“O little Town of Bethlehem” Written by Rev E M Wee

“O little Town of Bethlehem”

Written by Rev E M Wee

“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” (Micah 5:2)

1.      Known also as Bethlehemjudah (I Sam. 17: 12), and ‘the city of David’ (Lk. 2: 4), Bethlehem was a small village in the hill country of Judah, five or six miles south of Jerusalem. Under the census decree of Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem “because he was of the house and lineage of David” (Lk. 2: 4).

2.      We first read of Bethlehem in Gen. 35: 19 as the place where Rachel died and was buried. The valley to the east was the scene of the story of Ruth the Moabitess. It was in the fields of Bethlehem that she gleaned, and supported herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. This little insignificant town was David’s birth-place, and here also, in later years, he was anointed as king by Samuel (I Sam. 16:4-13). It was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his mighty men “brake through the host of the Philistines” and brought water for him at the risk of their lives when he was in the cave of Adullam (II Sam. 23:13-17).

3.      To distinguish it from another Bethlehem, which was in the tribe of Zebulun (Jos. 19: 15), the prophet Micah called it by its ancient name ‘Bethlehem Ephratah’ (cf. Gen. 35: 19, 48: 7; Ruth 4: 11). But it was distinguished above every other city as the birth-place of Him “whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2). The evangelist John, in the opening words of his gospel - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1: 1) - provides the best commentary on this portion.

4.      “‘In the beginning was the Word,’ carries you up into heaven, and back into past infinity. ‘The Word was made flesh,’ brings you down to earth and the finite things of time; to the manger, and the stable, and ‘the young Child.’ The shepherds are gone; the wise men have departed to their own country; the glory has passed up again into heaven; the angels have left; the song of the plain has ceased; the star has disappeared … but the city itself is still there, rooted to its old spot; not like Rachel’s tomb nearby, a memorial of death and sorrow – but a remembrancer of joy and peace, a witness of the ‘Everlasting Life’ which came down from Heaven” – Horatius Bonar.

5.      Matthew, by independent inspiration, unfolds further Micah’s prophecy. Citing Micah, the apostle called it “Bethlehem, in the land of Juda” partly because its other name ‘Ephratah’ was now obsolete, and unknown to Herod, who was obviously not acquainted with the books and prophecies of the Old Testament; Matthew implied that “though thou art little in a worldly point of view, thou art the reverse of least among Juda’s princes, in the spiritual glory of being Messiah’s birthplace.”

6.      Yes, at Bethlehem, the history of the world truly began. In that small, insignificant shepherd village and market town, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was made flesh and dwelt amongst men. It was “little among the thousands of Judah”, but it was in this feeble town that the great purpose of God was literally fulfilled: “The Word was made flesh,” thus lifting the insignificant town from the lowest to the highest rank - “out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel” and “out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel.”

7.      Bethlehem, the lowly village. Do not pass it by, for it is the birthplace of Him Who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor (II Cor. 8: 9). Come, see the place where the young Child lay. Look at the manger; behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (Jn. 1: 29). Good tidings went forth from the little town to bless all mankind: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Lk. 2: 14). May we respond to the glorious message of salvation with a humble desire to love our Saviour, to know Him and to make Him known. Let us extend peace and goodwill to our fellowmen through the Gospel of grace that came on that wondrous night in that little town of Bethlehem.

“The city is poor rather than rich. It is not without its attractions; but these are of the more homely kind. Its scenes are not stately; its hills are not lofty; its plains are not wide; its slopes are rocky; it is not like the city of the Great King, beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth. Yet there ‘the Word was made flesh.’ It has neither palace nor temple; only an inn for the travellers passing between Hebron and Jerusalem; its dwellers are not priests nor princes; it is not a sacred city, and is but little noted in history” – Horatius Bonar.