06 - Advent
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
Christmas–Advent 2023
Day 6 | O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
Christmas–Advent 2023
Day 6 | O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah, the prophet, also gives us some information – again hundreds of years before Jesus' actual birth – about WHERE this event will take place.
This passage from Micah 5 was quoted by the chief priests and teachers of the law when Herod asked about the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:5-6).
Bethlehem Ephrathah was a little town south of Jerusalem and was the birthplace of both David the King and, later, Jesus Christ. My wife and I have been there and actually bought a hand-carved nativity set from there in 2017. (She just set it up for this year's festivities – which is why I recall it.)
Bethlehem means "house of bread" because it was in a grain-producing region during Old Testament times. The second name, Ephrathah, means "fruitful." The town was known for many olive orchards and vineyards, and though the city was small, it was bountiful.
“Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel.”
God planned to raise a Ruler from a humble place – Bethlehem – to be Ruler of Israel.
And then he said, “Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
As we have already seen in this "Four Weeks of Advent” series, the birth of Jesus was planned by God in the way past and was announced as early as in Genesis 3:15. This speaks to me about God's careful attention to everything that He does. It's not last minute… and it's not haphazard; it's thoughtful, purposeful, and perfect.
Prayer: LORD, everything YOU do is good and purposeful. Help all who read or listen to this little devotional series this year to get a fresh appreciation for all the planning you did to send Your one and only Son Jesus to earth as a baby so that we might have everlasting life with You. Amen.
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah, the prophet, also gives us some information – again hundreds of years before Jesus' actual birth – about WHERE this event will take place.
This passage from Micah 5 was quoted by the chief priests and teachers of the law when Herod asked about the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:5-6).
Bethlehem Ephrathah was a little town south of Jerusalem and was the birthplace of both David the King and, later, Jesus Christ. My wife and I have been there and actually bought a hand-carved nativity set from there in 2017. (She just set it up for this year's festivities – which is why I recall it.)
Bethlehem means "house of bread" because it was in a grain-producing region during Old Testament times. The second name, Ephrathah, means "fruitful." The town was known for many olive orchards and vineyards, and though the city was small, it was bountiful.
“Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel.”
God planned to raise a Ruler from a humble place – Bethlehem – to be Ruler of Israel.
And then he said, “Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
As we have already seen in this "Four Weeks of Advent” series, the birth of Jesus was planned by God in the way past and was announced as early as in Genesis 3:15. This speaks to me about God's careful attention to everything that He does. It's not last minute… and it's not haphazard; it's thoughtful, purposeful, and perfect.
Prayer: LORD, everything YOU do is good and purposeful. Help all who read or listen to this little devotional series this year to get a fresh appreciation for all the planning you did to send Your one and only Son Jesus to earth as a baby so that we might have everlasting life with You. Amen.
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