Matthew 1:18-25 Dreams
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 7, 2019, Matthew 1:18-25
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
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, “Joseph, 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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
(Understanding the Text) Phew! Finally out of the confusing genealogies! Joseph was not willing to have an adulteress as his wife. Mary must have told Joseph her story, but Joseph thought she was lying to save her own skin and didn’t believe her. Joseph did not have supernatural knowledge, so he had to act upon his own logic. Did he know Mary well enough to even have any basis to believe her? Maybe, he knew her as a child since they were of the same family, but the chances are that he had little contact with her as a teenager. Jewish men and women were somewhat separated, I think. This would have been an arranged marriage, not a modern love match, so Joseph might have had no idea what kind of character Mary had. However, even though Joseph did not believe Mary, he still made a morally correct choice for the knowledge that he had. Joseph’s actions in his ignorance demonstrate why God chose him to be the caretaker and protector of the baby and child Jesus. Joseph was unwilling to have an adulteress for a wife, but he was also unwilling for Mary to be stoned to death. His compassion meant that he wanted no hurt to come to another from his actions. His submission to God meant that when God spoke to Joseph in a dream, he obeyed God. He did not let his ego about raising a child that most people would know was not his own get in the way of obedience to God.
If my research is correct, Joseph’s marriage to Mary had been arranged so that her father could have a male heir to carry on the family line. This may have played another part in Joseph’s unwillingness to publicly shame Mary; however, I think it was probably not the main reason. The SDA commentary says that using the word “just” explains why Joseph thought he should divorce Mary. “From the Jewish point of view, a ‘just man’ was a strict observer of the laws of Moses and of rabbinical traditions. As a result, Joseph may have questioned whether it would be morally right for him to marry someone who, it appeared, was an adulterous.” Evidently, Joseph had a balanced personality of both law-keeping and mercy.
Joseph obeyed the dreams that God sent him and thus, made the right choices in his life. The first dream not only told Joseph to marry Mary, but it also gave the information that they were to name the child savior (Jesus means Jehovah is salvation). Since this was usually the father’s job (SDA commentary), it was important for Joseph to be told this. The SDA commentary suggests that the angel who appeared to Joseph was Gabriel since he was also the one who had delivered messages to Zechariah and Mary. Later, Joseph would have a dream telling him to flee Bethlehem for Egypt. “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, 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’” (Matthew 2:13). Joseph obeyed, and Herod was not able to kill the baby because of Joseph’s obedience to a seemingly illogical command. There was no need for a dream to tell them when to return, since the news of Herod’s death was adequate.
(Revelation of God) Matthew here gives the second evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. Evidence 1: Jesus’ lineage is the right lineage for Messiah. Evidence 2: the prophecy that a virgin would bear a son called “God with us.” Thus, Jesus’ conception was evidence of His Messiahship. Part of this evidence is that Joseph had no sexual contact with Mary until after Jesus was born. This means that there was no possibility that Joseph had anything to do with the conception of the baby. Matthew is trying to teach the Jews the meaning of the Old Testament and how it was fulfilled in Jesus. He is not just out to prove something; he is also teaching that which he had received from Jesus.
(Application) My application to myself is that I need to obey God when He gives me my marching orders just as Joseph did. I need to trust that God knows what He is doing and is not arbitrarily asking me to do something that I am not the best person to do. He chose Joseph because of who Joseph was. God was about to become totally helpless and dependent upon a human being for protection. Joseph was that human being. He was useful not only because he had the personal characteristics to be a good father and the strength, health, and skills to be a good provider, but most of all because he was obedient when God said to move. My usefulness is in direct proportion to my willingness to obey, even when I’m not sure how to do it or what God’s outcome will be.
(Prayer) Please help me to trust You and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I pray to listen to You and not my doubts and second-guessing. I pray to hear Your voice when You speak to me and trust Your instruction. Help me to not be dismayed.