Joseph, “A Righteous Man” Don R. Hastings

By (Matthew 1:18-25)

In this article, we want to study what the Bible reveals about Joseph, the husband of Mary. While much has been said and written about Mary, very little attention has been given to Joseph. However, he was the head of the home where the Son of God grew from an infant into manhood. What a privilege Joseph enjoyed  watching and listening to the things Jesus said and did, as Jesus “advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). What a responsibility he and Mary shared as guardians of God’s only begotten Son! . . . he was not unworthy to fulfill the great trust that was imposed upon him by the Eternal Father” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. III: 1741).

Joseph was a carpenter who lived in Nazareth (Matt. 13:55; Luke 2:4). He taught Jesus the carpenter’s trade (Mark 6:3). He was the “supposed” father of Jesus (Luke 3:23). He was the father of four boys and, at least, two girls (Matt. 13:55, 56). He was “of the house and family of David” (text; Luke 2:4). He was the son of Heli (Luke 3:23). In Matthew 1:16 we read, “and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” The Pulpit Commentary explains the difference between these two Scriptures.

There are two ways in which these differing statements may be made to accord. The two sons of Matthan were Jacob the elder, and Heli the younger. It may be that Mary was the only child of Jacob, and Joseph the son of Heli. Then by marriage with his cousin, Joseph would be-come Jacob’s son as well as Hells. Or it may be that Jacob died with-out children, and Heli, marrying his widow according to the Jewish us-age, became by her the father of Joseph, who hence would be called Jacob’s son, that the elder brother’s line might not die out (Vol. 15:4).

He probably died before the death of Jesus for he is not mentioned at Jesus’ crucifixion, and Jesus commended the care of Mary to the disciple “whom he loved” (John 19:26, 27). We know nothing about the circumstances of his or Mary’s death.

God calls Joseph “a righteous man” (text). Since God tells us that Joseph was righteous, or just, we know that he was. We would do well to imitate his righteousness that we might, also, be righteous in the eyes of God. Mary thought so much of him that she agreed to be his wife.

Joseph Was a Righteous Man in

His Relationship With Mary

He and Mary were betrothed. What all was involved in a betrothal is explained well by William Barclay in The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. I:9. “The Jews were usually betrothed ten or twelve months prior to the marriage. So sacred was this relationship, that unfaithfulness to it was deemed adultery, and was punishable by death  death by stoning (Deut. 22:23-28)” (Fourfold Gospel, by J.W. McGarvey, 22, 23).

It was while Mary was betrothed to Joseph that the angel, Gabriel, appeared unto her and told her she would give birth to the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:26-33). Mary did not understand how this could happen since she was a virgin (Luke 1:34). The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee” (Luke 1:35). Mary went to see Elisabeth for about three months and then returned to her house (Luke 1:39-56).

Being a righteous man, Joseph knew that the child in Mary’s womb was not his. To be righteous before God, one must not commit fornication or adultery (1 Cor. 6:9, 10, 18; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.5:5). If you have committed fornication or adultery, you must comply with God’s conditions for forgiveness of this sin. The sexual desire is to be fulfilled only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (Heb. 13 :4).

Joseph gave much thought to this serious problem. We, too, should think before we speak or act. He assumed Mary was unfaithful to him so he was “minded to put her away” (text; Deut. 24:1-4). “As a merciful man he did not wish to openly disgrace the one to whom he was so fondly attached. He wished to act justly toward his own reputation, and mercifully toward the reputation of Mary” (Ibid., 23).

The Lord sent an angel to inform Joseph of the miracle that had happened. What astonishing news for this had never happened before, or since! This event had been prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. How thankful we should be that God sent his Son, who was born of the virgin Mary, to save us from the penalty of our sins; this penalty being burning eternally in the fire of hell (Rev. 21:8). Jesus is God for his name is “Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.” ” “In this world Jesus walked ‘with us’ in human form (John 1:14); and because he did so, we, in the world to come, shall walk ‘with him’ in divine form (1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 15:49). In a personal sense Jesus may fitly be called ‘God with us,’ for he was God and man united in one body” (Ibid., p. 26). One must have complete faith in the virgin birth of Christ to please God and to understand how Jesus could be both the Son of God and son of man! (Heb. 11:6; Matt. 12:40; 16:16).

Joseph Was a Righteous

Man for He Obeyed the

Lord’s Command

1. To take Mary to be his wife. He did not question the truthfulness of the angel’s message. Would you have believed this angel? Many still do not believe in the virgin birth of Christ!

2. To name Mary’s baby, Jesus, and have him circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21; Gen. 17:12).

3. Concerning the purification after a birth (Luke 2:22; Lev. 12:2-6).

4. Concerning the redemption of the firstborn (Luke 2:22-24). “When God slew the firstborn of Egypt he spared the firstborn of Israel. For this reason all the firstborn of Israel were regarded as being peculiarly the Lord’s (Exod. 12:29, 30; 13:2); and the firstborn male child of each family had to be redeemed with money (Exod. 13:11-15; Num. 18:15, 16)” (Ibid., 33). Simeon, a “righteous and devout man,” saw the Lord’s Anointed One when he saw baby Jesus (Luke 2:25-33).

5. To take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous plot (Matt. 2:13-15). Joseph immediately obeyed without questioning or complaining, even though, this was a long, hard journey to make with a baby (Matt. 2:14).

We like it when our children obey without complaining, don’t we? It has been said, “Slow obedience is no obedience.” God appreciates his children who obey without murmurings and questions” (Phil. 2:14, 15).

When Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord told Joseph to take his family home and he did (Matt. 2:19-23). In Nazareth, Jesus “grew and waxed strong” (Luke 2:40). “This verse contains the history of thirty years. It describes the growth of our Lord as a natural, human growth (compare Luke 1:80); for, though Jesus was truly di-vine, he was also perfectly man. To try to distinguish between the human and divine in Jesus, is to waste time upon an impracticable mystery which is too subtle for our dull and finite minds” (Ibid., 56).

6. To observe the Feast of the Passover every year in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41). The Passover was a memorial to remind the Jews how God had spared their firstborn in Egypt (Exod. 12:12-14). This is the only incident recorded about Jesus from the time he came to live in Nazareth until he was thirty years old. Joseph wept with Mary while they thought that Jesus was lost (Luke 2:48). We do not read about Joseph being alive anymore after this occasion.

Conclusion

Could God say of you that you are “righteous”? Do you keep yourself pure? Do you obey his commandments? Do you attend regularly with the saints to worship God (Heb. 10:25)? How can you be righteous be-fore God if you have not had your sins washed away by the blood of Christ in baptism (Matt. 26:28; Acts 2:38)? Are those of us, who have been baptized into Christ, living separate from this world (2 Cor. 6:17-7:1)?

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 12-13
April 3, 1997

Silence of the Scriptures

By Irvin Himmel

The Bible is silent about the use of any elements in the Lord’s supper except bread and the fruit of the vine. The bread brings to remembrance the body of Christ, and the fruit of the vine brings to remembrance his blood (1 Cor. 11:23-25). It would be presumption on our part to add cheese to the bread, or to suggest that mutton be served to remind us of the Lamb of God!

The Bible is silent about churches taking monetary collections at a time other than the first day of the week. The first day of the week is the time specified to lay by in store (1 Cor. 16:1,2). We are taking undue liberties to contend that a congregation may take up a collection on Wednesday night!

The Bible is silent about Christians offering any kind of music in praise to God except singing. We are to offer “the fruit of our lips” (Heb. 13:15), singing and making melody in the heart (Eph. 5:19). We venture beyond the New Testament when we add playing to the singing!

Some people say they speak where the Bible speaks. But where the Bible is silent, they speak whatever they please. It is best to be silent where the Bible is silent. Let us learn to speak as the oracles of God and show respect for the silence of God. Silence does not give authority to speak. Silence is not our religious guide.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 9 p. 6
April May 1, 1997

“Paul the Aged”

By P J. Casebolt

When the apostle referred to himself as “Paul the aged” (Phile. 9), it is not known just how old Paul was. But we do know that Paul was older at this writing than he was when he consented to Stephen’s death as a destroyer of the faith, and when he first began preaching the gospel. But Paul was old enough to fit into the category of “the aged.”

Age is a relative thing. Some who qualify for the age bracket of senior citizens can still run circles around couch potatoes of the younger generation. Or, physical handicaps can alter the life-styles of both young and old. And some of our social customs such as Social Security and Medicare have affected our thinking with respect to younger and older preachers.

When comparing the work of older and younger preachers, we would do well to define the term “work.” As an apostle, Paul “labored more abundantly” than did the other apostles (1 Con 15:10). Paul admonished Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5), and no one could deny that Paul himself was devoted wholly to preaching the gospel. Yet, Paul spent some of his time making tents and some of it in prison. At the time Paul wrote his epistle to Philemon, he was “a prisoner of Jesus Christ.”

Civil laws have been enacted to discourage the practice of age discrimination, yet those of us in the church are sometimes guilty of discrimination against both the young and the aged. But I am not about to go to law before the unbelievers to settle any perceived cases of age discrimination in the church. If we cannot effectively harness the abilities of workers in the Lord’s vineyard, we certainly cannot expect the world with its sectarian religious systems to do it for us.

Preachers need to consider the possibility that some brethren will discriminate against aged preachers, and that older preachers will naturally be affected by the same conditions which affect all people who are fortunate enough to live a long time. But there always has been, there is now, and there always shall be enough work in the Lord’s vineyard to keep all busy who want to stay busy and are able to do the work.

An aged preacher may (or may not) be limited physically and/or mentally in doing the work of an evangelist. But this may be true of preachers at any age. Brethren tell me that they see and hear younger preachers who are not able to organize or deliver a sermon which makes any sense. Aged preachers may not be as mentally alert as they once were, and yet they have a vast storehouse of knowledge and experience which can benefit the church. And younger preachers need to be given the opportunity to gain experience, yet are often discriminated against be-cause they don’t have it. I have been on both ends of this age spectrum, but thankfully, the Lord and enough brethren have combined to keep me busy.

Some congregations furnish houses for preachers and some do not. There are advantages and disadvantages with both arrangements. Geographically and economically, some areas are not conducive to the buying or selling of real estate, either on a short or long-term basis. The same is true of rental property.

While it may be more convenient in some situations for a preacher not to become entangled in real estate transactions every few years, preachers (and brethren) need to consider where the preacher is going to live when he be-comes “Paul the aged.” Most houses owned by churches are neither built nor intended as retirement homes for preachers. And a preacher or his widow may not want to spend the rest of their days in a given community anyway.

I know of a small congregation which built a house for an aged preacher and his wife, with the assurance that either or both of them could live there as long as they wished. Of course, some of the local members share the teaching duties when necessary, the aged preacher’s talents are not wasted, and an aged worker doesn’t have to worry about being evicted in favor of a younger preacher.

Some younger preachers need to prepare to support themselves, so that they can preach where they are needed, preach what needs to be preached (sound doctrine), and still discharge their duties toward their families. They can still engage in our sometimes ambiguous definition of “full-time preaching” if the occasion requires such, while at the same time keeping themselves “free from all men” (1 Cor. 9:19). One cannot serve either his Lord or his brethren as he should unless he is free to preach the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27).

Some congregations have a better concept of what it means to support the gospel than they did when I began to preach. And some preachers now are better trained and prepared than were some who preached fifty years ago. Yet, I find more of “a famine in the land” among church members in general when it comes to a working knowledge of the Bible than I did fifty years ago. Too many brethren have hired a preacher to do their studying, visiting, teaching, and the offering of other spiritual sacrifices for them, and have become illiterate even in the first principles of the oracles of God. And it may be that some preachers love to have it that way so that they can teach anything they want to teach (or nothing at all), and the brethren either won’t know the difference or won’t care.

A final word of advice and exhortation to preachers: When we accept the responsibility and privilege of preaching the gospel, we need also to accept any sacrifice, persecution, or hardship that goes with it (Mark 10:30; Phil. 1:29). That principle is the same for any child of God, for “the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord” (Matt. 10:24).

In the first century, the gospel was “preached to every creature which is under heaven” (Col. 1:23), and this was accomplished in spite of persecution from without the church and problems within the church. Some have concentrated their teaching and efforts toward the care of needy saints (and even the world), to the neglecting of preaching the gospel and edifying the church. Some have turned the preaching of the gospel over to human missionary societies/institutions, thereby supplanting the church in the very work and mission it was designed and commissioned to do. Division has neutralized or destroyed our efforts to preach the gospel to the unbeliever.

Instead of becoming adversarial in our attitudes toward congregations and preachers, the young and the old, we need to remember that we are “workers together with him” (2 Cor. 6:1), “that the word of the Lord may have free course” (2 Thess. 3:1).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 10-11
April 3, 1997

It’s Time To Hate

By Steve Klein

The inspired wise man who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… a time to love and a time to hate” (3:1, 8a). Most of us probably have a pretty negative view of hate. We think of it as a bad emotion. But in and of itself, hate is not any better or worse than love. Both love and hate have proper objects; they are both appropriate feelings to have toward certain things at certain times.

Sometimes love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Love for one thing might necessitate hate for some-thing else (cf. Matt. 6:24). That is the way it is with God and sin. If we love God, we must hate sin. The Psalmist said, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Ps. 97:10).

It is high time for those who claim to love God to start hating sin. We must hate it in ourselves and in others, and hate it with an intensity of passion that is equaled only by the intensity of our love for God.

Sin should not be hated merely as some abstract, vague concept, but as real and specific instances of transgression. That is to say, we are not only to hate the idea of sin, but also every occurrence of sin. The Bible is very clear about this. Many plain statements of Scripture command or exemplify hatred of specific sins. These passages need to be examined carefully. Each of us needs to ask himself, “Do I really hate this sin?”

Do I really hate pride, arrogance and a perverse mouth? Do we fully agree with the wise man who said, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Prov. 8:13)? Pride, arrogance and perverse speech are common sins in our society. We see them in politicians, sports figures, neighbors, and sometimes in ourselves. When we see our favorite basketball player or politician lifted up with pride and arrogance, spewing forth obscenities, do we hate it as we should?

Do I really hate lying? “A righteous man hates lying” (Prov. 13:5). All of us, both righteous and unrighteous, hate being lied to, but the question is, “Do you yourself hate lying?” Some may only hate lying if they are caught at it. The righteous man must loathe every instance of it in his life and in the lives of others.

Do I really hate taking God’s name in vain? In Psalm 139:20-22 the Psalmist says, “. . .Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” There is not a day that goes by in which I do not hear someone take God’s name in vain. Expressions such as “Oh my God,” “God it” and just plain “God!” are some of the most frequently heard exclamations in the English language. Euphemisms for these expressions are very common as well. “Oh my Gosh,” “Oh my word,” “Gosh darn it,” “Golly” and “Gosh” are merely mild substitutes for the same phrases. Language does not become correct just because it is common. We must not allow continual exposure to this sin to dull our sensitivity to it. God is to be reverenced. His holy name is to be blessed (cf. Ps. 89:7; 103:1). God-fearing people should consistently abhor the practice of profaning God’s name.

Do I really hate covetousness? “He who hates covetousness will pro-long his days” (Prov. 28:16). The desire for what others possess is commonly depicted as a virtue in our materialistic culture. Covetousness is defined as unlawful desire for that which belongs to another. Rather than allowing cultural influences to lull us into accepting and participating in covetousness, we should hate covetousness with every fiber of our being.

Do I really hate violence? “The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates” (Ps. 11:5). Since the Lord hates the very soul of the one who loves violence, wouldn’t it be wise to completely remove any affection for violence from our hearts. Do you en-joy movies, television programs, or books that contain violence? Do you desire to solve problems at home, in the work place, among neighbors, or in the church through violence or threat of it? Do you hate violence, or do you love it?

Do I really hate false teaching? In Revelation 2:6 and 1:5, Jesus makes it plain that he hated the false teaching of the Nicolaitans, and that he expected church members to do the same. Can we honestly say that we really hate false doctrine when we refuse to “mark” and “avoid” those who teach it because they “have been our friends for years,” or they “are such kind and caring people”? Toleration of false teaching and those who teach it can scarcely be called hatred (cf. Rom. 16:17-18).

Hating evil is not un-Christ-like. It is most Christ-like. Jesus hated evil more than anyone ever hated anything. The book of Hebrews says of him, “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Heb. 1:9). Let us be like Christ; let us hate sin. To hate sin is know love, for love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6).

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 7-8
April 3, 1997