Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV)
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And
her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
We learn a lot about
Joseph. His wife becomes pregnant before they have even had sex. This is a major error, yet Joseph wants to divorce her quietly instead of having her stoned. This shows that he really did care about her and loved her, but would let her go
quietly. But an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and says “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. 21 She
will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Not only did he listen, but he complied with what the angel of the Lord said. Joseph serves as a model for believers in that he is forgiving.
He even wanted to deal with her mercifully before the dream with the angel of the Lord. He heard from the angel, believed, forgave, and proceeded forward with the relationship.
I pray: O Lord, help me to trust you and to live like a believer, even when you don’t understand what is going on. Amen.