Luke 1:28
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:29
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Luke 1:30
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:31
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Luke 1:32
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
Luke 1:33
and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Mary and Joseph are planning their wedding. Dowry paid and all is well except the wedding. God in His wisdom decides that Mary should carry the pregnancy that will result in the birth of Jesus. Then God sends an angel to announce this pregnancy news to Mary and not to Joseph. That decision means a lot. God told Mary and not Joseph about the pregnancy!
In Zechariah’s case, God sends a message to Zechariah who delivered it to Elizabeth his wife, Luke 1:12-13. In Abraham’s case, God told Abraham while Sarah was eavesdropping, Genesis 18:10. In Manoah’s case the father to Samson the strongest man, the message was delivered to his wife, Judges 13:2-5. In Manoah’s case, the wife was probably told because there were strict conditions for her pregnancy and child raising and this directly involved her. Later on, Manoah requested to meet the angel himself and God granted it, Judges 13:8-9.
2 Kings 4:8-21. The Shunammite woman favored Elisha so much. The Shunammite woman asked the husband that they put up a place where Elisha would sleep whenever he is around their home area. The Shunammite woman was childless. Elisha wondered how they would show appreciation to what this woman had done for him and his servant. When Elisha learned that she had no child, she declared to her a blessing of the child. The situation here was about repaying her for her kindness. Therefore the coming pregnancy was reported to her.
We notice that when the couple is married, God speaks to the man, the head of the family about the pregnancy. The man without delay relays the information to the wife. In the special case where the pregnancy must be carried under specific strict conditions, the wife is directly informed by God. God treats married couples as such. Unless under special circumstances, the pregnancy report is given to the husband as head of the family. That is the order of God.
It is not strict nor rigid, that is why under special circumstances, the plan can be abandoned and the woman becomes the recipient of this news. Rigid traditions in matters which do not involve right and wrong are not God’s plan for life. If God applies flexibility, who are we to treat rigidity as equivalent to faithfulness? Faithfulness to what? We should be faithful to God and not traditions. We become rigid when we stop thinking. When you are rigid, the situation doesn’t matter, you stick to an obnoxious tradition because tradition is more important than people in your short-sightedness.
Traditions, cultures, and working policies are not matters of right and wrong, they are ways of life for groups of people and organizations. We should not apply them rigidly. The human situation must be interpreted and favored first above the way of life. The way of life must have a human face. Tradition may demand that men be informed first, but if prevailing circumstances show the woman to be better placed, let it be the woman. No rigidity. God has not been rigid on the matter. A way of life should keep adjusting to times and prevailing circumstances. Cultures and traditions should be gradually changing. Policies get updated. No rigidity!
Back to our main story, Joseph and Mary are not married. Therefore God sends a message to the concerned. God sends a message to Mary and not Joseph. Until you officially get married, you are not husband and wife. Even if you have paid dowry. Until when you are declared husband and wife at a place of worship, do not behave, act or presume duties and roles of a married couple.
Pregnancy before marriage concerns the woman and God addresses the woman. God does not recognize the man who is yet to marry. God sends the angel to address Joseph when he planned to abandon Mary over the unknown pregnancy that she had. The angel tells Joseph not to leave Mary, Matthew 1:19-21. The angel is not announcing a pregnancy, the angel is addressing a relationship. Before marriage your fiancee and you deal with relationship issues, if you get pregnant it is sin, immorality and you deal with it, not as a married couple. Marriage doesn’t sanitize sexual immorality. Getting married while pregnant doesn’t change the act from being adultery.
Joseph was told not to leave Mary though the pregnancy was not his. Every child deserves two parents, male and female. God designed proper growth under the care of two parents. It is an injustice to a child to bring them up without another parent. However God is gracious and in circumstances where only one parent is available, God’s grace helps the single parent bring up children well. We should never deliberately seek to have children that we will bring up without another parent. We will carry guilt if they turn out terribly in life.
From this situation, we learn that before marriage you are unmarried. Even if you have dated, courted, engaged and dowry has been paid, you should not engage in sexual activity until marriage is officially declared. This being the circumstance, God addressed Mary about the pregnancy as if she was single and unmarried because though engaged, she was indeed unmarried.
We further learn therefore that pregnancy doesn’t make one married. Getting pregnant with a person doesn’t mean the two of you are married. God still considers you single separate, unmarried, and sexually immoral. The act that led to the pregnancy is sinful, but the child borne is not guilty of what parents did. The child is like any other child. This is why God addressed Mary as a single person!
A person who bears a child with someone else, may still, later on, get married to another person. Mary had a pregnancy made in heaven and she got married to Joseph. You do not have to marry the person who carries your child or who impregnated you before marriage. Nothing binds you to each other because of a pregnancy born out of sinful immorality. In fact, the two of you need rebaptism and repentance or else you are hell-bound.
Pregnancy comes with a crisis for both of you, it is not time to get married. Do not marry with pregnancy at hand, wait for childbirth and sobriety to return when the child is over six months old, and decide if you want to get married. Marriage because of pregnancy will always fail many times.
Women have a right over their bodies during pregnancy. That is why when circumstances were special God informed the women first and not the husbands. The woman needs all information and power to make decisions during pregnancy. This has nothing to do with the abortion debate.
May God, forgive single people who are acting married before marriage and may they stop that drama immediately. May God save married people who made mistakes before marriage that are now haunting them in marriage. May wisdom from heaven be accessible to the married and unmarried as we daily make decisions for eternity, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
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Amen
Amen
Wonderful words of wisdom!
Glory to God!
Amen. May the wisdom of GOD be accessible to me in Jesus“ name.
Amen!
So deep and profound. Indeed may wisdom from God guide us all as we seek to live according to his will.
Amen!
Amen 🙏
May wisdom from heaven be accessible to me as I daily make decisions for eternity, in the Name of Jesus I pray.
Blessed Tuesday my brother
Amen!
Amen
Amen
Happy Sabbath,Dr. I enjoy your sermons.
Hallelujah!