2023 Advent Devotional - Micah 5:2-4 (Day 3)

Micah 5:2-4 "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.”

Ever wonder why here?  Why Bethlehem of all places?  Why Israel of all places on earth, did God set up shop to step onto the earth and show us his mercy?    

The prophet Micah certainly believed that this place was special.  This WAS where King David was from.  His father Jesse was a Bethlehemite because he was of the line of Boaz and Ruth who lived in Bethlehem.  

Bethlehem, which, in Hebrew is translated as “House of Bread,” becomes the birthplace of God’s Son.  No coincidence that Jesus would call himself the “bread of life” (John 6:35) The spiritual necessity of life, God’s Word, was now here, in flesh and bone.  What the world so desperately needed and longed for, was given!  

I don’t really wonder much anymore why God picked this particular small town.  Because you see, on the map of the earth, Israel is smack dab in the epicenter of the world.  And from this epicenter, God was going to change the world through His Son.  It started in Bethlehem and has spread throughout the ends of the earth.  He even commanded his disciples to be the means of that process.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19)

You know…God commands US to be a part of that process.  That’s what our Advent should be about: telling people about the gift of Jesus.  You are the epicenter of your family, your friends, your workplace, your neighborhood, your church.. The list goes on.  

And though you may think you are “too little” to make an impact, let Bethlehem remind you how small towns make big impacts.  

Are you offering the bread of the life to the people around you?  Is your house a “House of Bread” that people are welcome and invited and gathering regularly so THAT the world may know?  Are you feeding your children the soul saving bread of life that Jesus offers through His Word regularly?  Are YOU eating the bread of life each and every day in some small way?  

Heavenly Father, help us to be the center of a movement in the lives of the people that surround us.  Help us to be a means of giving your Word to those in our lives that so desperately need Truth.  In Jesus Name, Amen. - By Amanda Dablemont