The Advent: Bethlehem

Last week I wrote an article about the Prophecy candle for the season of Advent as part of the Christmas celebration. Now I will continue writing about these five candles, now on to the second candle.

The second one to be lit is known as the Bethlehem candle. This one represents the city that Jesus was born in. Bethlehem has a lot of history in the Bible that makes it a fitting birthplace for the Messiah.

One of the earliest mention of the city is in Genesis. Before it was named Ephrath and was along the way that many of the patriarchs crossed during their travels through Canaan. Somewhere close to the town is the burial place of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. It has also been the home of some significant leaders in Israel’s history, like Izban, one of the judges that led Israel before they had a human king. The most significant person to have been born in that city was King David, the successor of Israel’s first king, Saul, and described to be a man after God’s own heart. Micah prophesied this place to be the city as the birthplace of the Messiah, possibly to remind the people of its legacy. Some of Israel’s greatest and most unlikely heroes emerged from this city, so it was a very fitting place for the Messiah to appear.

Another point to add with the fact that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, known as the city of David, is that the Messiah would be born from the line of David. I think this adds to the effect of the prophecy, because this told people what kind of person to expect: a hero just like David. However, I think people were still expecting a leading general or someone of great stature as the Messiah, not a carpenter’s son. So perhaps most completely disregarded the fact that anyone from Joseph’s family could be the Messiah. I wonder if the people disregarded the fact that David came from a humble origin as well. He didn’t start out as a mighty prince living in full luxury in a palace, but rather out in the fields as a shepherd.

Even though Bethlehem was the birthplace of some of Israel’s heroes, it wasn’t as large of a city, especially in comparison to its neighbor, Jerusalem. So it was probably no wonder that Mary and Joseph could not find any room to stay at the time of Jesus’s birth. In fact, in a New Testament survey class that I took in college, I learned about what the average household in Bethlehem looked like, and an inn was not what most think of when they think of an inn. It was probably not like a hotel with individual rooms, but more likely a relative’s single-room house filling up floor space with sleeping mats. Not only was the stable their only means of finding room, but also privacy while giving birth.

Given these thoughts about the prophecies and history behind the town of Bethlehem, the point to take away from this part of Advent is that Bethlehem teaches us about the humility of Christ. To put aside the glory of God and leave His throne in Heaven, to be born as a human being in a small village, and in a stable of all places, was probably humbling enough without later having to grow up to become a falsely accused criminal and to die a death that would subject him to ridicule and torment. Jesus’s whole life tells us an amazing story of how much He loves us. He gave up so much for us to give us the freedom to receive Him as Christ as LORD and Savior.