20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived [1] in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: [2] for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS Matthew 1:20-25 KJV King James Version
......he thought about those things
That to me means that this man Joseph was one who was not rash. He doid not just act on his feelings . He took time to weigh his actions and be sure that his course of action was right. He was a thinker and every woman can do with a man who would just think and actually apply a little break to his actions I believe that God was able to communicate with him because he thought about these things.
God could speak to him
Once again we see dreams being a means of communication. God spoke to this other Joseph also through dreams. In those days they had the books of the Law and prophets and were also guided by them. A caution though is that we should check our dreams to the standard of the word of God. There is no need using a dream as a reason for doing something that clearly contradicts scriptures .The message that the angel gives to Joseph is also backed up by a scripture quotation “For it is written ,a virgin shall give birth to a son Matthew 1:23.
He was a man of the Word .....
Joseph must also been a man who was familiar with scriptures hence he was able to identify his current circumstances and Mary’s claim in retrospect as prophecy being fulfilled and what a honour it was for him.
And when we woke up he took Mary as his wife
This man was an obedient man and quite prompt at it. Following instructions received, he got up and did the right thing making it easier for Mary who was already in an emotional state
As we celebrate this day, let us reflect on some of these attributes of this Joseph whose adopted son eventually got to the Palace and sits on a throne where his dynasty never ends
On the way to the Palace, we must be people who do take time to think before acting, communicate regularly with the Lord and be good students of the Word .Moreso our obedience must be prompt. These are attributes we have seen in the life of this other Joseph.
In His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
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