December 23
Micah 5:2 (NIV) "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
John 7:42 (NIV) Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"
1 Samuel 16:1 (NIV) The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."
I can’t help but think of the Christmas carol O little town of Bethlehem.
O little town of Bethlehem / How still we see thee lie / Above thy deep and dreamless sleep / The silent stars go by / Yet in thy dark streets shineth / The everlasting Light / The hopes and fears of all the years / Are met in thee tonight / For Christ is born of Mary / And gathered all above / While mortals sleep, the angels keep / Their watch of wondering love / O morning stars together / Proclaim the holy birth / And praises sing to God our King / And Peace to men on earth / How silently, how silently / The wondrous gift is given! / So God imparts to human hearts / The blessings of His heaven. / No ear may his His coming, / But in this world of sin, / Where meek souls will receive him still, / The dear Christ enters in. / O holy Child of Bethlehem / Descend to us, we pray / Cast out our sin and enter in / Be born in us today / We hear the Christmas angels / The great glad tidings tell / O come to us, abide with us / Our Lord Emmanuel.
I like that this song mentions the real reason we celebrate Christmas. I do not see this song as “worshipping the town”; rather, it is just an acknowledgement that, though Bethlehem was small, it was chosen by God to be the city for the birth of His only begotten Son.
It also reminds me that God does not pick out only the rich of the world, the wisest, or the sharpest dressed to become His children ~ He opens the invitation for us all to come to Him. We all can bend our knee to Him ~ believing in our heart and confessing with our mouth the Lord Jesus ~ and, by so doing, we shall {not might or maybe, but shall} be saved.
Look at David, he was the youngest and not in the line-up of sons before Samuel, the prophet; he was out tending the flock. God says none of the sons in the line-up are to be the new king ~ but, when David comes in; God says he is the one.
How does this make you feel that God is not looking at things the way that we sometimes do…or that He doesn’t pick things the way that we would?
He is amazing in His love for us all. Praise Him for calling you out of your sinful life to be His daughter…I am so glad that you bent your will to follow His. Keep seeking God’s will & walking in His path.
Merry Christmas ~ Laurie Kay
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