18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Such as it happened with this passage. I was listening to the Gospel of Matthew on BibleGateway's audio Bible today and my heart's eye was drawn to symbolic images.
Please note that in receiving a personal revelation in this fashion does not draw away from the truth of what is being told, or overshadow it in any way, nor is it meant to. Rather, when personal revelation takes hold of your heart the written word becomes, to you, the living word. It comes to life in your heart; it's a message to your heart, from God, for one reason or another - be it for a message to preach, an answer to a prayer, something you need to deal with in your life, and so on and so forth. That's the beauty of the LIVING WORD of GOD... it speaks directly to your heart in a way that brings a new depth of freedom, awareness, insight, healing and so on. It's personal... which is the angle I write from.
While listening to this passage of Scripture, this is what my eyes were open to:
1. Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph = We're going about our daily business, making plans; living.
2 but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. = While we're busy making plans, so is God - and they may not be what we expect. Also, I see here: God can weave His plan into our life.
3. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. = Sometimes we fail to see what God is doing in our life, and in the life of someone close to us, so when we judge it to be 'not how things are done around here' we can, if we are not careful, terminate that which God has set into motion.
4. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream = God will make known to you what His will is. Listen for instruction.
5. [the angel] said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." There is no need to fear anything that God brings into your life.
6. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. = God has a purpose for what He gives us; for what He births through us... and all that He gives us, plants in us, brings to pass in our life, births through us, will benefit His kingdom and the lives of His children in one way or another...
7. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. = Sometimes, when we are obedient to God, when we step out to do His will, we may have to go against popular opinion and our own judgement of what is right and wrong - no matter what it costs us; we may have to risk being rejected by others - which could easily have happened in Joseph and Mary's case.
8. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. = We are to keep our hands off what God is doing; what God is bringing to pass; what God wants birthed in this world.
In other words, place everything in God's hands and trust Him, even if you don't understand what's going on, and/or it goes against your 'better judgement'.