Are You Righteous?
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. -- Matthew 1:19
How would you define a righteous man? The dictionary tells us that to be righteous is to be morally right or morally justifiable. So a righteous man is one who is morally right.
I always think of Abraham when I think of righteousness. In Romans 4, Paul tells us that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Did Abraham stumble along the way? Absolutely. But he was a good man, a righteous man who loved God and sought to follow Him.
The Bible tells us very little about Joseph. We know he was a carpenter. We know God chose him to be Jesus’ earthly father. But what else do we really know about this man who played such an important role in our Savior’s life?
We know he was a righteous man. A good man. A man of faith. A man of mercy.
Joseph was pledged to be married to a woman who was pregnant. How do you think he felt when he found out? Angry? Humiliated? Betrayed? He could have accused Mary publicly and watched as she was stoned to death. But he was a righteous man and he chose not to expose her to public disgrace.
How would you have reacted? Probably not the same. Not if you’re normal and you’re honest. We’re human and we want to punish those who hurt us. But not Joseph. He offered mercy when others would have demanded vengeance.
It was after this that an angel from God appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel explained that Mary’s baby was conceived from the Holy Spirit and that Joseph should go ahead and marry her. Joseph believed and he did. Joseph was a righteous man. A man of faith.
We don’t know a great deal about Joseph. But we know he showed mercy rather than seek vengeance. We know he demonstrated faith rather than walk away from something that seemed so unbelievable.
Joseph was a righteous man. What about you?
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