[Herod] asked [the chief priests and teachers of the law] where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet [Micah] has written.” (Matthew 2:4-5, NIV 1984).
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2, NIV 1984)
My Musings – This was “the word of the Lord that came to [the prophet] Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Micah 1:1, NIV 1984). Over 700 years B.C. Yet Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. Could the prophecy have been in error? Not hardly.
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.” (Luke 2:1–6, NIV 1984).
Jesus could not have orchestrated the place of His birth, nor the census that caused Mary and Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. But God caused Caesar Augustus to issue the degree that enabled the prophecy by Micah to be fulfilled. A decree that has been validated by historians.
My Advice – “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them.” (Daniel 2:20–21, NIV 1984). He can cause their decrees to serve His own divine purposes. This is a God we can trust to orchestrate our lives as well.
The Brew Is A Musing 