In God's sovereignty, His plans are fulfilled in His perfect timing for the perfect outcome. Let's look at one that was centuries in the making.
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
(Luke 2:1-5)
We see that Joseph and Mary left Nazareth to travel to Bethlehem in order to pay taxes to the Roman empire. The linear distance is approximately 70 miles. The passage would necessitate travel through the landscape of the Judean mountains. Mary was advanced in her pregnancy which would make a difficult journey an arduous one.
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. [...] And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
(Luke 2:6-7, 21-24)
So, why did Mary offer up two birds for her sacrifice? Consider the law regarding childbirth in Leviticus 12:
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. [...] ‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. [...] But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
(Leviticus 12:1-4, 6, 8)
Joseph is identified as "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:19). Mary is described as "favored" (gracious) and "blessed" (Luke 1:28). They would have been obedient to the Laws of Moses which stated that the requirement for the offering was a lamb. The only permissible exception was if the person could not afford a lamb. Inconvenience or preference were not permissible grounds for substitution. Mary was forced to offer two birds for her sacrifice because they could not afford a lamb indicating that Joseph and Mary were obviously rather poor, perhaps due to the heavy taxing by the Romans.
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
(Matthew 2:13-14)
If they could not afford a lamb for Mary's sacrifice, how could they afford a long, hasty, and costly escape into Egypt? Consider what took place just prior to this angelic warning. Who were "they" mentioned in that passage? They were very puzzling visitors.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
(Matthew 2:1-2)
And what did the magi do?
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:11)
From there arises a big question. Why would magi from the east care two-cents about a Jewish king?
Consider this: The city of Babylon lies east of Jerusalem.
Why would that be significant? Let's go back in history some 600 years prior.
605-586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar grew tired of the repeated revolts from the vassal kingship of Judah. The Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem, conquered it, and took captives of many of the "young nobles" back to Babylon. This catastrophe on Judah had been prophesied years before to the unrepentant Israelites by Jeremiah [25:8-11].
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. [...] Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. [...] Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
(Daniel 1:1, 3-4, 6)
We know Daniel by his Hebrew name, though he was renamed Belteshazzar. The other three are generally known by their Babylonian names: Hananiah was renamed Shadrach, Mishael was renamed Meshach, and Azariah was renamed Abed-nego. All four were entered into the service of Nebuchadnezzar's court.
Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king.
(Daniel 1:18-21)
This siege and fall of Judah was in 586BC. Where is the significance? Remember the stories of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar's dream interpretations? Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Daniel and the others extravagantly time and again for his services as did the Mede and Persian kings who followed.
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court.
(Daniel 2:48-49)
Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.
(Daniel 3:30)
There is a man [Daniel] in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
(Daniel 5:11)
Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
(Daniel 5:29)
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
(Daniel 6:1-3)
Daniel served as chief of all the wise men in Babylon for several kings, under different empires (Babylonian, Mede and Persian), over many years. History records the Babylonians fell to the Persians and Medes. When Cyrus came into power, he issued a decree that all foreigners brought into captivity could return home. However, not all Jews left Babylon and returned to Israel. Only an approximate 50,000 returned to Judah [Ezra 2:64-65]. Then the Persians fell to the Greeks under Alexander. Alexander’s death resulted in his empire being split into four empires under his former generals. Israel was a portion of the territory taken over by Seleucus. The Seleucid empire eventually collapsed in conflict with the Egyptian Ptolemaic empire and their alliance with Rome. Its demise allowed Israel to have a brief period under the Jewish Hasmodean empire. After only a little more than 100 years, it collapsed under Rome’s expansion and became a client state. It is during this period that Herod the Great was established by Rome as king of Judea.
Now we find ourselves forward again 600 years to the birth of Jesus. Herod was not an ethnic Jew. He was Idumean, (or an Edomite), from the lineage of of Esau. He was very crafty and jealous of power (even to the point of killing two of his own sons). We see in scripture that when the magi arrived and was asking about the king's whereabouts, Herod questioned the priests and scribes and summoned the magi.
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [...] And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him. [...] And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
(Matthew 2:3, 8, 12)
The wise men came from the east had been specifically looking for the King's coming and came to purposely worship Him and bring Him the widely known gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is significant that God communicated directly with them as well. So it would seem logical that wise men brought up under the instruction of Daniel were perhaps from the line of those Jews that remained in Babylon, and as Jews they know the scriptures, and they would be watching for signs of the coming Jewish King. Who other than Jews or those of Jewish ancestry would care anything about a Jewish king? No other nationality would care much less want to worship that king. As they were summoned by Herod, king of Judea, met with him and left him, he was clearly not the one they sought. The gifts they brought are widely known. Frankincense is a fragrant herb once used in healing methods; myrrh is a bitter-sweet herb once used in burial of the dead, and gold is obviously a commodity of wealth and of kingly status. It is easy to see the applications of these gifts in relation to the nature and mission Christ. In addition of the gold being of kingly status, it also have a very common usage and a very immediate need.
Now when they [the wise men] had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
(Matthew 2:13-14)
Too poor to be able to afford even a lamb for the sacrifice in obedience to the law, the gold is provided at the precise time that a long and costly journey was essential. God, 600 years before Jesus was born, paved the way for Joseph to take Him and Mary and escape to safety in Egypt with the gold provided by the wise men of the east.
While this is the story of the coming of our Savior, God coming in the form of man, this isn't just a Christmas time tale. This is also the fulfillment of God's word from Genesis 3 from thousands of years prior when God first promised the coming of a savior. These two well-known and well-loved bible stories connect to show God's perfect plans. We can rest assured from the example in this narrative that God has plans for us. He has a plan that He set in motion long before your birth and is faithful to bring about. Trust Him, be faithful to Him, and let Him lead you in His path for its fulfillment.
“Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’
- Isaiah 46:9-10
- - -
This siege and fall of Judah was in 586BC. Where is the significance? Remember the stories of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar's dream interpretations? Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Daniel and the others extravagantly time and again for his services as did the Mede and Persian kings who followed.
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court.
(Daniel 2:48-49)
Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.
(Daniel 3:30)
There is a man [Daniel] in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
(Daniel 5:11)
Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
(Daniel 5:29)
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
(Daniel 6:1-3)
Daniel served as chief of all the wise men in Babylon for several kings, under different empires (Babylonian, Mede and Persian), over many years. History records the Babylonians fell to the Persians and Medes. When Cyrus came into power, he issued a decree that all foreigners brought into captivity could return home. However, not all Jews left Babylon and returned to Israel. Only an approximate 50,000 returned to Judah [Ezra 2:64-65]. Then the Persians fell to the Greeks under Alexander. Alexander’s death resulted in his empire being split into four empires under his former generals. Israel was a portion of the territory taken over by Seleucus. The Seleucid empire eventually collapsed in conflict with the Egyptian Ptolemaic empire and their alliance with Rome. Its demise allowed Israel to have a brief period under the Jewish Hasmodean empire. After only a little more than 100 years, it collapsed under Rome’s expansion and became a client state. It is during this period that Herod the Great was established by Rome as king of Judea.
Now we find ourselves forward again 600 years to the birth of Jesus. Herod was not an ethnic Jew. He was Idumean, (or an Edomite), from the lineage of of Esau. He was very crafty and jealous of power (even to the point of killing two of his own sons). We see in scripture that when the magi arrived and was asking about the king's whereabouts, Herod questioned the priests and scribes and summoned the magi.
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [...] And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him. [...] And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
(Matthew 2:3, 8, 12)
The wise men came from the east had been specifically looking for the King's coming and came to purposely worship Him and bring Him the widely known gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is significant that God communicated directly with them as well. So it would seem logical that wise men brought up under the instruction of Daniel were perhaps from the line of those Jews that remained in Babylon, and as Jews they know the scriptures, and they would be watching for signs of the coming Jewish King. Who other than Jews or those of Jewish ancestry would care anything about a Jewish king? No other nationality would care much less want to worship that king. As they were summoned by Herod, king of Judea, met with him and left him, he was clearly not the one they sought. The gifts they brought are widely known. Frankincense is a fragrant herb once used in healing methods; myrrh is a bitter-sweet herb once used in burial of the dead, and gold is obviously a commodity of wealth and of kingly status. It is easy to see the applications of these gifts in relation to the nature and mission Christ. In addition of the gold being of kingly status, it also have a very common usage and a very immediate need.
Now when they [the wise men] had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
(Matthew 2:13-14)
Too poor to be able to afford even a lamb for the sacrifice in obedience to the law, the gold is provided at the precise time that a long and costly journey was essential. God, 600 years before Jesus was born, paved the way for Joseph to take Him and Mary and escape to safety in Egypt with the gold provided by the wise men of the east.
While this is the story of the coming of our Savior, God coming in the form of man, this isn't just a Christmas time tale. This is also the fulfillment of God's word from Genesis 3 from thousands of years prior when God first promised the coming of a savior. These two well-known and well-loved bible stories connect to show God's perfect plans. We can rest assured from the example in this narrative that God has plans for us. He has a plan that He set in motion long before your birth and is faithful to bring about. Trust Him, be faithful to Him, and let Him lead you in His path for its fulfillment.
“Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’
- Isaiah 46:9-10
- - -
- - -
[Originally written: January 22, 2017]
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