{"id":6853,"date":"2023-12-21T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drbobewell.com\/?p=6853"},"modified":"2023-12-17T17:44:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T00:44:58","slug":"christmas-obedience-joseph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drbobewell.com\/?p=6853","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Obedience: Joseph"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inspired by Moses\u2019 \u201cChoose Life\u2026Choose Obedience<\/a>\u201d theme, we\u2019re looking at the obedience of the characters of Christmas, beginning with Zechariah and Elizabeth<\/a>, followed by Mary<\/a>. Today, one of my favorite characters, the often unsung hero of the story: Joseph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can’t do better than what I wrote last year…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph doesn\u2019t get much press, and nothing he said was recorded, but he was a faithful man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, \u201cJoseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.\u201d (Matthew 1.18 \u2013 21, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now when [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.\u201d And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, \u201cOut of Egypt I called my son.\u201d (Matthew 2.13 \u2013 15, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, \u201cRise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead.\u201d And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2.19 \u2013 23, ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four dreams, five obedient responses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n