‘TRUST in GOD & OBEY’ – for there is NO other WAY!
October 8
Bible Reading: Matthew Chapters 1-3
‘TRUST in GOD & OBEY’ – for there is NO other WAY!
"Then Joseph, being aroused from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and
did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called
His name Jesus." (Matt. 1:24-25)
One
of the most striking features of the Gospel of Matthew is that it begins and
ends with the great truth that “God is with
us” (see Matt. 1:23; 28:20). He is Immanuel (“God with us”) and He is also
God like us because He took our nature and entered into human life and
experience. As Matthew recorded these events, he realized that a new era had
dawned in the history of God’s dealings with the human race. The words of a
messianic prophecy spoken by God through His prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14),
which were long dormant had now sprung to life!
As
a result of the angel’s intervention, Joseph abandoned his plan to divorce his
fiancée Mary, and continued to recognize their betrothal until Jesus’ birth. Joseph’s
righteous character is seen in his desire to separate from what appears to be
sexual infidelity. His plan to do it privately shows that he was not interested
in protecting his own reputation at the expense of Mary’s. In taking Mary as
his wife, Joseph also took her Child as his adopted Son. This is how Jesus Christ
became legal heir to the throne of David, and thus the Messiah-King was born
into this world.
The
fact that Joseph explicitly followed
the angel’s instructions demonstrates his righteous obedience by trusting in
God. Joseph did exactly as the angel
of the Lord had told him, without any hesitation and cheerfully. Joseph ‘trusted and obeyed’ the angel’s command
to take Mary as his wife. If Joseph had been disobedient, the entire mission of
Jesus’ entry into our world as a human being may have been put at risk. Jesus
would have been born to an unwed mother. Mary would have been stoned to death
on account of adultery as per the laws given by Moses. Through trusting and
obeying the angel, Joseph was willing to risk his reputation in order to
participate in and facilitate God’s plan for humankind.
When
we probe a little further regarding the incidents connected to the birth of
Jesus, it was not only Joseph, but Mary, the shepherds and even the wise men
did exactly as they were told. Joseph took Mary home to be his wife even after
knowing that she was pregnant; Mary yielded herself to God to bear and deliver
the holy child into this world; the shepherds went to Bethlehem to find the
baby Jesus in a manger, and the wise men departed to their homes on a different
route without informing King Herod who would have killed the baby Jesus
immediately without any hesitation.
Today
and always, let us also trust in God’s Word and obey it completely, for there
is no other way that will be beneficial for us for "there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way
of death." (Prov. 14:12) Let us pay attention to the lyrics that John
H. Sammis had developed many years ago that still speaks to us of this great
truth concerning trusting in God and obeying Him:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His
Word, what a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us
still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
