Bethlehem: Back Where He Comes From - For You

12.16.21 Micah 5:2–5

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel. His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity. 3 Therefore the LORD will give them up, until the time when the woman who is in labor bears a child. Then the remaining survivors from his brothers will return to the people of Israel. 4 He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth. 5 This one will be their peace.

Bethlehem: Back Where He Comes From for You

Kenny Chesney is a country singer, and years ago he sang a song called, “Back Where I Come From.” The first few verses go -

In the town where I was raised

The clock ticks and the cattle graze

Time passed with amazing grace

Back where I come from

You can lie on a riverbank

Or paint your name on a water tank

Or miscount all the beers you drank

Back where I come from

Back where I come from

Where I'll be when it's said and done

And I'm proud as anyone

That's where I come from

With the lyrics and music he clearly pictured the small country town he grew up in Tennessee. It reminds me of the town I received my first call to in Norton, KS. Most of the people were pretty country in that town, so it affected the way they dressed and spoke, along with their interests. Things were different here. I noticed a much higher interest in baseball, camping, and hunting. You can’t help but most often take on the nature of where you’re from, and sometimes they stick for life. It’s kind of like an accent. We had a neighbor in Topeka who still had a heavy southern accent after twenty years of having been away from Tennessee. She was proud of her heritage. It went with her wherever she lived.

Sometimes the opposite happens, where a city or a church takes pride in one of her sons or daughters and finds her identity in a child of the city or the church. French Lick, Indiana, is a popular place because it is the hometown of Larry Bird. Green Bay names certain streets after her most popular coaches and players.

In today’s text Micah spoke of a little town of Bethlehem, Ephrathah. There was another Bethlehem just north of Nazareth. This Bethlehem of Ephrathah was only about five miles from Jerusalem, on the next hill over. It wasn’t even listed among the 100 cities belonging to the clans of Judah in Joshua 15:20 and following. Yet God gave this little town renown, first of all by having Rachel be buried there. Then, years later, Ruth was married to Boaz and lived there, through whom King David would be born and rise to power in the third generation. Today Micah talks about the greatest honor of all that she would receive.

Micah expounds on this in vs. 2 and 4. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel. His goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity. . . . 4 He will stand and shepherd with the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. . . . he will be great to the ends of the earth.

Bethlehem would “give birth” to someone with ancient origins, from days of eternity. This could be nobody else but God in the flesh. Who else exists from eternity? What would He do? He would rule and He would shepherd with the strength of the LORD and the NAME of the LORD. God would decide to step into our world through a womb of a woman in Bethlehem. This would be God’s portal through which to enter humanity.

The especially neat thing about it is how small of a podunk little town Bethlehem is. It lives in the shadow of Jerusalem. It is dwarfed by Jerusalem, nothing but a suburb at best. But here, through the birth of Jesus, God permanently plants it on the map and gives it fame. And it still is famous today. Surrounded by huge walls, sequestered from Israel, visitors from all around the world pass through the gates to go and visit the Church of the Nativity and see where they say Jesus was born. They don’t go there for David. They don’t go there to tour the city streets. They go there for Jesus. Bethlehem did nothing to deserve such status, but nonetheless, God decided to give her the honor of being the birthplace of Jesus.