When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
Matthew 1:24 NLT
Have you ever noticed how many dreams appear in Matthew’s narrative of Jesus’ birth? Five, by my count: one, to the wise men warning them not to go back to Herod, and no less than four to Joseph. What is that about? It is all the more interesting to me as a student of the Old Testament in that people are several times there told not to believe prophets who come to them talking about their dreams (Jer 23:25, 28; Zech 10:2).
Then I remember a place in the Old Testament where dreams are prominent, and, wonder of wonders, the key figure is also named Joseph. In short, we have Joseph the First and Joseph the Second! But there is more to it than just the same name. What was the purpose of Joseph the First’s dreams? They were for the purpose of saving the family of Abraham. Remember that Joseph ended up in Egypt because of his dreams. And then, he became prominent in Egypt because of dreams. And because of who he was and where he was, Abraham’s family was preserved to bless the world.
So what were Joseph’s (and the wise men’s) dreams about? They were about preserving the life of that descendant of Abraham (look at Matt 1:1) through whom all the world has been, and will be, blessed. Think about it: suppose Joseph had quietly and graciously divorced Mary. What would have become of her baby? And suppose the Wise Men had gone back to Herod and said, “We found the baby at 136 E. 1st Street in Bethlehem.” Or suppose Joseph had rolled over in his warm blankets and sleepily said, “Oh, tomorrow will be soon enough. Herod is all bluff and bluster, anyway.” Or suppose, having gotten to Egypt – Egypt? Joseph I?– they had just decided to settle there? Egypt was a very nice place, sophisticated and cultured, all the modern conveniences. Or suppose they had come back to Judea and stayed there, and had gotten caught up in Archelaus’ casual slaughters of people who opposed him? At any one of these points the life and ministry of the Messiah could have been blotted out.
Dreams! Obedience! Joseph I and Joseph II! You would almost believe the Bible was a unified book, wouldn’t you?
Called To Be Transformed 