Matthew 2:13 Now when they
had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and
stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to
destroy Him." 14 When he arose, he took the
young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out
of Egypt I called My Son."
…19 But when Herod was dead,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His
mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's
life are dead." 21 Then he arose, took the
young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
…22 But when he heard that
Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to
go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region
of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
"He shall be called a Nazarene."
Joseph, (who was not Jesus’ biological father,)
demonstrates the role of fatherhood as clearly as any man in the Bible.
Right away we see there is no distinction to be made
between an adoptive father and a biological father – and that all fathers are,
in a sense, ‘adoptive fathers.’ (We are all fathering on behalf of God - and
that should really speak to us about the importance of our roles with our sons
and daughters.) God is the True Father, and we are ‘adopting’ His children on
His behalf. The gift of a child is a gift from God. Joseph is the clearest
example of a man measuring up to God’s Word, even under the most trying
circumstances.
Joseph was a man of great faith. When the angel spoke the
Word of God, he not only willingly listened, he willingly did – immediately. Of
all the examples Joseph set for us, this is probably the greatest one: He was
immediately obedient to God’s Word. In this family, it was Joseph’s immediate
obedience to God’s instruction on several occasions which saved the life of his
child, Jesus.
I am absolutely convinced this is why Joseph was selected
by God to be the adoptive father of His Only Begotten Son. God knew Joseph
could be trusted with IMMEDIATE obedience, and immediate obedience would be absolutely
required for Jesus to survive His earliest, most vulnerable years, when his
earthly father and mother would be most-needed for His protection.
Many, and perhaps all of us on some points, get around to
obeying God, but only after careful deliberation, and only after some twists
and turns of life which more or less force the issue. Many of us are either
clearly disobedient to the Word of God, or only partially obedient, (which IS
disobedience.)
Dad, have you ever measured your response-time to God’s
Word? It could be costing the life of your child, and you may be completely
unaware.
The call to fatherhood is the call to immediate obedience
to God’s Word.
-Pastor Bill
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