He Did

4/14/2016

Matthew 1.24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. - St. Matthew

In my Scripture reading today, I saw a contrast between two men: King Saul, and Joseph, the carpenter. King Saul rejected the word of the Lord and Joseph embraced it. Both men were in tough situations: Saul, impulsive and petulant, caved to the (real or perceived) pressure from his soldiers to act and to disobey what God had commanded him to do (1 Samuel 15.24).

Joseph, on the other hand, was engaged to a woman who turned up pregnant and he decided to (not surprisingly) dump her. But God intervened and told him marriage was the right thing to do. That choice required a bigger man: one who would obey. Joseph obeyed, and accepted Mary as his wife.

I get to teach young men (Middle and High schoolers) on Wednesday nights at my church. We spend fifteen or twenty minutes each week discussing a passage of the Bible together. Lately we seem to be hovering around this thought: real men obey God no matter what. Small men shoot from the hip and practice: shoot, ready, aim. Real men find a sense of joy in doing what is right; small men are selfishly productive, getting only a sense of feel-good from just doing; regardless of purpose or outcome.

Real men have godly character; small men don’t. King Saul was a head taller than the rest of the Israelites, but Saul was a petulant, whiny, small-minded man. Joseph was a lowly carpenter whose livelihood included construction of structures, furniture and ancient contractor-type stuff. In a largely agronomic culture, most men undertook such stuff by themselves or with their relatives. Joseph presumably sold his labor to those who either had the means or lacked the skill. He probably made a living, but definitely not six figures…

However, Joseph possessed the skill to do carpentry, and the character to listen, and harken to the voice of God. That was the difference between two different men in hard places who reacted to God in entirely different manners; one obeyed, the other didn’t.

I’m trying to teach the young men with whom I associate to see the contrast between small men and godly men. There is a world of difference because there are two different worlds. One world, is the Kingdom of God – counter-culture to the kingdom of men. The other is: flying by the seat of one’s pants doing whatever seems good for the moment, and paying attention to the whims and wills of others who are as equally confused and impulsive.

In our day, it's true, small men rule the day. But in our midst are godly men who will only will win and rule in eternity. It’s all in what world one finds oneself, and whom it is one seeks, and follows. Exhibits A and B: Saul and Joseph.

Lord, You know my penchant for small-mindedness, and how often I just shoot from the hip, impulsively doing as I see fit. Change my heart and train me to be as godly as I reach out to others to train them to be godly as well.  Boys will be boys until they are taught to be men. Amen