In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
Luke 2:1-3
According to Alexander Dumas (grandson of the famous general under Napoleon and author of The Count of Monte Cristo), Napoleon once said, “In this life we are either kings or pawns, emperors and fools.”* There is some debate as to what Napoleon meant, but it seems that Napoleon almost had it right.
In the eyes of God, according to what we see in Luke 2:1-3, even kings are pawns. The balance between the sovereignty of God and the choice of man can be debated at a later date, but for now, we must recognize that the mandate of man unwittingly played a vital role in the purposes of God.*
It was vital for Jesus to successfully fulfill every prophecy in Scripture in order to qualify as the true Messiah. How would a family from Nazareth end up in Bethlehem? A census to tax them.* Interestingly, the census that seemed to serve the purpose of the Roman Empire (to tax everyone and emphasize their power over the people) actually served the purposes of God to fulfill the messianic prophecy found in Micah 5:2:
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.
In this life, it can feel like there are forces working against you in places of power beyond your control. You can feel that, “life is happening to you,” or that, “the bad guys are winning.” Because of the mandatory census, Mary had to travel over 90 miles over the course of three days while pregnant to reach Bethlehem.* That’s incredibly difficult and risky. Because of the census, she had to give birth away from proper help and family.
While much that happens in this life is the result of sin and brokenness, God uses it for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
While it may feel that kings are in charge, and we are their pawns, even kings take turns being pawns in a bigger God-story.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember that He is for you. Perhaps today God wants you to know that He can use even the difficult things in life for His purposes and your best. Maybe today God wants you to remember who is the ultimate authority: Him.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Dumas, Alexandre, The Count of Monte Cristo (London: Penguin Classics, 2003), 106.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 2:1–7). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 117–119). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 66–71). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 75–76). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 83). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 202–204). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 103–104). Word, Incorporated.