Holy Boldness

was born.

In three short verses Matthew records an enormous amount of

information about the character of Joseph:

1. He was betrothed to Mary, which meant that he had begun to establish a home and was making preparation for marriage. 2. She was a virgin which meant that he was honorable in his treatment of her. 3. Matthew calls him a “righteous man” which means he had a reputation of integrity. 4. While he was still in the dark as to the details of how Mary became pregnant, he was unwilling to disgrace her. 5. He was trying to protect Mary even when he felt he had no choice but to divorce her. 6. After he had made arrangements to annul the marriage, he still had the character to ponder the matter and to consider his options. 7. When he was told the real reason for Mary’s pregnancy, he immediately obeyed the angel and took her as his wife even though it could potentially damage his reputation. 8. Finally, and not insignificantly, he kept her a virgin until Jesus was born. It may seem like a small thing. But think of it. In doing this, Joseph maintained the integrity of the testimony to the virgin birth of Christ. These acts of obedience on the part of Joseph were acts of faith and yet another expression of walking in the fear of the Lord. When Mary said yes to the angel, she offered her womb as a home for the seed/ son of God to be planted. When Joseph obeyed the angel and married Mary, he provided social and legal protection for her and a legitimate birth for Jesus. Mary provided the safety of a physical womb and Joseph provided the legal as well as covenant coverage and removed the social disgrace. Both of them offered God a sacrificial and humble heart so that God’s initiative through the giving of His Son, Jesus, found a place to germinate in the earth. God needs fertile ground to plant the eternal seed of His kingdom. As can be seen in the life of Mary and Joseph, the issue of the fear of the Lord played a significant role in their being able to walk out the

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