And any woman who was a descendant of king David would have anticipated the chance of being the one blessed and honored enough to give birth to their king.
But when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, even though he was a "righteous" man (a believer), he didn't believe Mary's story or that she was still a virgin... until the angel delivered the message to him...
(Matthew 1:18-25) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Two years later, the magi arrived. As they entered the country, they did the proper thing and reported to the king.
The spiritual leaders and King Herod did not like the idea of competition so the king hatched a plan, which was later thwarted by a message in a dream to the magi. In this case, we are not told if it was God Himself or an angel who gave the message...
(Matthew 2:1-12) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Joseph received three more messages from an angel in order to keep Jesus safe, which ultimately protected God's plans...
(Matthew 2:13-23) Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she refused to be comforted, Because they were no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
From this we see:
- angels can deliver messages in dreams (1:20, 12, 19, 22)
- an angel delivered a message to protect God's plan (1:20)
- maybe it was an angel who delivered this message, in order to protect God's plan (2:12)
- an angel delivered a message to protect Jesus, His family, and God's plan (2:13)
- an angel delivered a message to protect Jesus, His family, and God's plan (2:19, 22)
Personal experience: as I look over my life and the direction my paths have taken, I often think, "What if I had continued down that path? Where would I be right now?" I could have continued pursuing my figure skating, which at the age of 12 was about to take me over a thousand miles away from my hometown. But then, it's doubtful that I would have met my husband.
And as for my husband, his career has been shifted and shaped by God in the craziest of ways to bring about the expertise he has in his (now) given field. That was not planned. At all. Yet, it makes so much sense. I'm constantly blown away by this!
Today's takeaway: God's plans will not be thwarted!!! If there is something that needs to be done, God will see to it that it gets done!!! And that would include the plans He has for us...
5 (Psalm 115:1-3) Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. 2 Why should the nations say, “Where, now, is their God?” 3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
(Proverbs 19:21) Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand.
(Proverbs 16:9) The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment