“Then Joseph her
husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was
minded to put her away privily”
Matthew
1:19
We live in
an unjust world. In fact, many of the
calls for “justice” today are not seeking biblical justice but a broken
redefined idea of it that promotes the opposite. Sadly, those values will only lead
to more hurt, suffering, and pain in an already broken world. When a man is
just by God’s standards, he will stand out in a culture fraught with injustice. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was such a man.
Living like Joseph does not just
happen. It is a choice. In reality, to
be considered a just man requires consistency in our choices. While we can be
sure Joseph’s genealogy and upbringing had an impact on his preparation and training
to live as a just man, ultimately, the choices Joseph made every day were all
that mattered in earning that recognition by God in His word.
It would be fascinating to know the
decisions Joseph made through the years leading up to the birth of Christ. What difficult decisions had he made that Scripture
would describe his as a just man? How had those decisions steeled him for the
difficult yet just decision he would make to not stone Mary. Joseph’s decision to
not have Mary stoned to death would go against what was culturally acceptable. It
was the just thing to do, but make no mistake, his decision was consistent with
his character.
God knew the decision Joseph would
make before He made it because God is omniscient. Will men know with a level of certainty the
decisions you will make because of your character? When others see you, what do they know of
your character based on the choices you make every day in your life? What do they know of your character based on
the decisions you make between cultural norms and what is right? We, like Joseph, are known by our character.
Every decision you make is a reflection of your character. Choose wisely! Choose Biblically!
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