December 22, 2008

• A Christmas Devotional
  by “Bee”

  
  
  Why Bethlehem?

  You know Mary and Joseph as they traveled the road from Nazareth to
  Bethlehem surely must have been wondering… “Why now Lord at this
  very time! This is the absolute worst timing for something like this
  census to come up.”   As they were approaching Bethlehem and Mary
  began to feel the hints of the first contractions and notified Joseph,
  I imagine he must have cried out to God…. “Oh Lord! We have a
  promise from you concerning this child and now we aren’t even going to
  be in our own home when the baby arrives!  No familiar midwife, no
  other women of the family to be near to assist Mary… what if she
  should have trouble?!  God if this is your plan shouldn’t it go a
  little smoother than this?  To top it all off there are no rooms
  available anywhere… and the pains of labor are upon Mary now… Oh
  God why now…why Bethlehem!”

  From times past there were hints of the roll that Bethlehem would
  play in the amazing story of God coming to earth. 

  Another woman
  hundreds of years earlier named Rachel was on the road to Bethlehem
  with her husband Jacob, (who was also called “Israel”.)  As she travailed in
  child birth she had a very difficult time in labor, and
  so she named her baby Ben- Oni meaning “son of my sorrow”, then she passed a
  way.  But the child’s father Jacob called him Benjamin meaning “son of
  my right hand.”   (Gen 35:16-18)  Why Bethlehem?
  
  
  
  Fast forward…. Israel through much travail did indeed bring forth a Son in Bethlehem
  and he was both a “Son of Sorrow” and a “Son of the Father’s right
  hand.”

  Many years after Rachel and Jacob were gone from the scene… a Gentile woman named Ruth was gleaning barley in the
  town whose name means “Place of Bread” when she was discovered by her
  “Kinsman Redeemer.”  That town was Bethlehem, and Ruth and Boaz began a
  linage that only a couple generations later would give birth to King
  David!  Why Bethlehem?
  

  
  

  The “Place of Bread”, that little town of Bethlehem, would many years in the future bring forth a man who would be called the
  “Living Bread”… a type of “Kinsman Redeemer”… and a King that would forever sit upon David’s throne!
  

  Isaiah spoke of a great “Light” (perhaps a “star”) that shall rise…
  Gentiles shall come to it … and Kings shall be drawn to it!  (Is.
  60:1-3)  Where did this happen?  Bethlehem!
  

  
  

  Of course Jesus would be born in Bethlehem… it only makes sense!
  

  
  

  What perhaps didn’t seem to make sense to Joseph at first does indeed make very
  good sense… for the prophet Micah  stated:

  “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 5:2

  The difficult road of doing the will of God…. of being a “key player”
  in His great plan sometimes doesn’t look like it will succeed.  In fact
  sometimes it looks like all hope is lost!  We even begin to wonder if God knows what He is doing, (although we would never admit
  it.) But then the story takes a quick unlikely turn and in the
  twinkling of an eye you witness the birth of His perfect will… the
  fulfilment of His greater plan… and to think you almost gave up…
  you almost didn’t believe when the circumstances became difficult. 

  Just
  like there were little “hints” hidden in God’s Word that Bethlehem
  would
  be the place where it all would happen for Joseph and Mary.  For the
  children of God that desire to do “His will” there are also hints or “breadcrumbs”. 
  Little bits of sustenance scattered all along the path to keep us
  going, keep us following and hanging-on till we
  reach our destination and see that God was unfolding something great
  and beautiful.  Then when all is said and done we can look up and say
  “Glory to God in the Highest”  and we will hear the
  Angels sing for great joy!

  Merry Christmas from Bee and family!

  • 1:37 pm
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