Joseph provides us with a number of great lessons, both in regard to our own growth and example, and in displaying the glory of God. In looking at Joseph, I start where Scripture starts, with the first thing Matthew tells us about him. He was a righteous man (Mt 1:19). This is a fine thing to aspire to. It is good that we should be known amongst our fellows as a righteous man. It is greater still that we should be declared so in heaven. One thing becomes almost immediately clear as one looks at Joseph, though. Righteousness is not legalism. The Law of God defines the terms of righteousness, it is true, but it defines them in a fashion that should drive us to our knees, seeking the mercy of Christ, for the Law as God defines it is an impossibility to fallen man. The Law as man defines it, the Law of the Achievable, will leave a man proud of his own accomplishments, impressive in the eyes of his compatriots, and utterly destitute in the sight of God.

In that same verse in Matthew, we learn that Joseph was seeking a way to do what Law required, but in a fashion that would same Mary from disgrace, and public shame. The letter of the Law, were it carried out in full, required that Mary be stoned, and that in the presence of her parents. A stickler for legal detail would have insisted on that course. One of Pharisaic bent might perhaps have chosen a somewhat 'more humane' course, settling for papers of divorce. Let her live, but live with her shame. Joseph understood the Law, and he understood the custom of the Temple authorities. He also, however, understood God. He understood what was meant by the prophet's words: "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1Sa 15:22).

There was a reason that the Law of Moses did not simply hand over the ten commandments and leave it at that. He continued with a lengthy text detailing how those ten simple commands were to be applied in a variety of cases. He was, perhaps, the first professor of case law. Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, Moses lays out a series of what ifs, and applies the commandments of God to the situation proposed. The Law, as revealed in the Ten Commandments, is quite simple and concise, but it reflects only the justice portion of the equation. It presents the requirements of righteousness without really specifying the means of attaining to righteousness. It declares a law that, if understood, condemns every one of us in the sight of the heavenly Judge. It requires knowing God more fully than His Law to understand that there is the possibility of mercy in His courts.

The legalist has no room for mercy. The legalist recognizes the law, although he may not recognize God's Law as being different from his own. What the legalist does not recognize is that there might be mitigating circumstances. The legalist has, in large part, understood the Decalogue without having grasped the case law that Moses declared alongside the Decalogue. For the legalist, the Law was clear on what ought be done about Mary, and so let it be done. But Joseph was a righteous man. Joseph considered what he should do. Joseph understood the Law, but he understood his God, too, and so, he wondered whether the obvious path of the Law was really the righteous path. He did not simply look at the dead letter for answers, but he sought God wholeheartedly to learn what was the right answer in his own here and now.

While the legalist knows the Law, he doesn't know God. There are those, however, who go too far in the opposite direction, ignoring God's Law utterly. This, far from showing some superior morality, shows only a greater ignorance, for it shows that they neither know God nor His Law. The righteous know God intimately, as well as His Law. They seek to live by His Law to the utmost of their ability, but they seek Him more. Had Joseph been a legalist, Mary would have been divorced as soon as she returned to Nazareth, for her pregnancy was by then undeniable. Had he been a humanist, uninterested in God and His commandments, he would quite likely have done the same. But, Joseph was a righteous man. He saw the Law, and he saw also the misery it must cause if it were carried out to the letter. We are told that Joseph considered how he might proceed. Was there some way by which he might proffer the divorce without quite so much guilt and shame caused for Mary and her family?

How amazing to read of this! Joseph had been, by all appearances, greatly wronged by his betrothed. The evidence of her own body would be sufficient to madden most men with jealous anger, with the wrath of wounded pride. She was promised to him, but she had apparently found another she liked better. So be it! Let her go to that one. Wrath would rise up, and there would be no consideration for her feelings, for her parents' feelings. No, there's little that's more dangerous than a wounded pride. But, Joseph was a righteous man. He was not so concerned about himself as he was about God. The issue was not his reputation, but God's. As such, it was not a question of what he would like to do in this case, but what God wanted done.

Joseph considered what he should do. This was more than simply contemplating, thinking on the problem, although he thought long and hard. He wrestled mightily with the problem in his mind, but more importantly, he wrestled mightily with the problem in his prayers. Neither did he wait until he had exhausted his own resources on the problem. He started there. He started from a position of wanting God's will done, and he started with an understanding of God's character that recognized that His will was more than legal satisfaction, it was justice tempered by mercy.

Joseph, as a righteous man, was not satisfied to emulate one characteristic of God, his desire was to emulate the whole character of God. Justice alone would not properly display the God he loved. Neither, of course, can mercy divorced from justice do the job. Love without honor is not emulation of God's character, it's emulation of the lust of the world. If we would be known as righteous, we must learn this as well, that God is looking for a people that will stand for Him in His entirety. God is not looking for specialists in one character trait or another, He's looking for those who will enter into such intimacy with Him that they understand His whole character, and display His whole character. That, after all, was the goal of the Law, that we might be like Him. That is, after all, the goal of His Son, that we might be like Him. What the Law aimed for, the Son made possible. What the Son made possible, the Spirit comes to us to empower. With the Almighty Three in One thus committed to our cause, who shall stand against us? With the Holy Trinity working within that we might be one with Him as He is One, how can we not, like Joseph, seek to our utmost to enter into that unity of righteousness?

Emulation of the whole of God's character is the first lesson to take from Joseph, but it is not the only one. One in particular involves a matter that is never really explained to us in Scripture. We are not told of any propensity Joseph had towards being a dreamer. Indeed, carpenters are not the sort generally looked upon for being visionaries, just good, down to earth, common sense folk. Yet, not once but several times, we read of Joseph experiencing dreams, dreams in which the angels spoke, and every time, we are told he began to pursue the angelic directive as soon as he woke up. Here's a question, though: How did he know it was angels? Scripture does not tell us the answer to that, but the Holy Spirit surely does!

Joseph recognized the angelic voice because he was already on intimate terms with God. I know I read some comments in studying the birth narrative that suggested that Joseph wasn't terribly involved with the Holy Mission of this Son, that he was rather detached from the events of Jesus' life. I would suggest that if he was detached from them, it was by none of his own doing or desire. I say that because I find it utterly unbelievable that a man would repeatedly and consistently discern the difference between his dreams and God's messengers, and just as consistently heed those messengers, except he were already intimate with the God who sent those messengers.

Years after these events, Jesus would teach that His sheep know His voice (Jn 10:4-5). Joseph already understood this. He knew the voice of God because he was not ignorant of the Scriptures. Neither did his religion stop at memorizing the Scriptures. No, he understood them, and because he understood them, he understood the full heart of God. When God spoke, though it was through angelic intermediaries, though it came in the form of dreams, Joseph was familiar with He who spoke, and recognized His authority and His character in the message. Joseph didn't obey just because he was some superstitious back-woods hick, he obeyed because he knew the authenticity of the message. He knew the authenticity of the message because he had already established an authentic relationship with the One who sent the message.

This leads is to another great lesson to be learned from Joseph, and that is the lesson of being instant in obedience. This, too, is a characteristic of the righteous. They know God, both in His Law, and in ways more personal and intimate. They recognize His voice from amongst all the others that crowd the day. They recognize Him however He may choose to declare Himself, whether directly, through messengers by day, through dreams by night, or through other means. Through the ages, the author of Hebrews tells us, God has used many and diverse means to speak to His people, and has revealed varied degrees of His purpose to them (Heb 1:1). The text continues, saying that now, 'in these last days,' God has spoken in His own Son, the heir of all creation, and the Creator thereof (Heb 1:2). Some look at this, and declare that having spoken in His Son, God has ceased from speaking by any other means, but there is nothing there to require such a viewpoint. That the living Word of God is the definitive declaration, the perfection of prophecy, there can be no doubt. But, that having spoken in His Son, God has now condemned Himself to silence for all perpetuity - this is a groundless claim, and contradicts the very intimacy that God and His own are to experience.

Apart from death itself, what will prevent a good father from remaining in communication with his children? What father will cease from offering advice, however old his children may become? At the very least, he will remain an encourager. If wise, he will offer warnings where they are appropriate, and guidance when it is asked for. Is our Father in heaven any different? No! He is the very model of fatherly care! He still speaks by many and diverse means, only His children have by and large gone deaf to Him.

Joseph knew better than we do with all the great advances of our modernity. He knew God was God, and he was familiar with God's character. He knew what God had declared of His truth to date, and He recognized God's continued right to speak as He chose to. He had read the promise of dreams and visions poured out and embraced the possibility in that. He also recognized the risk for a fallen man, the risk of taking every dream and vision as a word from God. He was intimate with his Father, and therefore knew the difference.

That recognition gave him the ability to be instant in obedience. There was no doubt about the message, because there was no doubt about the source. He didn't debate with himself whether he had heard from God or just from his own vain imaginations. He did not question whether some voice of darkness had invaded his thoughts. He didn't debate the matter at all. He knew from Whom the message came, and he "arose and did." Every dream of heaven led to the same reaction in him. Called to marry Mary, he awoke that very day, and did so. Called to depart for Egypt, he did not even await the sunrise, but woke his family and departed. Called back from Egypt, that same instant responsiveness was evident. He had not cast aside his own common sense in this. When he heard more of the situation in Israel, he recognized the danger to the Child he had charge of, and sought once more the voice of his Lord, the God who speaks, and when God spoke, Joseph listened.

In every case, though his turmoil had been ever so great, one word from God ended all his debate. In the case of Mary, that one word was enough. All question regarding her faithfulness was gone from his mind in an instant. All thought of divorce was dissipated like vapor in the morning sun. He entered into the marriage relationship immediately and fully, in spite of the period of abstinence that their unique situation required of him. Because of his obedience, the Child Jesus would come into the world a legitimate son. Joseph's obedience provided that legitimacy, provided the linkage to David that was necessary to the Messianic claim without the pollution of Adam's fall that would have made the Messianic claim an impossibility. With God, 'impossible' simply does not apply! (Lk 1:37). The conundrum presented by the requirements of the Messianic office were solved, and Joseph was blessed to play his part in this.

Obedience has its consequences, just as disobedience must also do. The consequences of Joseph's obedience were that he played redeemer to the line of David. The kings that followed after David were consistent in only one thing: falling short of the goal. Few of them laid claim to righteousness, and fewer still received the title of being righteous men. By Joseph's time, there was little hope of a king from the house of David, for Edom sat on the throne of promise and was not keen to return it to its rightful owner. But, Joseph's obedience to God would provide the way for a true claimant to that throne. Joseph's obedience would contribute to Jesus' sinless life, indeed, ushered it in by taking away any semblance of sin in his entrance into this life. Obedience has its consequences, and the consequences are a heritage.

Righteous obedience will have the righteous consequences of a righteous heritage. The Psalmist describes this heritage wonderfully in Psalm 112. "Praise God! How blessed is the righteous man, the one who delights in God's commandments," he begins. Consider that! He delights in God's Law, does not feel oppressed and restricted by that Law, but is in love with it. Note, also, that his delight is not in enforcing the punishments the Law requires, but in adherence to the Law in the first place! This is a fundamental definition of righteousness, albeit one that will be expanded on later in this same Psalm.

Now, the writer turns his eyes to the heritage of righteousness, to righteous consequences. His own generation will be blessed by his righteousness, and his descendants will be, too (v2). He will be surrounded by wealth, and yet his righteousness will endure. Indeed, his righteousness is eternal (v3). Wow! Well, let me tell you, the man who can be surrounded by wealth and remain righteous must surely be upheld by the very hand of God! Repeatedly Scripture warns us that riches are a snare to the unwary, that money lies behind any number of evils. Yet, the righteous man is able to experience the blessings of wealth without falling to its corrupting charms. Indeed, this ability comes from the same Source by whom comes the power of eternal righteousness, the very One whose birth we have been studying for these long months. His righteousness endures forever precisely because it is not his own righteousness, the fruit of his own efforts, but the righteousness of God given to him in the Son.

Is this not what the Scripture declares in the very next verse? "Light arises in the darkness for the upright." (v4a) John reflects that understanding when he introduces us to Jesus. "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overwhelm Him" (Jn 1:5). The testimony of Scripture is consistent in this view of Messiah as a light in the darkness, the light of Truth come into the darkened consciences of fallen man. The effect of that Light in the darkness is the fruit of grace. The one upon whom the Light has shown is "gracious, compassionate, and righteous" (v4b). He is not just a stickler for the Law, he is a lover of God's mercy. He knows the charity God has displayed towards him and is pleased to show that same charity towards others. It is well with him, because he gives out of his bounty of grace (v5).

Now comes a most wonderful declaration when it comes to the consequent fruits of righteousness: He will never be shaken. He will not know fear when bad news comes, because His heart is steadfast in trusting the Lord. Because his trust is in the Lord, his heart is upheld by God Himself. Perfect Love holds him, and casts out all fear (v6-7).

Indeed, his legacy of righteousness will be remembered forever (v6b). It will be remembered by those who knew him, for they have come to know his character. It will be remembered by his descendants, as they share in the heritage he has established. Most importantly, though, because it is this that provides that permanence to the memory, God will remember it forever. Because God will remember his righteousness forever, his righteousness endures forever. My God is so good!

One more awesome legacy remains to the righteous, and that is their impact on the unrighteous. The unrighteous look upon the life and heritage of the righteous and are "vexed" (v10). They are baffled by it, and worse yet, they are agitated and irritated by it. They cannot comprehend the blessings that devolve to the righteous, cannot understand how such richness of life can flow to one so giving, so careless of his own circumstance. They will never comprehend how it is that becoming a servant to all can bring about greatness. It makes no sense to them, yet they cannot deny the results. It is so frustrating to their darkened thoughts that they can do no more than grumble and hide themselves away. Indeed, even their desires will perish (v10b).

Can I suggest something about that? If evil desires perish, what remains? What remains is the pure desire of those upon whom the Light has shown! The Psalmist does not declare the death of his enemies, not once! Here is righteous opposition! Here is a prayer for our enemies! He won't fear, because he knows His God is with him, and we are told that he will hold fast until he "looks with satisfaction on his adversaries" (v8b). What would satisfy the righteous more than to see his enemies made friends of God, and brothers to himself? The righteous do not delight in the destruction of the wicked any more than does God. It is not the wicked whose end is sought, but wickedness itself. If the desires of the wicked perish, then the wicked are redeemed! The wicked are no longer the wicked, for they have experienced the same gracious mercy, the same gift of redemption, and the same sanctification unto righteousness that has been our own experience.

Now, THAT is a godly heritage! THAT is a consequence of our actions that we can be proud of, boasting in the LORD who has given us the will to pursue Him fully!

God, what a wonderful lesson You have taught me this morning! Truly, vengeance is Yours, because You alone can avenge Yourself in mercy. How much better, my King, that enemies be reconciled, made brothers and coworkers, than that a life You created should be wasted and destroyed. Indeed, is this not exactly what You have done for me? You called me into Your household when I was yet a declared enemy to Your throne. Though I showed nothing but hatred towards You, You showed nothing but love towards me, and through Your loving intervention, saved this foolish man from himself and from his enemies. God, if my heritage can include but one other story like my own, one other pulled from his darkness and brought into Your marvelous light, how blessed I would be! How much moreso, if You should choose to increase that heritage! Oh! Let it be so, my God! Let it be so! Though I so very often spoil the witness You have prepared by my foolish flesh, let it be, God, by Your power in me, that the heritage of this life You created is life to others.

One last aspect of the lessons Joseph teaches on righteousness I would like to consider - a favorite topic of mine: God's Providence. As much as the dreams themselves were clear evidence of God's Provision not only for His Child, but for His children and coworkers, there were other events equally Providential in nature that surrounded Joseph. For instance, Joseph had, perhaps, heard Mary's story about her pregnancy. He had his dream, but God was pleased to provide him with an opportunity for certainty. I will note, though, that the opportunity did not come until faith was already established. Joseph had already accepted God's word on the matter, God was kind, and offered him confirmation of his choice in return. He had the opportunity to know for certain, by physical evidences, that Mary and the dream had both spoken truly. The opportunity was there, but might I suggest that Joseph was already fully convinced and needed no opportunity to bolster belief. Indeed, I suspect that his faith was bolstered the more in finding that he had no need for that confirmation! He learned the strength of his faith by that.

God's providence appears again in having prepared the stable for their private use. It shows in His timing of Caesar's census. Caesar thought he was merely providing for his own revenues. God was providing for a time in which Mary and Joseph could come to know each other as the righteous couple they were, was providing a reason for them to grow in intimacy.

The shepherds thought no more about their being in the fields than that the seasons were continuing their constant march. God was sovereignly setting the timing for his Child's visit. The census that had given Mary and Joseph their start was also causing a bit of crowding in Bethlehem. Had the season been different, the young couple might have been forced to avail themselves of the rough comfort of the caravanserai. As much as we tend to think of Jesus' birth coming in humble circumstances, they were blessedly clean, private, and safe compared to what could have been. There was no room to stay with relatives because so many relatives were already in town. Even had there been room, there would have been limited privacy with so many come to visit. The stable was not an embarrassment, it was a blessing! The shepherds were out, there were now crowds of family to deal with. It was a clean, private environment in which to have a child. Truly, God provided wonderfully, perfectly, as He always does. How often, in the face of His perfect provision, we find ourselves grumbling.

If we grumble, it can only be because we have lost sight of our Provider. We have forgotten that He is our Father, that He provides good and perfect gifts. We have forgotten that He is constantly working all things to the good of His children. We have forgotten who He is. There can be no other reason for grumbling.

Lord, help me to remember You in all the circumstances of life. Help me to know that You are my Provider, even when things seem hard. Help me to cease from seeing the things to dislike in a situation, and look instead for the signs of Your workmanship. Keep my eyes open to what You are doing, Father, to what You have prepared, and how You are blessing me and my family. Let me know the steadfast heart of unshakable faith!

Whatever doubts might have remained to Joseph, God was not satisfied that they should remain. Honestly, I think Joseph's doubts were washed away by that first visit in the night. Still, God provided a visit designed to end all doubt. The shepherds came, and they came with a message of confirmation. Too many voices sang the chorus of Messiah's birth now for there to be any doubt. One might misinterpret his own dream, but many men, and these awake and sober, alert guardians of the flock, these cannot possibly have shared the same dream except that dream be from God Himself. These were testimony that, while the courts might reject them, common sense could not. Truly, God Provides, and He provides that our faith in Him might be complete, our righteousness secure, and our future in Him certain.