Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (2) (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. (3) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. (4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) (5) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
"And it came to pass in those days..." We continue our thoughts
concerning the events leading to the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. We saw a few days ago that it came to pass concerning the prophecies of
Jesus' birth. But today we look at one more thing that came to pass...
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in
Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
(Micah 5:2) Not only was the birth of Jesus prophesied, but also the very
place where He would be born. How would Joseph and Mary be moved from
Nazareth to Bethlehem? It would be logical to think they would remain in Nazareth
without ever moving; yet, God brought His plan to pass in the fullness of time.
He moved Caesar Augustus to decree a census be taken for the purpose of
taxation. This moved Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem at just the precise moment.
There are times in our lives when we feel things occur that present an
inconvenience, or even at times a life changing event, that causes our plans to
be changed or redirected. We tend to murmur and complain when these things
occur; yet, the truth could very well be that God is moving us to the place
where He would have us to be at the precise moment for His purpose to be
accomplished. God is involved in the details concerning our lives. Let us be
aware of that and submissive to His will.