Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23
Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, is a man that I know very little about. Though an extremely important man in Jesus' life, not much is recorded about him. But in these 2 short passages one character trait of Joseph can clearly be identified with all certainty:
Joseph was an obedient man!
Not only did Joseph obey the angel of the Lord, but he obeyed with complete compliance, and he obeyed with a great sense of urgency! Joseph didn't just hear the angel telling him what to do next, but he immediately jumped into action with a preciseness that calls my own obedience into account.
In the first passage, the angel of the Lord declares his message to Joseph using 4 verbs that can clearly direct Joseph's next moves:
"Rise, Take (the child and his mother), Flee (to Egypt), and Remain (there until I tell you)." -- Matthew 2: 13
You only need to read to the next verse to see what Joseph's response would be. His complete compliance and urgency show up in verse 14. Without a second thought, Joseph began to respond, the very moment he awakened from his dream. So just what did he do? With laser precision, Joseph rose, and taking Jesus and Mary, by night, he departed quickly to Egypt, the place to which the angel had told him to flee.
Did you notice that the obedient actions of Joseph mimic exactly the command of the angel? And if these actions were not enough to convince us of Joseph's quick and compliant disposition, then we are given another passage that proves it.
In Matthew 2: 19-23, we are shown once again the heart of Joseph. An angel appears again to Joseph in a dream, but this time Joseph is in Egypt. The angel gave new directions to the father of Jesus, a second 'This-way'-kind-of-a-dream.' Joseph's impeccable desire to obey God is shown to us another time as he "rose, took, and went," back to Bethlehem. And listening to yet a third warning, Joseph does not stay in Bethlehem, but takes his family to Nazareth in Galilee for the safety of Jesus.
Yes, we can tell by these 8 verses that Joseph lived to obey whatever God told him, quickly and completely! Surely Joseph received a great reward for responding to God with obedience.
O Lord, tell me clearly, even as you did Joseph, what my 'way' is in 2014, in every part of my life. I want to hear and respond to your directives with the same accuracy as Joseph . . . rapidly and completely!
