may be heavenly, 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 has 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 in 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 were chosen a long time ago 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 of both Mary and Joseph, who were both descended from David in the distant past. Now, every Jewish student of prophecy knew that the Messiah was going to come from the line of David. So 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 in it.
The third thing is, 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 the consequences were dire; you were going to be stoned to death. People would not hazard to go and commit a casual sin that would cause their death. So He says, «This is God; this is the Holy Spirit at work, and 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 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 have to now go a step further and take her as your wife. This is how God deals with us; when our hearts are right, God finds a way to bring us on the right path. Joseph’s heart was right, and God pointed him in the right path 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.“