The Bible records three different occasions that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. The first was to let him know Mary was still a virgin and she had not cheated on him.
The second to warn him to take the family and flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. The third time was to let him know it was safe to bring Jesus back to Israel because Herod had died.
Each visit had the following things in common…
The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
The angel of the Lord gave him instructions and Joseph followed those instructions faithfully.
Each event led to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
So let’s have a deeper look at what happened when the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph…
The First Time An Angel Of The Lord Appeared To Joseph Was In Mat 1:18-25
I have itemized the events that took place in bullet points below…
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,
Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,
and took unto him his wife:
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son:
Chiefly it was to put his mind at ease that Mary had not cheated on him and that she was indeed a chaste woman and still a virgin. However, the Angel also gave Joseph a number of instructions to carry out including:
Take Mary for your wife
You shall call the child’s name Jesus (Savior)
Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. Joseph doesn’t get too many mentions but he strikes me as a very faithful man.
How did the Angel Of The Lord Appear To Joseph?
The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream.
Fulfilled Prophecy
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The Second Time An Angel Of The Lord Appeared To Joseph Was In Mat 2:13-15
Here is an account of what happened…
And when they (the wise men) were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
To warn them to take Jesus and flee into Egypt – Herod was intent on killing any future King and put to death all male children under the age of 2 years old.
Once again we see the faithfulness of Joseph as he immediately did what the angel of the Lord had instructed him to do.
How did the Angel Of The Lord Appear To Joseph?
Behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream.
Fulfilled Prophecy
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
The Third Time An Angel Of The Lord Appeared To Joseph Was In Mat 2:19-23
Here is an account of what happened…
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Why did the Angel Of The Lord Appear To Joseph?
To tell him Herod was dead and it was now safe to bring Jesus back to Israel and yet again we see the faithfulness of Joseph as he immediately did what the angel of the Lord had instructed him to do.
How did the Angel Of The Lord Appear To Joseph?
An angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
In summary, the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Joseph all revolved around Jesus.
The angel of the Lord told Joseph what name to give Jesus, to flee into Egypt, and to come back – all of which resulted in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
And once more, I’d like to mention the wonderful faithfulness and obedience of Joseph.
Allan Wilson is the creator of the Scriptural Thinking Affirmations Package. Featuring over 200 minutes of mp3 audio Bible affirmations complete with background music. The package comes with the original affirmations PDF ebook and many bonus affirmation Bible studies as well. The affirmations are designed to help you call to remembrance all of the wonderful benefits of being in Christ and the marvelous privilege of being a child of God.
