Oh Little Town of Bethlehem The word Bethlehem in Hebrew means “house of bread.” The prophet Micah wrote that Bethlehem though small among thousands would give birth to “The One.” (Micah 5:2) This city is first mentioned in Genesis as the little town where Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. It shows up next in the story of Ruth and Boaz. I can just see Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz; the same fields that her great grandson David would be tending sheep, when Samuel the prophet comes to anoint him as the next king of Israel. The little town starts with the story of death in the birth of a baby. But time marches on and thousands of shepherds have tended sheep on the same hillside where David watched over his father’s flock. But on another night, in the same little town, on the same little hillside where Ruth found Boaz and David became king, a group of shepherds are watching over their sheep; when suddenly….
Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
This little town did a lot of big things. If God has assigned you to a little town, you too can still do big things that change the world. A great questioned is posed by the prophet in Zachariah 4:10 – Who has despised the day of small things? With God there are no limits!
