Joseph – A Just Man

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

What does it mean to be a “just man”?
Are you a person who is just in your dealings with others?

Joseph – A Just Man

Often, men have responsibility for many roles. A man is not only a son or brother – he can also have the roles of husband and father. He must demonstrate total faithfulness in all his relationships.

Let’s look to Scripture to identify a man we can learn much from. 

Joseph is the earthly father of Jesus and although the Bible does not say a lot about him, the little that is said clearly indicates the type of person that he was.

Just imagine for a moment that you are God. You have devised a plan to save humanity from destruction and eternal punishment. Your plan involves a woman who is engaged to be married conceiving through the Holy Spirit, and then raising the Savior of the world with her husband! The environment, culture, and period were host to certain religious laws and customs that would cause your plans to be viewed unfavorably by the people of the day, and also bring significant moral challenges to each of the participants in your redemptive plan. 

For instance, the woman you chose to impregnate could justifiably be put to death for being perceived as committing adultery, as the people would not be aware of the Divine nature of her conception. On the other hand, her husband, being subject to the same laws, could justifiably choose not to take responsibility for assuming the fathering role for a child who biologically was not his. 

God’s plans hinged on finding the woman described above, who was engaged to be married to a “just man”. What does it mean to be “just”? A just man is one who is right with God and seeks to live his life in accordance with the Word of God and by the leading of His Spirit. It means to be conformed to the Will of God in righteousness, integrity, and balance. The man the Lord found was Joseph, the son of Jacob, from the lineage of King David. 

Joseph was a young man from Nazareth who operated a carpentry business. He was engaged to Mary, a young virgin, and he was looking forward to marrying her. However, Joseph’s world turned upside down when Mary informed him that she was pregnant. Knowing that he was not the father, Joseph began to make plans to cancel the engagement. As Joseph contemplated how to deal with the situation, he received a visit from an angel of God through a dream to inform him that the child his wife was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 

In other words, God Himself was the Father of his child. He was further informed that the child would be named Jesus Christ, the One prophesied from old, who would come to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). 

How would you handle this type of news? What distinguished Joseph so that God knew He could trust him with such an assignment?

What made Joseph such a just man?

• He was righteous – Joseph lived a life that reflected complete obedience to Scripture. (Matthew 1:19)
  
• He was gracious – Though Joseph thought that Mary potentially had sinned against God, he was careful not to do anything to embarrass her or hurt her. He planned to put her away secretly. He exemplified the Word of God that says love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) 

• He was sensitive to God’s Spirit – As he contemplated how to handle the situation, he left himself open for the Spirit of God to speak to him. (Matthew 1:20-21)
  
• He was obedient – When God spoke to him, he did not hesitate to act on God’s instructions. (Matthew 1:24)
  
• He was disciplined – Most of us look forward to getting married so that we can enjoy physical intimacy with our new bride. Joseph demonstrated great discipline by keeping himself from his bride until she gave birth to baby Jesus. (Matthew 1:25)

• He was a protector – Once he recognized, through the warnings of God’s angels, that baby Jesus was in danger, he moved quickly to protect him and his new wife by traveling with them to another country. (Matthew 2:13-15)
  
• He was a provider – Joseph was a businessman. He provided for his family through his carpentry business. (Mark 6:3)
  

As a man, ask yourself what type of father you are. Can the Lord trust you with an assignment that will impact eternity? As a woman, seek the Lord’s wisdom as to how you can help your husband or future husband develop the characteristics that Joseph exhibited. Mary must have been an amazing woman, and Joseph and Mary truly completed each other in a way that allowed them to nurture the Savior of all humanity until He was ready to complete His earthly mission.

My prayer for you is that as you reflect on the characteristics that made Joseph just, you will seek the Lord as to how you can adjust your own character to reflect those characteristics.