by Connie Swofford
Do you think that the GOD of all creation left anything concerning the Birth of His Son to chance? Or was every last detail planed down to the letter? Let us explore the Christmas story and look a little deeper.
Why were Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem when Mary was “great with child?”
A decree went out in those days from Caesar Augustus that all should be taxed.
Luke 2:1-5 (KJV)
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
A few interesting facts come into play even at this early stage in our story. We know that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. But, he was His earthly father. Joseph’s lineage traced back to the house of David. This is why Joseph had to take his family to Bethlehem, the city of David, to be counted among his descendants. Christ’s lineage traced through Joseph starts with the patriarch of Israel, Abraham.
Matthew 1:1-16 (NIV) The Family Line of Jesus Christ
1 This is the list of ancestors of Yeshua Christ, descendant of David and Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.,………………………………………………… 5 Salmon and Rahab were the father and mother of Boaz. Boaz and Ruth were the father and mother of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, 6 Jesse the father of King David. David and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba were the father and mother of Solomon……………………………………………………………………. 11 Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers. They lived at the time when the people were exiled to Babylon……………………………………………… 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, who was the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Yeshua, who is called Christ.
As the adopted son of Joseph, Jesus would have inherited all the rights of His earthly father. This would include the legal right to King David’s throne through Solomon’s line of succession. But, there was a catch. GOD cursed this line when He judged (Je)Choniah, son of Josiah. No blood-born descendant of this line could sit on the throne of David.
Jeremiah 22:30 (TLB)
30 The Lord says: Record this man Coniah as childless, for none of his children shall ever sit upon the throne of David or rule in Judah.[a] His life will amount to nothing.
But, back in Genesis Jacob gave a blessing to his son Judah declaring his descendants would rule forever: “The Sceptre (Hebrew: shebet– symbolizing royal authority) shall not depart from Judah.”
Genesis 49:10 (RGT)
10 “The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And the people shall be gathered to him.
In Isaiah we also see a prophesy telling us the Messiah will reclaim “David’s throne and for his kingdom establish and sustaining it with justice and righteousness now and forever.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
How can both be true?
The scripture tells us in Luke that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also from the house of David. Her lineage was through King David’s son Nathan. This line can be traced not just back to the patriarch Abraham, but all the way back to the origin of mankind,“Adam, which was the son of God”
Luke 3:23-38 (KJV)
31 ……which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32Which was the son of Jesse,……………………………………………………………………… 33 ..…………………which was the son of Judah, 34Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham,……………….…. 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
By providing a Messiah through the bloodline of Nathan, given in Mary’s lineage, and the bloodline of Solomon, given in Joseph’s lineage, GOD conquered the apparent catch 22. Jesus was heir to both the royal bloodline of Solomon through His adopted earthly father but, was not a blood-born or “cursed” descendant. He was also capable of fulfilling the promise of Judah through His mother’s bloodline. Jesus reveals GOD’s redemptive power by tracing His lineage all the way back to “Adam the son of GOD.”
Another poignant detail to our story relates to a prophesy found in the book of Micah that declared the “ruler of Israel” would come out of Bethlehem. Joseph and his young wife had a Divine appointment to keep.
Micah 5:2 (NLT)
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
While in Bethlehem, Mary was destined to give birth to the Savior of the world. How then could such a well planned event, orchestrated from the garden of Eden, unravel?
Why was there “no place for them in the inn?”
Luke 2:7-8 (RSV)
7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
There are many roads I could travel to explain why the Savior of the world was turned away by mankind even before His arrival. But, I believe the most relevant one to the birth of Jesus is found in John’s description: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The passover lamb to be more precise, but that is another lesson for another day.
John 1:29 (RSV)
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Traditionally, those that would be present for and announce the birth of a lamb would be the shepherds. The scriptures bear testament to GOD raising up many shepherds throughout the ages. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, later called Israel, & father of the twelve tribes, were all shepherds. There is one more of biblical significance, King David was a shepherd.
Samuel 16:1-13 (RGT)
4 So Samuel did what the LORD told him and came to Bethlehem…………… 11 Finally, Samuel said to Jesse, “Are there no more children?” And he said, “There remains yet a little one who keeps the sheep.”…………………………..…. 12 And he sent and brought him in. And he was ruddy with beautiful eyes, and handsome. And the LORD said,“Arise! Anoint him. For this is he.”
It became apparent from the very beginning of His story that Jesus was not going to be what the world was expecting. He was not a prince whose birth was announced by kings in palaces. Instead, “an angel of the Lord” announced His birth to “shepherds out in the field.”
Luke 2:8-14 (RSV) Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”[a]
The birth of the “king of the Jews” was proclaimed in the heavens for all of creation to see.
Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV) The Visit of the Wise Men
2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
Who were the wise men from the East?
We do not know for certain but, the book of Daniel could give us insight into who these wise men were and why they followed a star to worship the newborn “king of the Jews.”
Daniel was from the tribe of Judah. He and select others were taken to the palace as captives in Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar when Jerusalem was besieged. Babylon was located in modern day Iraq about 50 miles south of Baghdad near the Euphrates river, due East of Bethlehem.
Daniel proved to the king that the GOD of Israel was the only true GOD by revealing his dream and its meaning. When Daniel gained Nebuchadnezzar’s favor he was given “high honors and many great gifts” as well as authority in Babylon.
Daniel 2:47-48 (RSV)
47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel was a ruler over, “all the wise men of Babylon.” He was entrusted with these wise men and would have taught them of Messiah and the prophesies pertaining to His coming. Daniel knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and to watch for His star.
Numbers 24:17 (RSV)
…….. a star shall come forth out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;……..
The wise men of Babylon would pass down these teachings for hundreds of years. They would watch for the skies to announce the birth of the coming “king of the Jews.”
What do the gifts of the wise men represent?
These men traveled a great distance to bring Gold, Frankenstein, and Myrrh. Frankincense is an incense that was used in temple worship and prayer. This signifies the role of Jesus as our High Priest. Myrrh is an oil that would have been used in burial during those days. This foreshadows the sacrifice that His life was designed for long before our Savior’s birth.
Gold was a sign of the royalty of Jesus as the King of Kings. Here is where, I believe, the story gets even more interesting. Let’s take a moment to assume that these wise men, bearing gold, may have come from the region of Babylon where Daniel taught about the coming Messiah 700-800 years before His birth.
Why would it be significant if the wise men brought gold from Babylon?
When Daniel was brought into captivity, serval things happened. Jerusalem fell, vessels from the Temple of Solomon were taken by king Nebuchadnezzar, and Solomon’s royal line was cut off when the Lord gave the “king of Judah into his hand.” I find this to be incredibly significant.
Daniel 1:1-2 (KJV)
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
The throne of David through Solomon was taken by GOD. His divine judgment was delivered by a Babylonian king. But, through GOD’s redemptive plan, as Isaiah prophesied of Jesus: “He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.“
Later, GOD raised Daniel up and the same king who once took Daniel captive, gave Daniel “rule over the whole province of Babylon.” I believe, Daniel, a servant of GOD, may have had access to gold taken from the last king of Judah.
Did GOD use gold, the earthly symbol of royalty, and wise men from Babylon to link the last king in Solomon’s line to the “new king of the Jews?”
Acts 15:15-17 (GNT)
15 The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says, 16 ‘After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again. 17 And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.
Was gold from the last king of Judah hand delivered hundreds of years later to the Son of GOD by the wise men to the newborn “king of the Jews” as a gift from His Heavenly Father? Or is that a detail too great for GOD to weave into the birth story of “His Only Begotten Son?”
Do you personally know the Jesus whose birth is celebrated the world over this time of year?
If for any reason you have never called on the name of Jesus, here is what I know to be true:
Romans 6:23 (KJP)
(23) Because the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have you made that choice? If you need Christ Jesus in your life, simply pray for Him to come into your heart. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. He will make you a new creation in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17
So that if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!
If you have made a new commitment to Christ, please reach out to your local church. Are you looking for a church home that is excited about God’s future work? Visit us at New Life Methodist Church, Salado.
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