The Advent Calendar - Pt. 11

 

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1-6 ESV).

 

I am always amazed with the purpose and plan of God. Nothing He does is random. That’s true in the order of the creation as well as our personal lives. Often when I make such a sweeping statement as this I find some pushback from folks who are a bit more left-brained than I am. The key in their understanding is in knowing each step in the process. I am usually questioned by my oldest son when we are constructing something as to where my “plans” are. My answer is usually the same: “They’re in my head.” We both get a bit of a laugh at that since my “head” is getting a bit more unreliable as I age. God doesn’t have that problem. He is eternally perfect, and His plans are equally perfect.

 

The plan for the birth of Jesus was perfect. Even the location was planned by God centuries before it actually took place. Now, we are able to look back on that plan and understand it much better than those of the first century. Certainly one of the reasons God chose this obscure little village was the fact that the Messiah is of the lineage of David and David was from Bethlehem. However there is a more impactful reason. God chooses something small, quiet, out of the way, and does something there that changes the course of history and eternity because when he acts this way we can't boast in the merits or achievements of men but only in the glorious mercy of God. All we can say is, "God is not impressed by our success or merit; he does nothing in order to attract attention to our accomplishments. He does everything to magnify his glorious freedom and mercy" (cf. Ephesians 1:8-10).

 

God chose a stable so no innkeeper could boast, "He chose the comfort of my inn!" God chose a manger so that no wood worker could boast, "He chose the craftsmanship of my bed!" He chose Bethlehem so no one could boast, "The greatness of our city constrained the divine choice!" And he chose you and me, freely and unconditionally, to stop our self-centered praise. When he chooses he chooses freely. So let us say with the angels, "Glory to God in the highest!"