"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago,
from the days of eternity.”
~ Micah 5:2
It’s rare to find someone who is not frustrated by government actions. One of the biggest sources of news in our nation and around the world is politics. When the party we support is in power, they are never doing enough. When the party we support is out of the power seat, we are frustrated and angry with the other party.
What’s more, we find ourselves often frustrated and upset by the actions of the government. Particularly during these recent days of COVID-19, our lives have been filled with hassle, inconvenience, and government control. We might be tempted to think that these things aren’t from God’s hand!
However, consider the inconvenience in the lives of Joseph and Mary that made it possible for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem!
Remember - this little family lived in Nazareth. That would be fine, of course, and Jesus could have easily been born there. But if that had occurred, God’s promise through the prophet Micah would have been invalidated.
God had promised the city of Bethlehem that the ruler of Israel would be from that small town. But God also needed to have Jesus be from Nazareth! So how to accomplish both of these events in the same moment?
Simple: Have the ruler of the known world issue a decree that a census must be taken.
Every single person under the dominion of the Roman Empire (Luke says ‘all the inhabited earth’) had to return to their own city in order to register for the census.
And so, at great inconvenience for a woman who is 9 months pregnant, and at great cost for a poor carpenter, Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem. The promise is fulfilled.
Could God have moved this little family to Bethlehem without such massive political events? Of course! But, rest assured, when government forces inconvenience on us, these things are not by accident. God is accomplishing great things for His people!
