Proverbs 8:15. By [God] kings reign…
The famous Christmas account found in Luke 2 opens with these words:
Luke 2:1-5. 1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
By God kings (and emperors) reign. Caesar Augustus was put in place by the sovereign hand of God as the emperor of the Roman Empire at exactly the right time in history. Caesar Augustus, considered to be the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the Prince of Peace, was actually an instrument of the true God’s eternal plan to bring the King of Kings into this world.
To be fair, Augustus did bring a form of peace to the empire. The Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, brought an end to foreign wars and made internal security and safety a top priority in the empire. Order was the name of the game for Augustus. And that order began with a decree that all the citizens of the empire should be registered. It was that decree that would send Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, travelling for ninety miles on the relatively safe roads of Augustus, during the relatively safe peace of Rome.
Make no mistake, Caesar Augustus and Rome were in control. Augustus ruled with a rod of iron, and there would be no escaping his decree. Joseph didn’t even try. No questions appear to be asked. Joseph also went up…to the city of David. The same Joseph that has chosen to unquestionably obey God in taking Mary to be his espoused wife, will also unquestionably obey Caesar in taking his very pregnant wife Mary on a week-long journey, uphill from Galilee to Judea.
Why would Joseph offer such unquestioned devotion? Maybe Joseph knew that by God kings reign. Maybe he knew that nothing escapes God’s providential control. Maybe he knew that even something as difficult and annoying as a trek across deserts, through forests, and up mountains with a third trimester travel buddy was not outside of the will of God for his life.
I think we can safely say that Joseph and Mary feared the Lord. They trusted him with their whole hearts. Even when things didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Can we say the same?
Hopefully, our union with Christ makes such fear, such trust, such obedience even more possible. By God kings reign, and the King of Kings is reigning over our lives, whether we admit that or not. Jesus is in control of your life, Christian. The best thing you can do today is to embrace his good and righteous rule over your existence. Trust that all things are working together for the good of those who love God and are called to conformity to Christ.
It’s not just a cliché, it’s a way of life.
You: How often do you consider the truth that God is in control of all things?
You in Christ: How should our union with Christ make it easier to trust God in everything?
Christ in you: Is there any area of your life where you struggle to trust God? How can you take steps of faith today?
Pray: Father, I know that by you all things live and move and have their being. But I don’t always live according to what I know. Help me today to fear you and trust you in all things. Amen.
To Live is Christ 