The Journey of Joseph and Mary | Part 2
Bible Devotional
How will you know if you are making the right decision?
Joseph the Carpenter
The Bible tells us that Joseph was a carpenter, meaning that he worked with wood and stone. And Joseph has most likely established himself as an honest, hardworking man of good standing.
So, here is Mary, walking through the town. You can hear the whisper, the unsettling noise of the people, and the crowds start to form to make judgment upon her. You will also have the gossip go all the way to Joseph’s ear. He can’t believe it! “Mary would not do such a thing! I know Mary, and you all know Mary! We all know Mary! She is the kindest and gentlest lady! She would never do anything wrong against God!”
So a lot is going through Joseph’s mind. So I can imagine Joseph ran over to see Mary himself to confirm whether what people were saying was true. And when he arrives, he finds that Mary is pregnant.
What will you do? (Are you seeing the emotional chaos going through his mind?)
Now Joseph is a Jew, and since childhood, he has understood the religious laws of the time, so some of those laws may have come to mind. What does the law say when you find your wife pregnant or having committed adultery? Let’s consider what might be going through Joseph’s mind.
Deuteronomy 22:13-14 (NLT)
“Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.’
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 (NLT)
“But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin. The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
Remember, you probably had some of Joseph’s friends, “Hey man! This is what God says. You have to consider this.”
Deuteronomy 22:22 (NLT)
“If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.
So, here is Joseph. Could this be the law I was supposed to use? If he is not thinking of this one, then the next one is it?
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (NLT)
“Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
So, here is Joseph. “You know the law, and you know the truth, but how will you make a decision that is right?”
Joseph is in a very difficult dilemma.
Now, we know that a person’s character in how they process their thinking determines their outcome. For example, if you have good character and are a person of integrity (let your yes be yes and no be no), your outcome will be a wise decision.
So, what is the character of Joseph like? This is what the Bible tells us.
Matthew 1:19 (ESV)
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:19 Amplified Bible
And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.
So, the character of Joseph is that he is a just and righteous man, and his integrity is that he does not want to expose Mary to public shame, and he just wants to send her away quietly with a divorce.
Remember that a righteous man is someone who makes their heart right before God, but what is a man who is “just”? That is a great question, so let’s look up the original language in Greek.
The word just in Greek is dikaios pronounced dik'-ah-yos, meaning righteous, observing divine laws, virtuous, and keeping the commands of God.
In other words, Joseph is obedient to the law while also committed to justice and mercy. And there lies the battle in Joseph’s mind. He knows the law and that God is a God of mercy.
How can these two things align? How will Joseph make the right decision? You have the truth and know the law, but how will you make the right decision?
If he divorces Mary, then she will be shamed for the rest of her life. And worse yet, maybe even be stoned to death.
If he stays with Mary, then they are both living a shameful life.
So, here is Joseph, who wants to obey the law and has a heart of compassion for Mary. How will you decide?
Matthew 1:19 Amplified Bible
And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.
Wait a minute! Where did Joseph get this idea from? How did he get to that conclusion - to send her away and divorce her quietly? He found the answer in God’s Word. This is why you always have to read the Bible in context, not just a few verses. So here is Joseph, and he continues to read.
Deuteronomy 24:1 (NLT)
“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.
So, this is how Joseph knows the law and yet can still give Mary a quiet departure without shaming her in public. My friends, when you need to make a “right” decision, it is always best to seek the entire Word of God.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Listen, when you have a heart of obedience, and you live your best righteous life, God will appear to you, as He did with Mary. And the same thing happens to Joseph. Because Joseph was a just and righteous man, and he listened to the entirety of God’s Word, this is what happened.
Matthew 1:18-23 (ESV)
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
The angel only appeared after Joseph made the right decision in his heart. My friends, when your heart is constantly making things right before God, you will encounter God.
After Joseph had a dream encounter with the angel and was told what to do, he immediately did it. I love Joseph. He is a man of action.
Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. [That’s a person of integrity]
What an obedience to the Lord! He didn’t wake up saying, “This was a bizarre dream! Or was this dream really from God?” In fact, Joseph just got up and took action. “Mary, I know that you are pregnant and you have the Son of the Most High! You will be my wife. I don’t care what others say about you or think of you. You will be my wife!”
You have to remember that Joseph has been agonizing over the situation with Mary. And every time God appears to Joseph in a dream, Joseph responds. Four times Joseph receives divine instructions, and four times he obeys instantly.
Take Mary as your wife - check
Flee to Egypt by night - check.
Return when Herod dies - check
Go to Galilee, not to Judea - check
Joseph's faith was not verbal; he was a man of action. Joseph's obedience to God shaped history. Yes, Mary gave birth to Jesus, but it was Joseph who paved the way.
How will you know if you are making the right decision?
Joseph the Carpenter
The Bible tells us that Joseph was a carpenter, meaning that he worked with wood and stone. And Joseph has most likely established himself as an honest, hardworking man of good standing.
So, here is Mary, walking through the town. You can hear the whisper, the unsettling noise of the people, and the crowds start to form to make judgment upon her. You will also have the gossip go all the way to Joseph’s ear. He can’t believe it! “Mary would not do such a thing! I know Mary, and you all know Mary! We all know Mary! She is the kindest and gentlest lady! She would never do anything wrong against God!”
So a lot is going through Joseph’s mind. So I can imagine Joseph ran over to see Mary himself to confirm whether what people were saying was true. And when he arrives, he finds that Mary is pregnant.
What will you do? (Are you seeing the emotional chaos going through his mind?)
Now Joseph is a Jew, and since childhood, he has understood the religious laws of the time, so some of those laws may have come to mind. What does the law say when you find your wife pregnant or having committed adultery? Let’s consider what might be going through Joseph’s mind.
Deuteronomy 22:13-14 (NLT)
“Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.’
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 (NLT)
“But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin. The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
Remember, you probably had some of Joseph’s friends, “Hey man! This is what God says. You have to consider this.”
Deuteronomy 22:22 (NLT)
“If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.
So, here is Joseph. Could this be the law I was supposed to use? If he is not thinking of this one, then the next one is it?
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 (NLT)
“Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
So, here is Joseph. “You know the law, and you know the truth, but how will you make a decision that is right?”
Joseph is in a very difficult dilemma.
Now, we know that a person’s character in how they process their thinking determines their outcome. For example, if you have good character and are a person of integrity (let your yes be yes and no be no), your outcome will be a wise decision.
So, what is the character of Joseph like? This is what the Bible tells us.
Matthew 1:19 (ESV)
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:19 Amplified Bible
And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.
So, the character of Joseph is that he is a just and righteous man, and his integrity is that he does not want to expose Mary to public shame, and he just wants to send her away quietly with a divorce.
Remember that a righteous man is someone who makes their heart right before God, but what is a man who is “just”? That is a great question, so let’s look up the original language in Greek.
The word just in Greek is dikaios pronounced dik'-ah-yos, meaning righteous, observing divine laws, virtuous, and keeping the commands of God.
In other words, Joseph is obedient to the law while also committed to justice and mercy. And there lies the battle in Joseph’s mind. He knows the law and that God is a God of mercy.
How can these two things align? How will Joseph make the right decision? You have the truth and know the law, but how will you make the right decision?
If he divorces Mary, then she will be shamed for the rest of her life. And worse yet, maybe even be stoned to death.
If he stays with Mary, then they are both living a shameful life.
So, here is Joseph, who wants to obey the law and has a heart of compassion for Mary. How will you decide?
Matthew 1:19 Amplified Bible
And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.
Wait a minute! Where did Joseph get this idea from? How did he get to that conclusion - to send her away and divorce her quietly? He found the answer in God’s Word. This is why you always have to read the Bible in context, not just a few verses. So here is Joseph, and he continues to read.
Deuteronomy 24:1 (NLT)
“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.
So, this is how Joseph knows the law and yet can still give Mary a quiet departure without shaming her in public. My friends, when you need to make a “right” decision, it is always best to seek the entire Word of God.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Listen, when you have a heart of obedience, and you live your best righteous life, God will appear to you, as He did with Mary. And the same thing happens to Joseph. Because Joseph was a just and righteous man, and he listened to the entirety of God’s Word, this is what happened.
Matthew 1:18-23 (ESV)
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
The angel only appeared after Joseph made the right decision in his heart. My friends, when your heart is constantly making things right before God, you will encounter God.
After Joseph had a dream encounter with the angel and was told what to do, he immediately did it. I love Joseph. He is a man of action.
Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. [That’s a person of integrity]
What an obedience to the Lord! He didn’t wake up saying, “This was a bizarre dream! Or was this dream really from God?” In fact, Joseph just got up and took action. “Mary, I know that you are pregnant and you have the Son of the Most High! You will be my wife. I don’t care what others say about you or think of you. You will be my wife!”
You have to remember that Joseph has been agonizing over the situation with Mary. And every time God appears to Joseph in a dream, Joseph responds. Four times Joseph receives divine instructions, and four times he obeys instantly.
Take Mary as your wife - check
Flee to Egypt by night - check.
Return when Herod dies - check
Go to Galilee, not to Judea - check
Joseph's faith was not verbal; he was a man of action. Joseph's obedience to God shaped history. Yes, Mary gave birth to Jesus, but it was Joseph who paved the way.
How will you know if you are making the right decision?
Posted in Weekly Devotional