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 this week regarding the birth of Jesus Christ
(1:18-25), I was 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! A parental responsibility has never been greater!
The story of Christmas, unlike any other, illustrates the unfathomable
relationship between sovereignty and vulnerability! I call your
attention to four distinctive character traits that were evident in
Joseph the just man, the man 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 was too slow (in
his opinion) in getting an information card to a visitor in the
congregation. He sought to justify the action in terms of his spiritual
authority as pastor. The fact is this “man of God” was self-absorbed
and deceived. He abused his position to humiliate another 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, a 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 the 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.
Sometimes 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 sign of Divine conception (Isaiah 7:14),
usually overshadows the fact that Joseph himself was a sexually pure
man—a virgin engaged to a virgin. There was no 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 concerns 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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