A Little Town With a Big ImpactНамуна

Today I would like to take you to a little town. The population of the town is around twenty thousand people. Back in the time of Jesus, it would only have been a few hundred. The town to which I am referring is the little town of Bethlehem. Its name derives from two Hebrew words, beth-lechem, which means “house of bread.”

Bethlehem is in the environs of Ephratah, which means “fruitful fields.” It is a very bountiful area. Bethlehem is a little town that had an enormous impact. This “house of bread” was the birthplace of the Savior, Who referred to Himself as the “Bread of Life.” We probably would have never heard of this small town if our Savior had not been born there.

We read about Bethlehem in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). The Hebrew prophet, Micah, wrote of Bethlehem as a place that would bring Messiah to the world. In Micah 5:2, we read, 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.

Some people say that Ephratah is the original name of the town while others say that it is the district, or area. Judah was the tribal allotment that included Jerusalem. There are two places where Scripture mentions all of the towns of Judah, but in both places, it fails to mention Bethlehem Ephratah. It was little among the thousands of Judah. It was neither significant due to commerce nor was it a strategic location. It was a very little town.

When the prophet Micah was writing, the last king of Judah had been taken into exile. The lights seemed to be going out on the tribe of Judah and the lineage of the kings of Judah. God had promised that there would be a king who would rule from the throne of David forever, but now that seemed impossible.

And yet…

…out of thee shall he come forth unto me…

A king would come, just as had been promised by God, from this little town with a big impact.