Read Matthew 1:18-24

Matthew 1:19-20 - 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.’
Joseph was a righteous man who suddenly was faced with a problem he did not know how to solve. The law of the land stated he was completely justified in having Mary killed when he discovered she was pregnant. He knew he was not the father of the baby, so to him this only meant that she had been unfaithful to him.

But Joseph was a righteous man, and he must have loved Mary already because he did not want to kill her or even have her shamed before all the people of the town. As he was thinking about how else he could take care of his problem, he fell asleep. The Angel Gabriel came to visit him in his dream and told him who this baby really was – the promised Messiah. He even gave Joseph the assignment of naming this baby. The name “Jesus” is the same name as “Joshua” in the Old Testament, and “Joshua” means “savior.” 

We continue with Joseph in our next lesson.

*How have you been willing to listen to God for a different way of working through a difficult situation?