The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Joseph: An Honorable Man of God

Joseph was a righteous and selfless man. When Mary, to whom he was engaged, was found to be pregnant, he thought he needed to break off the engagement. This entailed divorcing her, since they were already legally bound. Yet instead of doing it publicly and humiliating her, Joseph endeavored to take care of this matter as quietly as possible (Mt 1:18–19). Even before he knew Mary’s pregnancy was from God, he sought to treat her kindly.

When an angel told Joseph in a dream that Mary’s baby was conceived through the Holy Spirit, Joseph obediently accepted his responsibility to stay with Mary, despite what others might have thought.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where Joseph and Mary had to travel due to a census. Mary and Joseph must have been shocked by the kind of visitors who came to see the baby: shepherds (Lk 2:16) and, sometime later, Magi from afar (Mt 2:1–2). Their awe and wonder turned to worry, however, when an angel appeared to Joseph once again in a dream, this time telling him to flee with his family to Egypt to save baby Jesus from the wrath of Herod (Mt 2:13). Once again, Joseph obeyed. After this, Joseph had two more divine dreams, telling him first to move back to Israel and then specifically to Nazareth (Mt 1:19–23).

APPLICATION Joseph never speaks a word in Scripture, yet his story is an example of obedience to God. God asked Joseph to do difficult things, and Joseph obeyed humbly. Joseph offers a superb example of humility and trust, and he was quick to follow God’s instructions. He also demonstrates care and compassion through his treatment of Mary. Joseph is an example of what an honorable man of God looks like.

Taken from the NIV Application Bible.