In this lesson, students learn what God's many names mean.
Devotion
The lesson
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage[a] to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce[A] her privately. 20 But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[b] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,”[c] which means, “God with us.”
24 When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, 25 but he was not intimate with her until she gave birth to her firstborn son.[d] And he named him Jesus.
[A] Note: The Bible never contradicts itself and hence "the divorce passages" in the Gospels uttered by Jesus (following on fornication) are not contrary to the lengthy treatment of marriage/divorce by Paul in 1 Cor 6:15-7:16 (which permits divorce on a broad definition of constructive or actual abandonment).
[a]Matthew 1:18 Or betrothed μνηστευθείσης mnēsteutheisēs 3423 [e]
γεννηθὲν gennēthen Conceived or begat
[b]Matthew 1:21 Jesus means the Lord saves. or salvation
[d]Matthew 1:25 Found in majority and textus receptus Some witnesses to the text omit her firstborn and simply read she gave birth to a son. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)
2 To be sure, we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a fully mature man, able to bridle his whole body as well.
3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they will obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Although they are very big and are driven by fierce winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it also boasts great things.
Consider how a little flame can set a large forest on fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. It is set among the parts of our body as a world of unrighteousness that stains the whole body, sets the whole course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.[a] 7 Indeed, every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no one is able to tame the human tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord[b] and Father, and with it we curse people, who are made in the likeness of God. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. 11 A spring does not pour out both fresh and bitter water from the same opening, does it? 12 Can a fig tree bear olives, my brothers, or can a grapevine produce figs? A salt spring cannot produce fresh water either.[c]
[b]James 3:9 Some witnesses to the text read God.
[c]James 3:12 Some witnesses to the text read In the same way, no spring can produce both salty and fresh water.