December 7
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2 (ESV)
Oh little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
…yet in they dark streets shineth
the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
At the time of the birth of Christ, Bethlehem was truly “a little town.” Scholars have estimated, based on archaeological remains, that the population was probably around three hundred. The name Bethlehem means “the house of bread,” and the town is located just over five miles south of Jerusalem in the hill country of Judea in the region of Ephrathah (meaning “fruitfulness”).
In New Testament times, messianic expectations were rising during the reign of King Herod over Judea (37–4 BC). It was in the context of hearing news of a possible king’s birth from some traveling wise men that the Old Testament prophecy of Micah became extremely relevant. In response to Herod’s question of where the Christ was to be born, Matthew states that the religious leaders told King Herod, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’” (Matthew 2:5–6).
Matthew’s use of the term “shepherd” (“who will shepherd my people Israel”), rather than the term “ruler” used in Micah, seems to allude to 2 Samuel 5:2. Interestingly, in Samuel this verse describes David’s rightful kingship over the fateful reign of Saul, and Matthew is demonstrating the rightful kingship of Jesus over Herod.
Having the birth of the Messiah occur in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem where King Herod was reigning, demonstrates continuity with David, a shepherd from this small town (1 Samuel 16:11). It was a descendant of King David (who reigned a thousand years before Christ) who had the right and authority to be designated as King of Israel. Jesus, not Herod, is the true King of the Jews.
The coming of this King of Israel was a fulfillment of prophecy; the One born in Bethlehem would rule/shepherd the nation of Israel. This Christmas, as you sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” let your heart rejoice that in Bethlehem “an everlasting light” began to shine that would change your life and, in fact, the world.