The vague clarity of God's Word
Notice how vague God’s instructions were to Joseph:
Vs 20) "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel . . .”
A specific regional location is not ordered. But even in the vagueness there is a promise that encourages further faith in God and movement in the direction of Israel:
Vs 20) “. . .those who sought the child's life are dead.”
Once in Israel they became aware of information that brought them fear and I’m sure no small amount of doubt as to the accuracy of the word they thought they had received in Egypt:
Vs 21,22) “And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there . . .”
But once again, God spoke and the word was made even clearer:
Vs 22, 23) “and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth.”
In my human mind this shaky progression seems so unnecessary. Why not simply tell the family: “Look, the jerk Heard is dead but his son might still be hacked-off so just go directly to Nazareth and set up shop. You’ll be completely safe there.”
God seems to cultivate obedience and faith through vagueness and (seemingly) incomplete instructions (as least they end up looking incomplete when we obey them and then find ourselves standing at a “Red Sea” we didn’t know would be there). As my pastor says, “Obedience does not require understanding.” But in those moments of completed obedience . . . then doubt, God increases our confidence in him by making his word just a little clearer in that moment. Apparently this method—God’s method, builds a greater and more enduring confidence; a confidence than could not be developed in any other way.
Created over 2 years ago
