1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers. 3Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram. 4Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon. 5Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. 6Jesse became the father of King David. David the king became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah’s wife. 7Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa. 8Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah. 9Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah. 10Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah. 11Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. 13Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor. 14Azor became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud. 15Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob. 16Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. 20But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
22Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and shall give birth to a son.
They shall call his name Immanuel,”
which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”
24Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; 25and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
Waiting for Clarity
Waiting for Clarity
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was a kind man. He wanted the best for his betrothed, Mary. He must have been well acquainted with Mary’s devotion to the Lord. But surely at moments, he had his doubts as to the meaning of so many confusing events. He probably not only felt doubtful, but confused, and perhaps even betrayed. His steadfast devotion and support of Mary took great faith, discipline, and patience. Who knows what went through his head? The text tells us that he was afraid. We know this because the angel that appeared to him tells him, “Do not be afraid. Go ahead with the marriage and take her as your wife because God is up to something. This is a holy and different conception.” We often see Mary as the heroine of the story, but there is so much to say about Joseph that is positive.
Reader, you’ve probably never encountered something like Joseph did, but you and I have had our own times of confusion. It might involve a relationship with another person. It might be our finances or our health that has left us bewildered. I think it helps not to try to understand it all. Just trust God at His word and claim His promises. His word tells us that hope is ours to be had. It is firmly rooted in our faith that God is able to do what He says He will do. Move forward, loving God with all your heart and trusting that He is good and that He loves you with an everlasting love. You might be wondering, “Pastor, how can I have joy in the midst of this mess and this chaos?” The secret to having your joy return is in leaning on Him. In ancient Hebrew, God’s language, the word for joy, simcha, is from a root meaning to “lean on.” Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “The joy of the Lord is my strength!” Don’t you see? Nehemiah is saying, “Leaning on the Lord is my strength!” It is in leaning on Him that you will find your joy in the midst of things you can’t make sense of. Lean in hard. Lean on Him. I am sure that Joseph did just that in the middle of a situation that just made no sense.
We, too, must exercise kindness, and even when we’re in the midst of confusion, we need to patiently wait to see how God works out seemingly problematic events in our lives. While Joseph considered what to do, God mercifully sent an angel who gave him a full explanation. We may not have an angel visit us in times of confusion, but we do have promises from His Word. We can rest assured that God hears us and is attentive to every concern we might have. The angel told Joseph to “not be afraid." There is no room for fear in the heart of the believer. Don’t you be afraid either. Lean!