An Example of Obedience in the Life of Joseph
Four times, Joseph received instructions from God:
1. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to go ahead and marry Mary (Matthew 1:20).
2. Later, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, warning him of the threat on Jesus’ life and instructing him to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14).
3. A third time, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him it was safe to return from Egypt (Matthew 2:19-20).
4. Lastly, Joseph received additional instruction in a dream to go to Galilee and not Judea (Matthew 2:22).
Each of the times God spoke to Joseph, he obeyed without question or delay:
- He married Mary, as instructed,
- he got up and left for Egypt in the middle of the night,
- he later returned to Israel, and
- he settled in Galilee.
God can speak to us in various ways: by a dream, vision, or even angels, through the Bible or others, or the Holy Spirit.
However we may hear from God, there is but one acceptable response: to obey without question or delay, just as Joseph did.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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