A Man to Be

Scripture:
"And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." Matthew 1:19

Observation:
He could have destroyed her. Literally, stoning was the consequence of a woman being found pregnant outside of wedlock. In the days and times that Joseph lived, he could have literally destroyed her in public, ruined her chance at a normal life and had her stoned to death.

He had to be hurt. The woman engaged to him suddenly turned up pregnant. He had not had sex with her, so he knew it was not him. I just can't imagine the pain this caused him. The humiliation. The anger. Yet, these words penned by Matthew sit shining on the page like a beautiful diamond, "being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her…"

This is one of the most beautiful pictures of a man laying aside his personal rights in order to preserve his righteousness.

Application:
There is a line in one of my favorite songs by Credence Clearwater Revival that says, "It ain't me, it ain't me." As I look over this brief glimpse of the character that made up Joseph's life the words of that song accurately reflect my honest comparison of myself to Joseph. The scriptures do not say much about Joseph, but the ones that do, speak volumes about the man chosen to the earthly father of Jesus and paint an a amazing picture of a man I should strive to be.

Prayer:
There is no need in me denying what I would have done in this situation. My flesh and my pride would have gotten the best of me. I would have acted out of hurt and would have disgraced an innocent woman. This realization scares me a bit as I feel the weight of my own guilt.

I need to change. The pride of life has a strong grip on me. I read this passage and I ask that you make me a righteous man. One who is humble enough to deny himself. One that is pure enough in motive to realize that being right does not make him righteous.
Even in moments when someone cuts me the deepest in the core of my being, help me to seek ways to offer grace. I pray that in those moments You minister to me through the Holy Spirit. I ask for tangible moments with You that will serve as affirmation to what You are asking me to do. Minister to me in my moments of hurt so that I may become a vessel of grace to others.