Defying Logic

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered…So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town” (Luke 2:1-3).

There’s a prophesy in Micah that states, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me” (5:2). This prophesy foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, which is an unlikely place for a King to be born. But just like we’ve been learning, God loves the details.
           
Caesar Augustus is the ruler at the time of Jesus’ birth, and he wants to know how many people live in his kingdom for the purpose of taxation. So he decrees that every man and his family must travel back to his hometown to register for a census. Thus, Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem.
Isn’t it just like God to use the pride of an earthly ruler to bring about the birth of the King of Kings?
           
Why is it so important that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? It really doesn’t matter that He was born in that town. What matters is that the prophecy came true. Just as we discussed in one of our previous devotions, the Word of God is trustworthy, and we know this because Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and every prophecy that was foretold came true. There are over 300 prophecies in Scripture, and every one of them came true.
           
These things don’t just happen. The divinity works in the details.
           
The probability of every prophecy coming true by coincidence is lower than slim to none. It’s lower than next to nothing because it defies logic. There is no other explanation other than a divine, personable, purposeful being.
           
So, we see that Jesus being born in Bethlehem is more than the King of Kings being born in a humble little town—it is a promise fulfilled.
           
We see that God’s timing is never late. His calculations are always exact, and His Word will forever be trustworthy and true.