"O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte






MICAH 5:2-5

We sing it every year, "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by." Bethlehem. Home of Boaz, Ruth, Jesse and David. Bethlehem. "House of bread" is what the name means. Bethlehem. A tiny, obscure, insignificant village about 5 miles s.w. of Jerusalem. Bethlehem. Not the place you'd choose for the birthplace of a King. But, as is often His way, God had big plans for this tiny village. The carol continues, "Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." To help as we consider this meager village from whence came the Everlasting Light, I want to tell you about a little boy and his dog. A farmer had some pups for sale so he made a sign and nailed it to his fence. Awhile later he felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down, he saw the toothless grin of a little boy who was holding out his hand and saying, "Mister, I want to buy one of your puppies." The farmer, joshing, said, "Well, son, these puppies come from mighty fine parents and they cost a good deal." The boy dropped his head for a moment, then looked back up hopefully and said, "I have 39 cents. Would that be enough to take a look?" "Sure," said the farmer. He whistled and called, "Dolly! Come here dolly!" From out of the doghouse and down the ramp trotted Dolly followed by 4 little bundles of barking fur. Then, from out of the doghouse peeped another little face, clearly the runt of the litter. This little fellow slid down the ramp and began hobbling in an awkward attempt to catch up with the others. "That's the one I want!" said the beaming little boy. "Son," said the farmer, "you don't want that puppy. He'll never be able to run and play with you as you'd like." But there was no changing the boy's mind and taking his 39 cents, the farmer said he could pick up the pup in a few more days. As the boy chose the runt of the litter, God chose the unlikely village of Bethlehem. When we consider the text, what do we see?
  1. WE SEE BETHLEHEM'S WEAKNESS: V2:
    1. From the standpoint of sheer demographic significance, many other cities would have towered in importance over Bethlehem. There was Jerusalem, there was Rome or there was Alexandria. But God chose Bethlehem with, and in spite of, her weakness.
    2. Why did He do that? Why does God choose as He does? Look to His word for insight:
      1. To Israel God spoke this reminder: "The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Deuteronomy 7:7-8.
      2. In the days of the Judges, God chose Gideon who protested, "But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." Judges 6:15.
      3. Samuel was sent to anoint a son of Jesse to replace Saul as king. Looking at the first Samuel decided, "This must be the one!" God said "No." After seeing seven sons of Jesse, God still refused them. Listen to this: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7. Samuel asked if there was another son and Jesse brought in his youngest, David. And God said, "This is the one!"
      4. God chose Solomon a man of peace, not David a man of war to build the Temple even though Solomon was young and inexperienced. 1 Chronicles 29:1.
      5. God chose Paul who recognized himself as:
        1. Least of all the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:9.
        2. Least of all the saints. Ephesians 3:8.
        3. Greatest of all sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15.
      6. Nobody should get puffed up, because Paul said, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.
    3. So what does that mean to you and me today?
      1. It reminds us that God uses the overlooked and neglected. Josephus didn't even consider Bethlehem important enough to mention in his questionable history, but God chose it for Messiah's birthplace.
      2. It assures us that the weak and insignificant have a role in God's eternal scheme and that His strength is perfected in our weakness.
      3. It tells us that it does not depend upon what we have or are or can do. Paul said, "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." Romans 9:16.
    4. The only thing Bethlehem had going for it was God's sovereign choice and God sovereignly chose Bethlehem -- that was enough!.

The little boy made his choice and paid 39 cents for his puppy but had to wait a few days since it was the runt and still needed mama. So Bethlehem, and all Israel for that matter, had to wait for the long cherished promise of a deliverer, a ruler, Messiah. And when we look to the text.

  1. WE SEE BETHLEHEM'S WAIT: V3:
    1. The promise was given:
      1. First in Eden and is recorded in Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." Over 4,000 years passed before this was fulfilled at Calvary.
      2. Then through the ages it was repeated by various prophets:
        1. Moses declared: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him." Deuteronomy 18:15. About 1500 years passed before that Prophet, Jesus, arose.
        2. About 740 years before the event Isaiah spoke of Messiah's coming: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14.
        3. And again he said: "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.
        4. About 520 years before Christ, Daniel looked forward to Messiah and even His "cutting off" or crucifixion: Daniel 9:25-26.
    2. From promise to fulfillment was a long wait. Micah likens that time to a woman's pregnancy and finally to her birth travail. As she waits, so Bethlehem and Israel had to wait.
    3. The waiting game is hard to play! We are impatient, we want what we want when we want it, and are an instant society that hates to wait. We want fast food, microwave cooking and Pentium computers! But:
      1. In His own time, God acts: "But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Galatians 4:4-5.
      2. Those who wait on the Lord gain new hope, strength and power. Isaiah 40:31.
      3. Delay is not denial, postponement is not prevention, and our wait is not forever.
    4. Don't panic! Don't despair! Don't give up! In God's time, things work out in God's way!

The boy waited a few days and then got to take his puppy home. How happy they both were. The boy loved the runt and the runt loved the boy. Day by day the little fellow gently took care of his new friend. And when Messiah came, the ruler from Bethlehem, how He cared for His people. Looking back at the text:

  1. WE SEE BETHLEHEM'S WONDERFUL RULER: VV2-5:
    1. Isaiah called Him "Wonderful" and Micah lists 4 wonderful qualities:
      1. Verse 2: He is eternal. He had no beginning and has no end. He was not created as were the angels, but is the Creator. He entered into time and space through the womb of virgin Mary, but was Himself from everlasting equal to and identical to God the Father.
      2. Verse 4: He is a shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the flock and then took it up again in resurrection.
      3. Verse 4: He is great to all the ends of the earth. He is not a local Lord, but a Universal Sovereign.
      4. Verse 5: He is our peace. Not peace as the world gives, but peace with God and the peace of God within ourselves and peace with others of like precious faith.
    2. He is King of kings, Lord of lords, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, the Rock of Ages, the Ancient of Days, the Light of the world, the image of the invisible God, the exact representation of His likeness.
    3. He is the One upon Whom God bestowed the Name above all names, the Name before which every knee will bow, and which every tongue shall confess, the Name of Jesus.
    4. He is the One of Whom the Father said, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom." Hebrews 1:8. Truly He is a wonderful ruler, a wonderful Lord.

The little boy thought his pup was wonderful. When he went to take the pup home, the farmer asked, "Son, why in the world would you choose that runt?" The boy pulled up his own pant leg and revealed a leg brace. He said, "Well, mister, I don't run too good myself, and he'll need someone who understands." Our Lord understands! "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15. That old carol says, "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!" The long wait is over. Emmanuel has come. God is with us! He came to abide with us in Jesus Christ! He has come to you, and if you have not done so, He invites you to come to Him. You may do just that if you believe as we sing our hymn.

Carol by Phillips Brooks, story altered from "More Stories for the Heart" compiled by Alice Gray, Multnomah Publishers, Inc., Sisters, Or.


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