Donald Overbeek

“And she brought forth her firstborn son…” (Luke 2:7).

Reflecting upon Christ’s birth reminds Christians of God’s right and power to intervene. He has intervened in history, He has intervened in the church, and He has intervened in personal lives as well. And yet, paradoxically, there seems to be no time in our year more hostile toward God’s intervention than “Christmas.” We have traditions, holidays, seasonal gatherings, and decorations, often combining to challenge the intervening power of God today. Yet our natural unwillingness for God to show Himself only serves to magnify His gracious resolve to do so.

There were many great displays of God’s intervening ability in the history of God’s people, as there are with us today. It is particularly interesting to trace the themes outlined below in the account of Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac (Gen. 22) and God’s providential intervention. In both accounts, we see God coming at just the right time, in the most opportune moment.

First, when God intervenes, He intervenes in line with His providence. In Luke 2:1, we read of Augustus’s decree, the outworking of which led to “all going to be taxed, everyone to his own city.” This is not the only decree we have operating here. There is the larger, hidden decree of God, which is directing matters smaller (like Joseph’s lineage) and greater (like the Son’s birth) than those affected by the census decree. Let the incarnation seal the truth of God’s providence to your heart. This is not mere theory to be turned over in our minds; it is a reality to live by. Nothing will give more comfort in distress and confidence in trial than the awareness of God’s fatherly providence.

Second, when God intervenes, He intervenes when His covenant time is ripe. God is never early and never late. His timing is impeccable; verses 4–6 show this in two ways. From verse 4 we learn of the long history of Joseph’s family, spanning hundreds of years back to David. Then in verses 5 and 6, the comparison is made to Mary’s giving of birth which is sudden and shorter. Whether long in coming or surprisingly sudden, God fulfills His covenant promise. The believer often wrestles with the tension of God’s apparent delays and the hope of sudden intervention. In light of this tension, the Spirit has been given to seal the promise to us and to work faith and obedience in us.

Third, when God intervenes, He intervenes as a substitute. Verse 7 has become so familiar in its description of swaddling clothes, a manger, and “no room in the inn.” Sadly, many glorified inaccuracies have crept into our thinking about what these actually were. If we look closely at the pronouns, we can find a clearer lesson. The verse focuses on the humanity of the Son: He was wrapped in the clothes, He was laid in a feeding trough. Then we read the reason: “because there was no room for them in the inn.” The problem wasn’t that no room was made for Jesus, but for Joseph and Mary, for the adult beds were full. He came and was humiliatingly subject to humanity’s problems and injustices. Even more than this, he bore these problems uniquely upon Himself. At his birth, He was a substitute, through His growth in obedience He was a substitute, and in His suffering and death He was a substitute! The incarnation must amaze us with the uniqueness of Christ as God’s ultimate intervention because of sin.

God intervenes in order to reveal Himself to us. When all is said and done, no gifts or gatherings can rival the glory of God’s revealing Himself to us in His Son. While this glory will be veiled for a time, faith sees it. Our response to its message this season hastens us toward the final intervention of God—no longer as a helpless infant but as a victorious King.

Published by The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, used with permission.