God at Risk with a Righteous
Man
Do you believe that God will take a risk, or put
Himself at risk, in His dealings with humanity? In reading the
account of Matthew regarding the birth of Jesus Christ (1:18-25), we
are reminded afresh that God will indeed put Himself at risk if He
can find the right man with which to do it. The kind of man of which
we speak is a righteous man. The Scripture tells us that Joseph, the
legal father of the Lord Jesus, was a just man (1:19), and exactly
the kind of man required for the entrustment of the Holy Child
Jesus.
A stewardship of this magnitude has never been
equaled! No parental responsibility has ever been greater! The story
of Christmas, unlike any other, illustrates the unfathomable
relationship between divine sovereignty and human vulnerability! I
call your attention to four distinctive character traits that were
evident in Joseph the just man—one with whom God placed Himself at
risk.
The first is a refusal to participate in the public
humiliation of another. In this case, it was the woman to whom he
was engaged. While he contemplated a divorcement as part of his
initial response, he was determined that under no circumstances
would it be done in a manner that would inflict public harm or
embarrassment upon her. It would remain a private matter. Such is
the disposition of a righteous man.
I recall a 1974 college chapel service in which the
preacher (a soul-winning icon among Independent Baptists) spoke of
his public rebuke of an usher who, in his opinion, was a little
lethargic in
getting an information card to a visitor in the congregation. He
sought to justify his actions in terms of his spiritual authority as
pastor. The fact is this “man of God” was behaving like a self-absorbed
bully. He
abused his position by humiliating a fellow believer in a public
venue...something Joseph refused to do!
The second is an aversion for impulsive
decision-making. Although he was minded to put her away, we are told
that he thought on these things (1:20). The Greek verb translated
thought indicates an inward reflection upon and
consideration of the
matter. It means to ponder. Joseph knew the stakes were high. It was
no time for haste! After an ample season of reflection, the angel of
the Lord appeared with revelatory light regarding Holy Ghost
conception. Time given to reflection brought heavenly direction and
the right decision! Deliberative restraint is one of the marks of a
righteous man!
The third is an obedient response to revelation. A
righteous man does not necessarily have all the answers. At times
darkness may temporarily obscure his path as he waits patiently upon
the Lord. The exercise of restraint, however, does not demonstrate a
lack of resolve. In the dream, the messenger of the Lord brought
light. After Joseph was raised from sleep, he did as he was bidden
(1:24). A righteous man is predisposed to obey the light he is
given.
The fourth is sexual purity. We are told that these
events took place before they came together (1:18). The virginity of
Mary, as the biblical sign of Divine conception (Isaiah 7:14),
usually overshadows the fact that Joseph himself was a sexually pure
man—a virgin espoused to a virgin. There was neither promiscuity nor
surrender to lust within this relationship. Joseph proceeded to
marry his sweetheart in obedience to the Lord, and knew her not till
she had brought forth her firstborn son (1:25). A righteous man is a
sexually pure man, who, by the grace of God, has mastered his
God-given sexual passions. The events surrounding Christmas
demonstrate the direct link between sexual purity and spiritual
privilege!
Brethren, the Christmas season is the celebration of
Emmanuel—God with us. It’s the story of a virgin maiden, chosen of
the Lord to be the vehicle by which God Himself, robed in human
flesh, would enter this world for the purpose of saving His people
from their sins. But it also involves a righteous man named Joseph,
the spiritual head of his household, to whom God the Father would
entrust the care of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of
Israel and the Saviour of the world.
Although Joseph is seldom the focal point of
Christmas, his righteous character speaks volumes about the kind of
man with whom God will put Himself at risk to accomplish His will in
the earth! A sober reflection upon the manner in which Joseph
conducted himself during the most critical years of human history
prompts this question: Is God willing to put Himself at risk with
me?
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