Small Towns Become Famous When They Are the Birthplace Of

DIVINE RULER 2. It was the place where Rachel, Jacob’s wife, died giving birth Micah 5:2 to Benjamin and was buried around 1800 BC (Gen. 35:19). Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb which is still there over 4,000 years William Shakespeare, who wrote plays to entertain the common later as a marker a half mile north of the town. people in the late 1500’s, is considered the most influential playwright in the English language. Some of his most famous This small village, 6 miles south of Jerusalem, was so insignificant plays are: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Merchant of Venice that it was not even mentioned in the list of 112 cities given to the and A Midsummer Nights Dream. tribe of Judah for their inheritance (Joshua 15:20-62).

He was born in the picturesque town named Stratford-upon-Avon, Caleb’s grandson settled in Bethlehem and is called the father which is 100 miles north-west of London. The name comes from a of the town (I Chron. 4:4) meaning either he founded the town combination of the old English word “street” and “ford” indicating or was the father of many of those who lived there in 1300 BC. a shallow part of a river. It is a small town with a population today of about 28,000, but each year some 2.5 million people come to It was the town where Boaz married Ruth (Ruth 4:13) 1200 BC. visit because it is Shakespeare’s birthplace. and where David the great grandson of Ruth was born (4:21-22). It became known because it was the hometown of King David. Small towns become famous when they are the birthplace of someone we come to honor and respect. The one person who Size changed the course of history is Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact Too little – in 740 BC when Micah prophesied it was very small. history is divided by his birth – B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. About 700 years later when Christ was born it was still called a (in the year of the Lord), meaning the year beginning with his town with a population of about 2,000 people. birth. The town of Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, has become well known because Jesus Christ was born there. Clans (KJB thousands) – Heb. leader over a thousand. The fighting men of each tribe were divided into divisions of 1,000 HIS BACKGROUND – Insignificant each having their own leader. Towns which were too small to Town have 1,000 soldiers were combined with other towns. But you – in contrast to Jerusalem (:1) where the king of Judah would be defeated and humiliated by foreign nations. I Samuel 23:23 Saul told the people, “If David is in the area, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” Bethlehem – Heb. “house of bread” because the area was a good The fighting men who are divided into divisions of 1,000. place for crops to grow as it was 2,550 feet high (100 feet higher than Jerusalem). As the clouds from the Mediterranean Sea moved II Chronicles 17:14 The commanders of thousands of Judah: east they rose over the land and the rain fell on Bethlehem. They Adnah the commander with 300,000 mighty men of valor. grew barley and wheat there. Because of the grass which grew there it was a good for sheep to graze which were used for Calvin – “Proof of its smallness is that hardly a thousand men sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem six miles to the north. could be made up from Bethlehem.” It was too small to have a division of its own soldiers so it was not counted among the Ephrathah – Heb. “to bear fruit” because the land received rain. military rulers of the tribe of Judah. 1. Ancient name in the time of Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 35:19, 48:7). Application Application I Corinthians 1:28 God chose the lowly things of this world . . . God would raise us a righteous ruler to lead the nation. He chose Bethlehem instead of Jerusalem as the place for Jesus This person would have to be different that other men because to be born even though he someday he would be King of Kings. our sin nature naturally causes us to do what is wrong. There was not one king in the history of Israel who always did what was right. When the wise men (KJB Magi) came looking for the new born King of Israel they came to Jerusalem (Matt. 2:1-2) expecting that 1. Every human leader will eventually disappoint you because they a King would be born in the capital city, not some small town. are sinful which causes prideful and selfish decisions.

God doesn’t do things the way the world does, instead he chooses 2. Our faith needs to be in God who is good to everyone. those things that are humble and lowly so he might be honored. Psalm 145:8-9 The Lord is gracious and merciful . . . The Lord God uses insignificant places to work his plan, like Bethlehem. is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.  You don’t have to be in a large city for God to work.  He will work anywhere that people will respond to him. HIS CHARACTER – Eternal  Pray that God will use you to witness for him. This new ruler did not just begin in Bethlehem like King David. Coming (KJB goings) forth – Heb. family of origin. HIS IMPORTANCE – Ruler Note: this is the only time this word is used as family of origin. From this town, too small to have its own military leader, would The family origin of David was from his great grandfather Boaz, come one who would rule over the whole nation of Israel. his grandfather Obed and his father Jesse (Ruth 4:17). Ever human being has a family history which shows who they came from. 1. Gideon came from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, yet God chose him to defeat the Midianites who were so large they This ruler would not have a family origin because he was eternal. could not be counted (Judges 6:15). Ancient days (KJB everlasting) – Heb. always or forever. It means no beginning or ending because as far back as you can go 2. David was the youngest of eight sons in his family, yet God or as far ahead as you can see he always existed. He would be chose him to be king over the nation of Israel (I Sam. 16:11). eternal like God – without a beginning because he always existed.

God would once again bring forth a king from Bethlehem like Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth he had done 250 years before in choosing David to be king. the world from everlasting to everlasting your are God. I Samuel 16:7 Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David Everlasting – means from a vanishing point in the past to a in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came vanishing point in the future – no beginning or ending. upon him from that day forward. Isaiah 40:28 “The LORD (YAHWEH) is the everlasting God.” God had made a promise to David 250 years earlier that someone The name YAHWEH comes from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. from his family would reign and rule over Israel forever, called the God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ Davidic Covenant in II Samuel 7:16 Your kingdom will endure It could be translated – I am the one who has always existed. forever before me; your throne will be established forever. The line of Christ would come from the family of David. The word everlasting means that Jesus was eternal. He had no beginning because he always existed. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with Application God and the Word was God. Jesus was God meaning that his The fulfillment of this prophecy over 700 years before Jesus was attributes, character, power, spirit was exactly the same as God the born illustrates that God accurately and literally fulfills his word. Father. They were co-equal in their attributes and co-eternal in their existence from all eternity. 1. You can always trust the Word of God to be true. Don’t let unbelievers cause you to doubt God’s Word. John 8:56-58 Jesus told the Jews, Abraham would have been glad to see him. The Jews replied that Jesus could not have seen 2. You need to believe God’s promises even if they have not yet Abraham because he was not even 50 years-old. Jesus answered, come to pass because he has fulfilled the promises he has made. ‘Before Abraham was born, I am!’ (the one who always existed). The Jews clearly understood that Jesus was saying he was equal CONCLUSION with God and therefore they tried to stone him to death. Philips Brooks was a pastor in Philadelphia. One year he was able to go to the Holy Land during Christmas and spent Christmas Eve Application in Bethlehem where he worshiped in the Church of the Nativity, 1. Because Jesus is eternal he is equal with God the Father. which is thought to be the place where Jesus was born.

2. Because Jesus he does not change over time as everything Three years later in 1868 he was searching for a new carol for his around us does so we can count on him to always be the same. children to sing in their Sunday School Christmas program. The memory of his Holy Land visit inspired him to write the carol 3. His love, mercy and grace for us will never change. O Little Town of Bethlehem.

4. Though Jesus was eternal he was born as a child so he could He gave a copy of the new carol to his organist Lewis Redner and live a perfect life to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. asked him to compose a simple melody that children could sing easily. He struggled for some time to come up with the right tune. FULFILLMENT On the evening before the program was to be given, he suddenly Birth Luke 2:1-6 awakened from his sleep and quickly composed the melody. The Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that every person had to go to their hometown to register to be taxed. Joseph The carol turns our thoughts to the child who was born there and went from Nazareth 70 miles south to Bethlehem and while they the hope that he brings to those who accept him as their Savior. were there Mary gave birth to her firstborn son who they named Jesus as the angel had told Joseph (Matt. 1:21). In thy dark streets shineth, The everlasting Light – The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Expectation Matthew 2:5-6 How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! When King Herod asks the religious leaders where the King of So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. the Jews is to be born they say Bethlehem because they knew this prophecy. Then they quote the first half of Micah 5:2 in Matt. 2:6. O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; They knew the prophecy and believed the Messiah would be cast out our sin and enter in – be born in us today. born in Bethlehem as a descendant of David.