To Us a Son Is GivenSample

O Little Town of Bethlehem

God is always at work in the world, even when we don’t realize it. In today’s passage, Joseph and Mary are forced to comply with a decree from Caesar. The “entire world” was being taxed (which was the primary purpose of a “registration”), and this required the couple to return to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem.

At first glance, Caesar’s decree may sound completely unrelated to God’s redemptive purposes. However, Joseph and Mary’s trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was anything but random—it was by divine design. Centuries earlier, the Old Testament prophet Micah had declared,

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days. (Micah 5:2, emphasis added)

Micah’s prediction of a ruler from Bethlehem was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. And God used the decree of Caesar, a pagan, unbelieving ruler, to carry out His plan. It’s no coincidence that Mary’s time to give birth came while she was in Bethlehem, nor is it a coincidence that Jesus was born in the city of David. Unbeknownst to most of the world, the promised King from David’s line (2 Samuel 7:12–13; Matthew 1:1), the Lord of heaven and Earth, was wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a feeding trough.

Simple Summary

God had promised long ago through a prophet named Micah that a ruler would come from Bethlehem. To carry out this plan, God used an order from Caesar that required people to return to their hometowns. Since Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown, he and Mary went there, and it was in Bethlehem that Mary gave birth to Jesus. This was the most important birth in the history of the world, but it wouldn’t have looked that way to those who saw it. Jesus was lying where the animals ate—in a manger—because there was no room for him in the inn.

Pray

Ask God to strengthen your faith in His promises and in His providence when you are anxious or when you face opposition for your faith.