Apart from Micah’s precise prophecy have you ever wondered why God chose Bethlehem as the place of entrance for His Son? Does the Bible tell us if there were other reasons why this little village was designated to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ? Why Bethlehem? Why not Jerusalem? Or Hebron?
“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)
You may ask, “what was Ephratah?” It was an ancient city located on the immediate outskirts of Bethlehem and more closely associated with the death of Rachel and the amazing prophecy that accompanied her burial. For it was here that Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph, that she also gave birth to her second son Benjamin before dying in childbirth. The midwife told her she had a son (Genesis 35:17) and she named him “Ben Oni” which means “son of my sorrows.” Afterwards, however, Jacob renamed the boy “Ben Yamin” or Benjamin which translates, “son of my right hand.”
For it was in Bethlehem Ephratah that Jesus was born who would one day go to the Cross as our sacrificial Lamb “despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). And upon His resurrection three days later and ascension 40 days later He now “sits at the right hand of God.” (Ephesians 2:6). David prophesied also in Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
Bethlehem in Hebrew translates “house of bread.” How amazing then that in John’s Gospel, Jesus also referred to Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:48).
It is where Rachel is buried. And it was also in Bethlehem where the prophet Samuel anointed David as King (1st Samuel 16:1-13). But there is even more to this story involving Rachel….
“And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day. And Israel (Jacob) journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.” (Genesis 35:19-21)
It is remarkable that within these verses a location has been marked out for the future fulfillment of prophecy. In Hebrew, the term “tower of Edar” is migdal eder. It literally means, “tower of the flock.”
“That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder; ‘the tower of the flock,’ This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah leads to the conclusion that the flocks which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds who watched over them were not ordinary shepherds. The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from the religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible….” (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp.186-187, by Alfred Edersheim)
What most people do not know is that the fields of Bethlehem were precisely where the sacrificial lambs were raised. These were special flocks, for they were inspected to make sure they were perfect, not having any defect, to be suitable for sacrifice by the priests at the Temple. The Temple shepherds were drawn exclusively for this ongoing work and there are some sources who state that the “swaddling clothes” cited in Luke 2:7 were the pieces of woven material that the Temple shepherds used to wipe off the newborn lambs prior to their inspection.
Based on the Biblical account there may have been more angels in Bethlehem that blessed evening than people! Speculation, but we can only imagine that the angelic host probably all wanted to attend the birth of their Master. After His birth, Mary’s thoughts surely must have drifted back to that night when Gabriel told her she was chosen to give birth to God’s Son. We can be certain that she knew she was holding Deity in her arms.
The angelic host was jubilant and quickly came upon these Temple shepherds announcing the birth of this remarkable Lamb. For it was to these shepherds who raised the perfect unblemished sacrificial lambs, that the angels declared the One who would one day not only offer His shed blood but render the need for future animal sacrifices unnecessary.
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2:8-18)
As suddenly as they came, the angels ascended and disappeared. Luke tells us they went away “into heaven.” Though startled by the heavenly visitation, the shepherds wasted no time going into the city to see the Christ child.
In addition, most Christians today are totally unaware of the connection between the Christmas story and the Book of Ruth detailing the love story of Ruth and Boaz. What does their story have to do with the birth of Jesus?
The Book of Ruth is one of the most significant books of the Old Testament and for the Church it profiles the role of the “kinsman-redeemer.” It is a pre-requisite in many respects for fully understanding Revelation 5. Now, it is also the key link of Bethlehem to the line of David that is given to us by Ruth. And it is precisely why Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem to register for the census and pay a Roman tax in the days of Augustus Caesar (see blog post dated 1/9/19). This is yet another reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem!
With just 4 chapters the Book of Ruth details how a Moabitess (Ruth) refuses to leave her Jewish mother-in-law (Naomi) after the death of her husband. They return to Judah and begin to work and sustain themselves by the harvest gleanings in the fields of Boaz. The climax occurs when Ruth approaches Boaz in the middle of the night on the threshing floor when she asks him to redeem her and become her husband by covering her with his shul, or hem. The next day Boaz fulfills his role as kinsman-redeemer in the city gate in Bethlehem concluding with his redemption of the land as well his Gentile bride. Boaz confronts the “nearer kinsman” who is willing to redeem the property but is not willing to take Ruth as bride, so he yields his shoe as a customary practice to relieve the obligation. Boaz step up and purchases the land for Naomi and “purchases” Ruth as his bride.
The prophetic symbolism is undeniable. In Hebrew a “kinsman-redeemer” is a Goel. He must be a kinsman, must be able to perform legally and financially, must be willing to assume all of the obligations of the transaction. Boaz, as a type of Christ, symbolizes The Lord of the Harvest and The Kinsman-Redeemer. Naomi symbolizes Israel and Ruth is the Gentile Bride. Now consider the implications:
In order to bring Ruth to Naomi, Naomi had to be exiled from her land. What the Law could not do, Grace did. Ruth does not replace Naomi. Ruth learns of Boaz’s ways through Naomi. Naomi meets Boaz through Ruth. No matter how much Boaz loved Ruth, he had to await her move. Boaz, not Ruth, confronts the “Nearer Kinsman.”
That this event took place in Bethlehem is not by happenstance. For the Temple shepherds raised their sacrificial lambs most assuredly in the same fields that once belonged to Ruth and Boaz. There is nothing random about Bethlehem being the selected birthplace for our Savior and Kinsman Redeemer.
Merry Christmas!