{"id":58112,"date":"2025-06-16T05:31:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nehemiahecommunity.com\/members\/?p=58112"},"modified":"2025-06-16T05:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:44:26","slug":"joseph-a-just-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nehemiahecommunity.com\/members\/devotionals\/joseph-a-just-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph \u2013 A Just Man","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much do you know about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus?
What does it mean to be a \u201cjust man\u201d?
Are you a person who is just in your dealings with others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. <\/em>\u2013 Matthew 1:19 (NKJV)<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joseph \u2013 A Just Man<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Often, men have many roles and responsibilities. A man is not only a son or brother \u2013 he can also have the roles of husband and father. He must demonstrate total faithfulness in all his relationships and in the discharge of his responsibilities.

Let\u2019s look to Scripture to identify a man we can learn much from.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph is the earthly father of Jesus, <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 already engaged to be married, conceiving through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, and then raising the Savior of the world \u2013 the result of that overshadowing \u2013 with the help of her earthly husband (Luke 1:35)<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The environment and culture of that time were subject to certain religious laws and customs that would cause such plans to be misunderstood and viewed unfavorably by the people of the day, and also bring significant moral challenges to each of the participants in this redemptive plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 clearly not his.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s plans hinged on finding the \u201cright woman\u201d, who would also have to be engaged to be married to the \u201cright man\u201d \u2013 in fact, to a \u201cjust man\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to be \u201cjust\u201d? 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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 in a dream to inform him that the child his wife was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-21)<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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)<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you handle this type of news? What distinguished Joseph that God knew He could trust him with such an assignment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were the characteristics that made Joseph such a just man?<\/p>\n\n\n\n