Day 2 – Bethlehem: Birthplace of a King

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he comes forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

Bethlehem, was most likely the last place you would think of.

Nobody when to Bethlehem unless they were on the way somewhere else. You may have passed through Bethlehem on your way to Jerusalem. Phillips Brooks gives us a look at Bethlehem when he writes the words O, little town of Bethlehem. We all know Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus Christ; it was a suburb of Jerusalem and a few hundred permanent residents. We have to know that Bethlehem had Inns because Joseph and Mary were denied lodging.

Why Bethlehem? God takes the birthplaces of His only Son as learning lesson for us. If God wanted worldly pomp and ceremony, Jesus would have been born in Rome. If he wanted good standing for his Son, He would have chosen Athens. If he had wanted religious acclaim, he would have chosen Jerusalem.

Alexandria or Antioch. The Roman Empire was filled with great and famous cities.

This out of the way location. Bethlehem the least among the clans of Judah.

It is clear that God doesn’t need worldly power to accomplish his purposes. No one paid attention to a young couple giving birth to their first child. In a stable in a back wood town wrapped in ragged sleeping in a feeding trough in a city called Bethlehem.

In such an unlikely way, God moved into your neighborhood (your heart) and became one of us. Beloved, God’s ways are not our ways. If you do not believe it just look at that baby sleeping in the feeding trough. And know one day He will rule the world.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Lord God, you do truly that which is amazing. Thank You for Jesus who saves us from our sins. Amen.