Every Christmas we carefully set up the nativity
scene. There is Mary and Joseph and, of course, baby Jesus, the center of
attention and the reason for the season.
There are barn animals to set the scene of His crude birth; extra sheep
go with the shepherds sent by the angels as the first to come and worship the
newborn king; and though they actually didn’t arrive until much later, we add
gift-bearing magi and maybe a camel or two.
Missing from the mantel is another figure who played a significant role
in the event being so meticulously displayed.
No surprise. There is no record of him having set foot
in Judea. However, he is the very one
God used to place this new family in the original stable in the little town of
Bethlehem as prophesied hundreds of years earlier (Micah 5:2). This missing figure is Caesar Augustus.
Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued
a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Thus begins the Christmas story. That isn’t true. The
story actually began long before Caesar Augustus’ decree. It began before
creation when God chose to make mankind.
Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in His sight.”
He would create man “holy and blameless,” but He knew we would mess that
up. Redemption and restored holiness required the cross, which first required
the stable.
Gal. 4:4,5 But when the fullness of the time came, God
sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might
redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as
sons.
That perfect timing included Caesar Augustus coming into
power in 27BC. Up until his reign continuous war expanded the Roman
Empire. It wasn’t until Augustus that
things finally started settling down. He
made the relief and benefits of peace his priority – Pax Romano.
· He limited
foreign wars by deciding not to expand Roman Empire any further. He established natural boundaries for the
Empire that were easily identifiable and defendable: Atlantic Ocean to the
west; Rhine and Danube to the north; Euphrates to the east and the Deserts of
Arabia and Africa to the south.
· He restored the rule of law and constitutional
government with established police forces, a workable court system and
definable justice. This centralized judicial system established the common
legal languages of Latin and Greek throughout the civilized world, which
enabled the vast spreading of the Gospel.
· He established a tax system so that salaries rather
than spoils paid for the army and public services. Paid soldiers built roads
and bridges that connected the empire.
These roads made possible the timely arrival of the magi, the escape to
Egypt by the Holy Family, and the missionary journeys of Acts.
In order to create a
reasonable and fair tax system, Augustus initiated a census. By doing so he gathered accurate information
on the resources of his empire and attempted to equalize the burden of
taxation. It was this census decreed
halfway through his reign as Emperor that brought Joseph and Mary from their
home village of Nazareth to the little town of his ancestry, Bethlehem. This worldwide event set the stage for the
event that would change the world, and hopefully our lives.
The decree that went out
from the throne room of Rome first went out from the throne room of
heaven. The sovereignty of God was at
work getting the right people at the right place doing the right thing to
accomplish His will and purpose. The who, the what, the when, the where and the
how all perfectly orchestrated by God to make our redemption and restored
holiness possible. As we look at the
nativity scene, we need to see the sovereignty of God on display - all for our
sake and His glory.
Then and now, God is
constantly working to accomplish His perfect plan and purpose. Jesus said in John 5:17, “My Father is always
at work to this day, and I, too, am working,”
He works in unknown people, in unknown ways, in near and far places to
accomplish His divine purpose and plan for each one of us. God is still in control. He is still
sovereign. There is no limit to who, what or how He can work to accomplish His
purpose in and for us.
This Christmas, find hope,
peace and strength in His sovereignty.
Let the manger scene that adorns your home remind you that God is in
control. Join the shepherds and wise men
in worship.
Deut. 3:24 O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to
your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven
or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works You do?