On the Road to Bethlehem #22: In Bethlehem

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, 

from you shall come forth for Me 

one who is to be ruler in Israel, 

whose coming forth is from of old, 

from ancient days.”

—Micah 5:2

God’s Messiah would have an inauspicious arrival. Rather than have Him be born to an earthly king, or from some family of privileged background, God chose Joseph and Mary—a young Middle Eastern couple betrothed to be married. Mary was probably a teenager, of marriageable age, while Joseph was most likely a bit older and occupationally a carpenter. Because of the decree of Caesar Augustus that all of the Roman world should be registered, they were forced to travel to Bethlehem while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy. Due to the mass of travelers in Bethlehem, the couple was unable to secure adequate housing for the evening, and were forced to lodge in a stable. Already in labor, Mary gave birth to a baby boy that evening whom they named Jesus. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger—a feeding trough for animals. He was soon visited by local shepherds (Luke 1:8-20) and eight days later circumcised (Luke 1:21). Forty days after that He was taken to Jerusalem and presented at the Temple (Luke 2:21-38), where it was prophesied that He “would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). From there His family returned to Bethlehem, where they moved into a house, only to be visited by wise men from the east (Matthew 2:1-12).

Before arriving in Bethlehem, the wise men had stopped in Jerusalem in order to ascertain the birthplace of the recently born “King of the Jews,” causing quite an uproar for King Herod and all of Jerusalem (Matthew 2:3). King Herod was an Idumean, which meant that he was half-Jewish. And because he was appointed to the throne by the hated Roman government, he faced the threat of a more legitimate successor usurping his puppet throne. Gathering together the religious scholars of Jerusalem, Herod learned that it was in Bethlehem where God’s Messiah would be born.

Bethlehem was problematic for Herod on a number of fronts. The city was about six miles south of Jerusalem and the birthplace of the great and revered King David (Ruth 1:1, 19; 2:4; 1 Samuel 17:12, 15). Anyone who could claim David as a descendent and who was born in Bethlehem would be considered a threat.

Secondly, it was prophesied that God would bring forth a ruler for Israel from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) who would usher in a new era of security and peace in Israel (Micah 5:4-5). He would boast an ancient lineage (Micah 5:2) far and away greater than Herod could ever produce. Combining the history of Bethlehem with Micah’s prophecy along with the wise men’s inquiry surrounding the “king of the Jews,” (Matthew 2:2) Herod had due cause for alarm.

Herod was a paranoid tyrant—going so far as to have his wife, several sons, and other relatives murdered. Anyone who offered any possibility of a challenge was quickly eliminated. It was no wonder then that Herod sought to ascertain the exact place and time of the recently born “king of the Jews” so he might have Him executed (Matthew 2:13). But God wouldn’t have the wise men be pawns in Herod’s devious plot, so He warned them in a dream and they returned home by a different route (Matthew 2:21).

Even though the wise men had escaped Herod’s grasp, Joseph’s family was still at risk. Having been warned in a dream, Joseph escaped with his family to Egypt until Herod died and God then brought them back (Matthew 2:19-20). Angered at being slighted by the wise men, and unaware of Jesus’ escape, Herod ordered the execution of many little boys (Matthew 2:16-21) in an attempt to extinguish any possible heirs to the throne.

Herod is a representative of the kingdoms of this world that are at war with Christ. No matter what the world tries to do, no matter what thought, scheme, or worldview it tries to espouse, Christ will not be stopped. There is nothing that can thwart the powerful plan and purposes of God. Jesus will reign and all will bow at His feet—willingly or unwillingly.

May God melt the ice of unbelief in our hearts so that we might truly live in the light of Christ’s wondrous presence. May our minds be enlightened, our spirits engaged, and our hearts afire with the joy of knowing Jesus Christ—the Savior-King born in Bethlehem. Amen.