A Righteous Man

Scripture – Matthew 1:18-21: ¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Joseph was a righteous man. There’s a lot of cultural background to this story. Yet the end result is this: Joseph took Mary home as his wife. That opened him to a lot of questions and implications. That demonstrated an enormous step of faith on his part. And it marked the beginning of a huge responsibility for this righteous man – much more than he first signed up for. Yet he accepted his role, and as far as we know, he fulfilled it. We don’t know much more about Joseph. Like a lot of fathers, he just stayed in the background. Yet of all men, God chose him to be the head of the household in which Jesus was raised.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I’ll stay ready for whatever new responsibilities God has for me today – publicly and privately.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Thank you for your trust in me, Lord. Remind me often today of Joseph. Keep teaching me how to live righteously and faithfully.