The Peculiar Providence of Christmas

​THE PECULIAR PROVIDENCE OF CHRISTMAS
Luke 2:1-7

Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor
Lake Hamilton Baptist Church
Hot Springs, Arkansas

December 18, 2016

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And 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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
— Luke 2:1-7, ESV

“God moves in a mysterious way” is not a direct quotation from Scripture, but the first words of a famous poem written by eighteenth century Englishman William Cowper.  The summarizing fourth stanza says,

    Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
    Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.

We often question why bad things happen to good people.  We wonder where God is when it hurts, when tragedy, injustice, or even discomfort strikes.  As Gordon Lightfoot sang about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, “Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?”  

God’s love never fails, it is omnipresent.  It can be seen in the wonderful gifts He gives to us, and it hides in the waves of trial and tribulation that crash against us.  In every moment, God is in control, working out good things for those He loves.  

This is especially true of the birth of Christ.  In this great event, there is both a “frowning providence” and a “smiling face.”  Circumstances combine to construct a three-act play of taxation without representation, unwed motherhood, and sleeping in a barn.  Yet in every scene, God is present, God is in control, and God is good.  

Look closely at a text you’ve seen a hundred times and learn to love the peculiar providence of Christmas:

Taxation Without Representation

It is rumored that Russia had a hand in our recent election.  Can you imagine what it would be like if Russia or some other superpower controlled our country, chose our leaders for us, told us what to do, and took taxes from us to build bigger and better buildings in Moscow, St. Petersburg, or Novosibirsk?  

This is exactly what Joseph, Mary, and other first century Jews were enduring at the harsh hands of the Roman Empire.  Octavius, or Caesar Augustus, was well known to have levied heavy taxes on surrounding countries in order to pave Rome with marble stones.  Like Nazis under Hitler, Quirinius under Augustus forced Jews to report to their home towns, line up in rows, and register their families.  The Romans did put Jews in concentration camps, but they did confiscate large amounts of their money and property through this extreme version of taxation without representation.

It was not fair that a good Jewish man like Joseph should have to pay such a tax.  It was not a good trip for a pregnant woman like Mary to make, one that could have easily resulted in loss of life to her or her promised son.  But in the peculiar providence of God, the tax and the trip served a greater purpose of fulfilling an important prophecy in the word of God.  Look at Micah 5:2-5 and see why the tax of an Emperor was the secondary factor in the primary decree of the King of kings.  

Faith in God’s Son begins with faith in God’s word.  Therefore, God will move heaven and earth to keep His word.  Scripture promised that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem, but Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth.  God, who holds the hearts of kings in his hands, moved a tyrannical dictator to declare a tax.  

“Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.”  In this case, the frown came from Augustus, but that smiling face was Jesus, the son of David, the Son of God.  This is how prophesy was fulfilled.  This is how the Bread of Life came to be born in the house of bread, Bethlehem, to an unwed mother.

Unwed Motherhood

Society used to frown on unwed motherhood.  But what used to be rare now accounts for most births in almost every sector of society.  Sociological statistics and biblical morals should still compel us to frown upon sex and childbirth outside of marriage; but at the same time, every baby  and every mother deserve a smile, especially the two in this text.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was born to an unwed mother, and I think it was scandalous at the time.  Note that the Scriptures admit that Mary was not yet married, but rather “betrothed” to Joseph at the time of Jesus’ birth.  There is no record of a wedding to seal the deal.  There certainly had been no consummation of the marriage, since Mary remained a virgin until after Jesus was born.  This explains what Mary was doing on the trip and why she wound up giving birth in a barn.

Mary had a legitimate reason for her thought-to-be-illegitimate pregnancy, but no one could call the angel Gabriel to the stand as a witness.  Most people would not have believed Mary.  Not even Joseph believed her, until the Lord spoke to him in a dream.  Her family did not believe her, and I think this story is proof.

There was no earthly reason for a nine-months-pregnant woman to go on a one-hundred mile, rugged, uphill journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  The census and tax only required the male head of household to register and pay.  Mary could have and should have stayed at home with her parents, for the wedding ceremony had yet to be held.  It probably never was, which perhaps made the famous wedding at Cana so special, but that’s another sermon.  Why wasn’t Mary safe at home?  

The doctrine of providence dictates that God uses even the sinful choices of people to accomplish His will.  Mary’s family wrongly judged her and frowned upon her.  Yet God smiled upon her, granting her a royal trip to King David’s home town.  The bumpy road caused her to go into labor once they rested in Bethlehem.  “God moves in a mysterious way,” indeed.  

The tax was prompted by greed and the trip was made in bad faith, yet both were set into motion by the sovereign will of God.  Mary was faithful through it all.  What was her reward?  Her bonus for believing God was a sold out hotel and the luxury of giving birth in a barn.

Sleeping in a Barn

I have visited the very spot in Bethlehem where it is believed that Jesus Christ was born.  The Church of the Nativity, with its current structure rebuilt in the sixth century, encompasses one of the many caves in and around Bethlehem.  Some, including the one in which Jesus was born, were used to shelter camels and cows and other animals.  The animals were fed from a trough, also known as a “manger.”  

There is only one chance out of three-hundred-sixty-five that Jesus was born on December 25.  Regardless of the original date, it was no doubt a cold and uncomfortable evening in that barn-cave where Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ.  You would have thought that God would have reserved His Son a room at the Ritz, or better still some world class hospital for this monumental moment in redemptive history.  But Jesus was born and slept His first night in a barn.

The birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem is an important matter to God.  It needed to be witnessed and recorded, and what better way than to have it occur out in the open for all of Bethlehem, all of Israel, all of the world to see.  Witnessing requires difficulties.  Mary, Joseph, and Jesus endured hardship to give the world the beautiful witness of the birth of salvation, the birth of a new and better covenant, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Do you sleep in a barn?  Probably not.  Are you in any way unhappy with your house, your car, your clothes, your stuff, or lack thereof?  Probably so.  Just remember it is not what you have, but who you have, if you have a covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Bible tells of the seven most important events in human history: the conception, birth, ministry, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ.  Most of them come with a frown from some corner of the world.  But through them all, God smiles.

Trust in the baby born in Bethlehem.  If your taxes or other economic difficulties are too high, trust in Jesus.  If you’ve been falsely accused like Mary, or perhaps actually guilty of some sin which scandalized you or your family, trust in Jesus.  If your estate in life has not turned out like you planned and you feel like you’re sleeping in a barn, trust in Jesus.  He loves, He listens, He is in control, and He smiles, all the time.

God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines, Of never failing skill;
He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread;
Are big with mercy and shall break, In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.

 
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