Today’s Devotion
Topic: A Significant Turn Of Events
(Self Assessment 154)
Background:
At the very time when Mary conceived Jesus, Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman empire. Joseph and Mary could have decided to stay behind because of the latter’s condition, rather than travel a long distance to have their names written in their hometown. What was the significance of the decree? How were the subsequent events related to the Saviour’s birth? Please gather the family around and let’s receive insight from God’s Holy Spirit.
Text: Luke 2: 1- 7
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. Amen
Questions
i) In verse 1 Luke writes that, “At that time…” What time do you think he’s referring to? How important is time in God’s dealings with man?
ii) In your opinion, what is a census, and how important do you think it was to the Roman empire in Joseph’s days?
iii) Why do you think the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria happened just around the time Jesus was to be born? Was it divinely orchestrated or just coincidental?
iv) In verse 4, we are told that Joseph was a descendant of King David and so he had to go to his ancestral home of Bethlehem in Judea. Of what relevance is Joseph’s ancestry to the birth of Jesus and the role he had to play in Jesus’s life?
v) ‘And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born’ (v 6). By the decree of Emperor Augustus, Jesus was born in the very town prophesied for His birth even though His parents did not live there (See Micah 5:2). What assurance does this give you, as a Child of God concerning His plans and purposes for your life?
vi) To make matters worse, Joseph and Mary had to lodge in a stable when they finally arrived in Bethlehem because there was no room available for them. So her first Son — the Son of the Most High — was born and placed in a manger. Was this also the will of God — that a sudden turn of events will lead to a further worse circumstance under which the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords would be born? Why do you think so?
vii) Beloved, what have you learnt from this discussion, and how can you relate the lessons from this passage to your life? Would you agree that even when the odds seem to be against you, God may be working out something for your own good?
Kindly reply us through these same media platforms (WhatsApp and Facebook). We learn a great deal from the answers you share.
NB: 1 day more to 4JBand’s incredible Lahai Concert at ICGC Adonai Temple; Westlands near Haatso video junction. On 26th December, 2016. At 2pm prompt.(www.yonghana.org; Facebook: Y OUTREACH NETWORK)
