In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world … And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
- Luke 2:1, 3-4

Yesterday we looked at how Caesar’s decision to take a census of the entire Roman world had significant unintended consequences; he forced Joseph and Mary to travel late in Mary’s pregnancy.

In today’s passage we see how God leveraged Caesar’s decision to bring about the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy and, seeing this, we see that what may be to us “unintended consequences” can’t derail God’s good intentions for us and for his kingdom.

Jesus’ parents lived in Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth barely showed up on the map. Think rural, small town. Nazareth didn’t even merit a mention in the Old Testament. And this created a problem.

Generations earlier the prophet Micah received a word from the Lord that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2). Bethlehem’s strong links to the Davidic dynasty created a conviction in the Jewish community that this is where God’s coming king would be born.

For Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, something had to push Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth. Enter the census. Mary and Joseph move. The prophecy is fulfilled. God used the administrative decisions of a pagan ruler to bring about the fulfillment of his plans.

We will all face twists and turns in life. The unintended consequences of our decisions and the decisions of others will push us from place to place. We may find ourselves someday in a tough situation, as Mary and Joseph were. But we need to remember that God is not thrown by these events. He can leverage and redeem them. He can see to it that good comes about despite them. And this can help us trust him.

When have you seen God use a hard situation to bring about a good outcome? What impact did that have on your trust in him?