Following Judah's Lion

Joseph

Matt.1:19-20 - Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Joseph...The Scriptures call him a "just man". He was from the tribe of Judah and of the house of King David. He was in all likelihood looking forward to the wedding to his fiance Mary. In Jewish law he was considered, as verse 19 states, Mary's husband. It was customary for the husband to be busy preparing("I go to prepare a place") a place for his future wife and him to stay, and he was waiting for his father's approval to go and get her("only the Father knows the time").

Joseph...All his community knew him and probably shared his happiness at being engaged to such a Godly woman as Mary. He was a keeper of the law and he trusted in Jehovah God. He undoubtedly felt that Jehovah had blessed him with Mary, and I'm sure he offered prayers of praise and thanksgiving at the Temple. All was well and God was good.

Joseph...Now the news apparently is brought privately to Joseph that Mary is pregnant. According to the law in Deuteronomy at the very least Joseph has the right to publicly divorce Mary, without any sin on his part. But Joseph had a tender heart of mercy and wanted to divorce her quietly Can you imagine the pain, disappointment, and anger Joseph must have felt? God had let him down after he had served Him and he must have been devastated.

Joseph..Now an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and informs Joseph of how Mary got pregnant and, most importantly, who Jesus was. Joseph rises from sleep and takes Mary for his wife. What must his friends thought? His mother? His father? At this point Joseph did not care what others thought, he had a Word from the Lord. How incredibly gracious of God to let Joseph in on the miracle of Mary's pregnancy, God must have trusted Joseph.

Joseph...After the wise men gave the young Jesus their gifts, God again sends an angel to warn Joseph to take his family to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod. Upon Herod's death Joseph is instructed by an angel to return to Israel and then again warned to go into Galilee the city of Nazareth. Joseph was a father, a husband, and a man of God who was used greatly by the Lord to be a leader of his family that God gave him. After he arrives in Nazareth we hear nothing more about Joseph. He has completed the will of God for his life.

Joseph...What a kind, gentle, and Spiritually sensitive man. He has a limited role and he has been gloriously obscure. It is speculated that sometime during Jesus' lifetime Joseph dies. If that was the case he went to a holding place called Paradise. Now when Jesus died He visited this place, preached the gospel to all who were there, and after they believed on Him He led them into heaven. Joseph, saved by the shed blood of Jesus, enters heaven and worships the risen Christ along with all the other saints. I am sure he received a special reward for his faithfulness, which he placed at the feet of the King of Kings.

Joseph...the most faithful stepfather of all!