Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

“Wisdom is not Proud”

“A wise heart takes orders…” – Proverbs 10:8 (MSG)

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” – Matthew 1:24-25

Joseph was a man of few words. His role in the birth of Jesus was carried out mostly in silence. If he had questions, he didn’t express them to anyone who was taking notes. He did what he was told, and he raised no objection. Some people prefer to be anonymous. I would not be surprised if Joseph was probably one of them. He would have preferred going through the normal process of becoming engaged, then married, and then having a family. God had a different idea. He moved “family” up one slot, and it surely wasn’t a plan that Joseph embraced easily. But he did embrace it. And he accepted all of the public humiliation that accompanied Mary’s pregnancy. He obeyed the angel. He will always be remembered for that.
Obeying God is not always easy, especially when our plans don’t seem to run parallel to God’s plans. We ask questions, and when answers aren’t forthcoming, we are troubled. But as we mature in faith, we discover that sometimes God explains things in advance; and other times he does not. (Deuteronomy 29:29). He is in charge. He wants us to obey first, and leave the questions for later.
If Joseph is the prime example of obedience, then Rehoboam can teach us a lesson on what not to do when given a task. For those who may not be familiar with his name or fame, Rehoboam was (of all people) Solomon’s son and the one chosen to follow him after Solomon died. Not long after taking office, Rehoboam was faced with an issue, much like that of his father before him. How should he govern this great nation? Here is the scene as told in the book of 1st Kings:

Rehoboam assembled Jeroboam and all the people. They said to Rehoboam, "Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we'll willingly serve you."
"Give me three days to think it over, then come back," Rehoboam said.
King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"

They said, "If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you." But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor, "What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, 'Give us a break from your father's harsh ways—lighten up on us'?"

The young turks he'd grown up with said, "These people who complain, 'Your father was too hard on us; lighten up'—well, tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!'" Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. – 1st Kings 12:3-11; 15

“A wise heart takes orders.” This is obviously a lesson that many need to learn and even more did not.
Joseph did have a role to play. He got to announce the name of the baby. Later he got to play the role of dad. And what did the name “Jesus” mean? Matthew tells us: “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Not exactly an insignificant starting role after all. He put his pride aside and then gained great recognition. Rehoboam on the other hand went the opposite direction and had a majority of the kingdom ripped from him. Something the nation never recovered from.
What are you listening to…and to whom or what is your obedience to? He who listens and obeys God is indeed wise!
Pastor J. T. Carnell