Part 3 in a series
By Brenda Black
Are the most vivid dreams reserved
only for guys named Joseph whose dads are named Jacob? Visions of
honor and power filled the head of Abraham's great grandson. Though
thrown into a cistern and later imprisoned, Joseph the Dreamer saw
his images fulfilled. Generations later, another Joe experienced
profound revelations while he slept. His dreams came true beyond his
wildest imagination.
Joseph No. 2 was youthful and brimming with plans for a bright future. His dreams included a pretty little gal named Mary, but he didn't foresee what would happen when she said “yes.”
“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'” (Matthew 1:18-21)
Before you write Joseph off as an
embittered fiance, look deeper into his heart. Certainly Mary was
hand-picked by God for her humility and willing spirit. Could she
also have been chosen because of her good taste in the potential
father of Jesus? Joseph was a righteous man. He was pledged to Mary.
That means he was already in the process of building their dream
home.
When a young man of Israel in Jesus'
time saw the girl he wanted, he approached her with a marriage
contract, giving terms by which he would propose marriage. The most
important consideration in the contract was the elaborate price the
bridegroom would be willing to pay to marry this particular bride.
The “bride price” showed his love in a most tangible way. If the
bride and her father agreed to the terms, the engaged couple would
drink a cup of wine together, solidifying the groom's willingness to
sacrifice in order to have this bride, and her willingness to enter
this marriage.
And then he went to work while she
became a lady in waiting. The groom built a bridal chamber – a
little mansion – in which they would spend their honeymoon. It was
a complex undertaking, beautiful and stocked with provisions to last
an entire week. The project would ordinarily take the better part of
a year.
Meanwhile, Mary would be making
herself ready. Whenever she stepped out of her house, she would wear
a veil to signal to other young men that she was spoken for and no
other contracts would be considered.
Joseph had invested his finances as
well as his heart into this glowing bride-to-be. The very thought of
divorcing quietly is all about Mary. It is for her protection and it
is his total loss.
On the heels of mind-numbing news that
Mary is with child, Joseph collapses into bed in exhaustion, resolved
to do what he thinks best. But God has other plans and He insists
that Joseph is the kind of man He wants raising His Only Begotten
Son. God gives Joseph THE dream and the rest is HIStory!
Never discount what God can do with a righteous life, a humble wife, a perfect plan and the miraculous power to transcend time and space. In the stillness of the night, He speaks. If we are listening and obedient, we just might experience living a marvelous dream.
May God bless you with visions of His
perfect will this season and always!
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