Micah 5
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Luke 2
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Christmas is a day when we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus. People don’t realize how great this day really is. If they did, they would be completely different. We do not know the exact date of Christ’s birth but we know the fact of His birth. And that the Incarnation was the beginning of God manifest in the flesh. Jesus was born to die, to save His people from their sins.
In Micah 5 v2, it says that even though Bethlehem was a small village, a great ruler would come from her. Bethlehem has a history of more than 4000 years and many wonderful events have taken place in this little village. It is situated in a fertile place and the name Bethlehem means the “place of bread”. How fitting that our Lord Jesus Christ was born there as He was the Bread of life. The Lord Jesus became man. He who was “from everlasting” was born in a manger.
About 2000BC Jacob fled to Mesopotamia and on the way, in Bethlehem, he slept and dreamt of a ladder where angels were going up and down. This dream came into complete fulfillment when the Lord Jesus was born. Then he went to Laban and had to work seven years for Rachel but was given Leah as she was the older sister (for the culture there demanded that the oldest daughter must get married first). He then worked a further seven years for Rachel. God called Jacob back to his own land and on the way when they were in Bethlehem, Rachel had her second son, Benjamin. She died after his birth. Jacob suffered as a man of God. God brings situations across the lives of His children which have no human explanation. A life with God is not all “wealth, health and prosperity.” He allows His children to go through difficult experiences.
In Ruth 1: 1 & 2 we read: “And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi…”. His sons married two women, Ruth and Orphah. Then Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law. The Bible says that Naomi heard “that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.” She released her daughters-in-law and told them they were free to return to their homes and remarry. Orpah wept many tears but returned to her land. However, Ruth declared: “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Ruth, unlike Orphah, meant what she said and she clung to Naomi. They returned to Naomi’s home town of Bethlehem. Ruth worked very hard to support her mother-in-law, gleaning the wheat fields in the area behind the harvesters. Ruth eventually married Boaz and from her lineage, King David and our Lord Jesus were born.
In a later generation God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint His chosen king from the sons of Jesse. Though Jesse had shown his more impressive seven sons, God told Samuel that His anointed was not one of them. Samuel asked whether there were no other sons. Then David was called and immediately God told Samuel that he was the one. This was the one who faithfully shepherded his father’s sheep. If a lion attacked the sheep David would pray: My Shepherd give me the strength to rescue this lamb. God gave him the victory over lions and bears who preyed on the sheep. This was to be King David rescuing God’s people from His enemies. David came from Bethlehem.
From David’s line, the Lord Jesus was born. A carpenter and his wife who was pregnant went to Bethlehem but there was no room for them and they had to go to a stable. Dolls have prams today but the Lord Jesus only had a manger to lie in. In Isaiah 53 v 2, it says that He grew up as a tender shoot when there was no hope any more. The heavenly host came and it was a day of great joy. They said “Glory to God in the highest, peace and goodwill to all men.” God rejoiced that mankind had found a savior. We cannot be depressed, when God has given us the greatest Gift.
In Luke 2: 10 and 11 we read: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Jesus is God’s joy, the joy of angels and the host of heaven. You too must rejoice that, in Bethelem, the Saviour has been born for you.