Scripture: Micah 5 v 2 - 4: "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.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth."
The Prophet Micah revealed that the coming King would be born in Bethlehem, a small village, and that He had been on this journey from ancient days, from time immemorial. This made Him someone of great consequence who would have great impact. It was still hundreds of years away but hugely anticipated.
Luke 2 v 7 - 11: " And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
It is known that the stable where Jesus was born was in the field where the Passover lambs were kept aside. They had to be perfect, no markings on them and then they were protected in a stone manger wrapped in a cloth.
The manger where Jesus was laid in swaddling clothes was not wooden but made of stone to give greater protection. It was God's intention that His Son have a significant birthplace right done to the manger, field and purpose.
He would one day be the Passover Lamb, sacrificed just before the feast day, and because He was sinless, pure and holy, He could take on the sin of all mankind.
1 Corinthians 5 v 7 - 8:"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
It is for this reason that my family has celebrated Passover, the Christian Passover, for forty years. The Jews have celebrated it since the exodus from Egypt into Israel. Everything that is done in the ceremonial feast is about Jesus. The first thing is to take 3 Matzos, or unleavened bread, break the middle matzos in half, wrap it in a linen napkin and hide it under a cushion.
This represents the body of Jesus being broken and wrapped in grave clothes plus being buried in a tomb. The Jews have performed this for thousands of years. I don't know how they interpret why they do this, but its very easy for Christians to understand.
The first people to be told about this birth where the shepherds watching over their flocks in the field by night. They perfectly understood about the significance of Jesus being laid in a manger. It was their job to coddle the new lambs in warm covering and put them in their manger.
They grasped what the angels were saying too. This baby was no ordinary child, He was Christ the Saviour that 300 Old Testament prophecies had foretold His coming to Israel. That He would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem and through death save His people from sin and eternal death.
So to Bethlehem belongs the glory for all eternity.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, yes the glory of Bethlehem is eternal. Thank You for sending Your Son to save us. It's wonderful to see how powerfully the Holy Spirit revival is spreading around the world bringing many souls into Your Kingdom. This is true revival with weeping, repentance, healing, deliverance and the joy of salvation. Let it touch every nation and every person! In Jesus' name. Amen.