God's Perfect Timing

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. (Luke 2:1-3)
The bright stars of Heaven looked down with delight upon the little town of Bethlehem, a rural hamlet nesting quietly on a bucolic hillside in Judea. On this night, the Son of Man would be born of a virgin in a humble stable. Joseph and Mary had traveled almost a week from their home in Nazareth to comply with the law and register with the Roman authorities. Now that journey was done and another, much more exciting adventure, was about to begin.

Bethlehem, like most other towns in Judea, was horribly crowded that night. A decree had been issued by Imperial Rome a short time before. A head count would be made in the provinces and everyone was ordered to report to his hometown to register. Rome had issued such degrees before. The provinces, like Palestine, provided the funds that allowed the Roman emperors to live their lavish lifestyles, to provide money for improvements like roads and aqueducts, and to generally contribute to the welfare of Rome. But there was also a second reason for the census -- to record the names of men of military age who would be pressed into the service in Roman legions.

Fortunately, the Jews were exempt from military service, but not the taxes. Caesar had suspected that his subjects were being dishonest because the amount of taxes collected was not in accord with the estimated population. Either the people avoiding their taxes or the tax collectors were hoarding more than their rightful commissions -- probably a little of both.

Augustus held a council in Rome. His advisors told him that he needed an accurate count of his subjects before an appropriate tax could be levied. So Augustus issued an imperial degree that all the Roman world would be taxed and each person was to go to the town of his birth to register with the authorities.

The order caused great hardship among the people. Joseph, for instance, was forced to leave his carpenter shop in Nazareth and journey all the way to Bethlehem, accompanied by a pregnant wife ready to give birth! But he remembered the ancient prophecy that the Messiah would be born in the City of David (Micah 5:2). And Joseph was well-aware that his virgin wife was carrying the Son of God. Would the journey be dangerous for Mary and her baby? On the surface it looked that way. But how could any one believe that God would let anything happen to either of them?

Assured that he was following God's will, Joseph set off with Mary on the 70-mile journey with thousands of other residents from the Roman province. They traveled in a long procession that wound through the rugged hills and mountains, dry deserts, and along the Jordan River, in accordance with the Roman decree -- and God's perfect timing.

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Ed Price spent 35 years in print and broadcast journalism. He is author of 15 books. After becoming an ordained minister he settled with his wife on a farm in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, to study God's word and to write. Ed and Patty are the parents of three girls, have one grandchild, and cater to the every whim of two spoiled cats.
© 2008 Ed Price - All rights reserved. Visit his website, The Loving Heart.

This column is used with permission.