In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. – Luke 2:1
Throughout history, God has used both believers in Him and those who do not believe, to accomplish His will. Luke 2:1 gives us a very great example of this.
According to God's great plan, declared by his prophet Micah more than 500 years before, Christ was to be born at Bethlehem, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
But how could this be fulfilled? Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, a city in Galilee...a great distance from Bethlehem. In those days people rarely travelled far from their homes. Plus, Mary was pregnant and in no condition to travel. Yet, God's plan said that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.
Enter Caesar! In no way a believer in God, his mind was moved by the Lord ("The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases." Proverbs 21:1) to issue an order to count his subjects in all the Roman territories so that they could then be taxed more accurately. Little did Caesar know that he was only doing what the Lord had intended from the beginning of time.
This decree forced the young couple to leave their home and support network, and journey to a distant city, a city just waiting for the birth of the Messiah. So Christ came to be born in Bethlehem, according to the word of the Lord; and little Bethlehem becomes not the least amongst the thousands of Judah, one coming out of it to be a Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth were of old, even from everlasting.
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