“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21
As the angel Gabriel announced to Mary (Luke 1:26ff.), she had conceived by the miraculous working of the Holy Ghost and carried in her womb God’s Son and her Savior. Following the announcement to her, Mary, as the Gospel of Luke explains, spent time with her cousin Elizabeth in Judah. When she returned to Nazareth, Joseph, her betrothed husband learned she was with child and knew he wasn’t the father because they had not yet come together. He considered privately divorcing her rather than making her a public example under the law (cf. Deut. 22:20ff.; 24:1ff.).
It is while Joseph thought on these things that the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take unto him Mary his wife, for the child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She would bring forth a son and Joseph was to name him Jesus (Yehoshua - cf. Num. 13:16), meaning Jehovah saves, because He would save His people from their sins.
This, of course, was all done in fulfillment of the ancient prophecy revealed through Isaiah the prophet: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23; cf. Isaiah 7:14).
The child in Mary’s womb was (and is) God with us - the LORD God Himself in human flesh - and He came into the world to fulfill all righteousness and to suffer and die in the stead of all mankind for the sins of the world. He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), true God and true man in one person.
And, as the angel revealed to Joseph, He has saved His people from their sins. He suffered and died for the sins of the world and rose again on the third day. All who place their hope in Him and His shed blood have God’s pardon and forgiveness. They have life everlasting through faith in His name.
O Jehoshua, Son of God and David’s son through the Virgin Mary, Thank You for taking on human flesh and becoming true man to take our place under the law and to redeem us from sin and death. Grant that we place all our hope and faith in You and Your innocent sufferings and death in our stead that we might receive forgiveness for all our sins and the everlasting joys of heaven. Amen.
[Devotion by Randy Moll, Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible.]
Community News, Pages 11 on 12/22/2010