The House of Bread

​Micah 5:2 ~ “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
 
As we draw near to the time of the celebration of Christ’s birth, let us step along the streets of that small village where He, the LORD of glory, was to be born. Kings, in truth, should be born in palaces, with great fanfare and celebrations. Will Jesus not rule and reign in the capital city, Jerusalem? Will He not sit enthroned on Mount Zion—the holy mountain of God? Why then, do we find this prophetic message from Micah pronouncing the birth of the King of kings in a small village of no reputation? Even the wise men from the east, as they traveled to find the LORD, first went to Herod’s palace to inquire. We read this in Matthew 2:1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”
 
In considering our text today we first encounter the location, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah.” Do not lightly miss the importance of the name of this village. First, let us look upon the name, “Bethlehem.” The town’s name means “house of bread” and this is no small thing, for the very one who will be the Bread of Life is to be born in this place. In John 6:35 Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Not only is it in the house of bread that brings forth the Bread of Life, but the region named “Ephrathah” means “fruitful.” It is through the Vine—the LORD Jesus Christ—that we will have the means to bear fruit unto God. Isaiah 11:1 proclaims, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Jesse was the father of David and in the ancestry of the LORD Jesus. And though it seemed in the days of Herod the line of Jesse had become a mere stump (for Herod was no descendant of David) yet the LORD Jesus is the Branch, and from Him shall there come forth fruit. Dear Christian, you and I are that fruit—as are all who believe on the LORD Jesus unto salvation.
 
But this village is not just the house of bread in a fruitful land, it is also the place of David’s birth—the hometown of the most regarded king of Israel. We continue reading our text, “from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.” Kings may be naturally born in the palaces of the world. But the King of kings will be born in the city of His ancestors, the city of His heritage. We find this happening when Joseph took to the road to travel to his birthplace in Luke 2:4, “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.” Let us not miss this as well: both Joseph and Mary, the adopted father and birth mother of our LORD are descendants of David the king. Jesus is of the house of David, holding the right to sit on David’s throne through His earthly parents.
 
Yet the importance of Bethlehem goes back even farther. We read the final statement of our text today, “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Even in the days of the sojourn of Jacob, the village of Bethlehem was valued, for it was there that he buried his beloved wife, Rachel (see Genesis 35:19). This city of ancient days is also the village where the kinsman redeemer, Boaz, lived. We read in Ruth 4:11, “Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem.’” And is not our Kinsman Redeemer the LORD Jesus Christ? Yes!
 
How precious is this prophecy of the town of Bethlehem. Though it was “too little” yet from this seemingly insignificant village was the one who would be King, Redeemer and the life-giving Bread from heaven. Beloved, consider the prophetic promises concerning Christ and you will come to know Him even more. Let us worship Him who was born in Bethlehem, He who is Christ the LORD.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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