JOE wrote:

Hello Pastor,

This morning OFS and I had a bible study on the book of Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 to 25. After reading through those verses we did not see anything there to talk about that we have not see before. But as we were about to move ahead and start to talk about other things, some thoughts, questions and answers started to enter into my mind.

We discovered that the birth of Jesus was as prophesied. We saw God playing out His plans for humanity through Joseph and Mary. We asked ourselves how was Joseph able to believe the angel when he was spoken to that the child in his wife’s womb was of the Holy Ghost. God just put the child in the womb of Mary without sex being involved. This has not been heard of for a virgin to conceive. In answer to that we discovered that Joseph was a just man. His being a just man to us means that he would have had some understanding of God and maybe God would have been walking with God to know when a message is from Him. We noted that if it were the first time that God is sending an angel or communication to him, it would have been very difficult for Joseph to believe it was God.

We saw Joseph and Mary though married being kept by God from knowing each other for the period of the pregnancy (9 months?). We also noted though it was not recorded there that both Mary and Joseph did not understand what God was doing through them. They were not able to comprehend it. But we discovered that because God was at work in their lives, they kept the baby and did not think of aborting it. We saw Joseph and Mary going through the pressures of friends and relatives whom they would possible have told about it, but who might not understand it and would have turned against them querying, accusing them and all that. God took care of that for them!

We saw that when it was said that Joseph was thinking, he actually was praying, thinking, reflecting and wondering over the matter. His situation was so much that God had to send an angel to consol him and explain to him what he is passing through. This shows that God was at work!

In verse 24, we discovered that before the angel spoke to Joseph, he actually had withdrawn himself from the wife. He must have been rejecting her food. In his heart, he had written Mary off as his wife but just waiting for an opportunity to return her to her parents for adultery (or fornication?)

In verse 25, we discovered that Joseph and Mary had other kids after Jesus (Mark 6:3). This was contrary to what some people believe and teach.

There is a great lesson for everyone in those verses. To the single. To the married. To the unbelieving. To the believing. If one can just read those verses with the Holy Spirit interpreting, questioning and answering our questions, we shall be more blessed to understand that God uses situations to bring His plan, purposes to pass. And when He is at work in our lives we can virtually do nothing but be controlled by Him. let us learn from Joseph and Mary. Ours might not be exactly the same situation but there are situations that “confuse” us about ourselves, God or anything. Let us wait until God shows up. When He does like Joseph we shall understand and rejoice knowing that all things worketh together for the good of them that love their Lord.

John tell me, what does it mean in the old times to be a just man. Also give me some insight on what happened in those verses above that we missed out.

JOE

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JOE:

I think that Joseph and Mary were not married yet, but were what we in the Western cultures would call “engaged to be married”. Had they actually have already gone through the Jewish marriage ceremony, she would not have still been a virgin.

The commitment to each other during that time of engagement, however, was clearly stronger than is the commitment among people here today. Broken engagements are fairly common now, but back then, to break off an engagement appeared to be the equivalent of a divorce. It was a very serious thing.

Being a just man means being a man who judges as God would judge. I have written a BROADCASTER on that subject titled, “On Being Just”. If it is not on line at our web site now, I will work on it and get it up ASAP.

Pastor John