The Advent of Glory by R.C. Sproul: 5 Days Exploring the First ChristmasSample

Day 3: Ruler

The birth of Jesus was a biblical prophecy that would be fulfilled to the letter, but God brought it to pass using a strange set of circumstances. One aspect of this was that he was working one of the most powerful rulers of that time, like putty or clay in his hands. Caesar Augustus, also called Octavian, was the first Roman emperor and the most powerful man ever to rule over the Roman Empire. He ascended to the emperor’s seat of authority in 30 BC, and he reigned until he died in AD 14.

We read in Luke 2:1 that a decree or edict went out from Caesar Augustus that “all the world should be registered.” All of these masses and multitudes of people in the conquered territories of Rome were scrambling to reach their birthplaces (or their legal residence, where they might have held property) to register for this census. It came at a most inconvenient time in the lives of Joseph and his pregnant wife. Here she was in the ninth month, and they had to make a 90-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register to be taxed.

But the emperor’s decree was really issued by a higher power. It was from Almighty God, who had decreed from before the foundation of the earth that his beloved Son would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David.

Augustus had no idea that his decree for this enrollment, this census, had any major significance. It was an administrative necessity. He presumably wasn’t thinking about the future of his entire civilization and certainly not about the history of the world.

Yet the biggest reason why people know Caesar Augustus’ name is not because of the people he conquered, the peace he achieved, or the society he built. People know Augustus’ name for this reason above all others: because it is mentioned in passing in the story of the birth of the King in Bethlehem.

What does it mean to you that God can work through any and all people and circumstances?

A Prayer for Today

By Steven J. Lawson

God, we humble ourselves beneath your mighty right hand and confess that you alone are the supreme Ruler over all. Your ways are past finding out. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are your ways above our ways. We stand amazed that you work inscrutably through both good and evil to accomplish your sovereign purposes on earth. We are astonished that you never need to have the circumstances just right to fulfill your plans for history. You raise up one ruler and lower another. Earthly kings fulfill their role, which you gave them. Forgive us for when we lose sight of this, presuming we control what comes to pass. We bow before your throne, which is high and lifted up above the heavens. We lower ourselves and acknowledge your right to rule every area of our lives. You alone are God, and there is no other.

We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.