In the beginning, or soon after, God desired to create man for His honor, and glory, and praise. He had already transformed an utterly uninhabitable planet into a paradise fit for the occupation of the crowning glory of His creation—man! God created man in His own image. Does that mean a physical likeness? Maybe. I think it probably has to do more with intellectual and emotional likeness. God created man to honor Him and communicate with Him on a spiritual, emotional, and intellectual level that none of the other creatures could experience. He wanted humans to have relationships with Himself, not just a pre-programmed service to Him. We were to be in relationship with Him by our choice. That power of choice also brings with it the risk of failure. Satan had already been cast out of God’s presence, and God knew that he would do his utmost to tear down God’s kingdom.

The first human couple experienced a direct relationship with God as He communicated with them in the Garden of Eden. Right on cue, the devil stepped in and robbed them of their purity before God with his temptation. Alas, the first couple were the first to sin, and they along with all of creation suffered the consequences.Adam and Eve were driven out of their perfect environment. Adam had to battle weeds,disease, and pestilence in his quest for food. Mankind was sentenced to aging, disease,pain,and death. Women would experience pain in childbirth. Adam and Eve’s first-born son would become the first murderer.This brought about the first reset. God made provision for redemption through the shedding of blood. We don’t have much written about animal sacrifices until later, but we do know that God honored Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb. The next period in history produced some remarkable people who lived long and productive lives. Enoch’s relationship with God was such that God spared him from death and transported him directly into His eternal presence. Mankind’s spiritual trajectory was downhill until we get to Noah. God was angered at mankind’s utter disobedience, and resolved to start over again with Noah. He destroyed all but Noah’s family with the flood.There was again a rapid expansion of the human population. Can you imagine God’s pain when the vast majority of people forgot Him or ignored their responsibility to Him? He dispersed them when they started on their ambitious project to build the tower of Babel.

The next reset came with Abram. God saw that Abram ( now Abraham) would teach his descendants to serve God, and He made an everlasting covenant with him. Included in this covenant was the promise that through Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This was a prophesy of salvation for all mankind through Christ. God’s story continues through Isaac, Jacob,Joseph and his eleven brothers. It goes through the Israelites’ time in Egypt and their release from the bondage of Egypt. God led them miraculously through the Red sea, 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and a miraculous crossing of the flooded Jordan River. During Moses’ time of leadership, God established His written record of His story and His instructions for holy living. Moses’ record included instructions for worship and sacrifices for sin.

Joshua became the leader after Moses died, and led the Israelites during the conquest of the promised land. The era of the judges was marked with highs and lows in the spiritual life of “God’s chosen people”, maybe more lows than highs. Samuel was the last of the judges, but despite his strong leadership, the people clamored for a king like the nations around them. God comforted Samuel,”They have not rejected you, they have rejected Me.”

Now we have come to the part of the story where Israelite history overlaps the history of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is first mentioned in Genesis. Jacob buried his beloved wife Rachel in Bethlehem. It seems they were merely passing through when she died, and we don’t have any record that any of the patriarchs ever spent much time there. Bethlehem was only 5 or 6 miles south of Jerusalem and now their suburbs overlap except for a dividing wall. So when Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, King of Salem ( Jerusalem ), he was nearby. It is likely that Bethlehem was established by Canaanites before Abraham’s time. Bethlehem was “house of meat” to Canaanites and “house of bread” to Israelites. Regardless, Bethlehem has been a roadside seat for very much history, a part of the world where empires have often marched back and forth. During the time of the judges, much of the land was contested, because the Israelites had been unfaithful to God and the Canaanites hadn’t been completely driven out. The book of Ruth  brings more focus on Bethlehem. Naomi and Ruth return as widows to Naomi’s ancestral home in Bethlehem. Ruth and Boaz were married and their great grandson was David. Of course, David was Israel’s second king and was the first in the royal lineage that culminated in the birth of Jesus. Jerusalem became capitol of Judea, and Bethlehem was just another village beside the road to Jerusalem. By its close proximity to Jerusalem, Bethlehem no doubt felt alternately pain or well-being as Judah experienced good kings and bad kings for 450 years.

Once again faithfulness ( and worship) to God reached a low ebb. God brought judgement on His people by allowing them to be conquered and carried into captivity by the Babylonians. In addition to their immorality, God was disappointed in their treatment of the poor, and their abuse of the land. After 70 years God brought a remnant back to Judea to rebuild. They rebuilt the cities, including Jerusalem and the temple, which had been destroyed. There was a time of spiritual revival which began under Zechariah, and the Jews never again fell back into the old Canaanite idolatry. Nevertheless, spiritual fervor gradually declined until there were no prophetic utterances for the last 400 years leading up to the birth of Christ. The silent years were not without struggle. There were struggles back and forth for control over the territory. There was influence from Alexander’s empire and later the Romans. There was the Maccabean era with a lot of bloodshed.

So the Bethlehem of Judea that Joseph and Mary found 2000 years ago, may have been a quiet bucolic town in rural Judea, but it was only momentarily resting from a tumultuous past. It was about to experience the pinnacle of its existence, and it would go on to see more unrest in its future. Micah’s prophesy was being fulfilled. Jesus was Born in Bethlehem! The angels announced His coming to the Shepherds abiding in the fields, and they came to worship Him. The wise men followed a star to Bethlehem, and they also worshipped Him. Sadly another prophesy also came to fulfillment. Jeremiah spoke of Rachel weeping for her children who had been killed. This was fulfilled when Herod ordered all the male children in Bethlehem under two years of age to be killed, in an effort to kill the child who might overthrow him.

Jesus’ growing up years were mostly in Nazareth, where His parents had lived. We don’t have record of Jesus visiting Bethlehem after that very early time in His earthly life. During His ministry years, He may well have visited His birth city, because much of His ministry occurred in the Judaen countryside. Bethlehem would have known of His teachings, His miracles, and of His death and resurrection.

God was making a monumental change in His outreach to all mankind. Instead of a religion based on laws and sacrifices, He provided one sacrifice that would be sufficient for all people for all time! Jeremiah prophesied ( Jer. 31:31-35) that God would establish a new covenant with His people. He describes a different relationship with believers than with the old covenant. No longer would there be priests as intermediaries or animal sacrifices for sin. It would be possible to have direct access to God. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross supplanted the substitutionary animal sacrifices of the old covenant. Jesus introduced the role of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the daily life of the believer. The book of Acts records how the Gospel was found to be inclusive of gentiles as well as Jews. Revelation describes a innumerable host of believers worshipping around God’s throne, from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Revelation 21:1-4 describes God’s plan for His people for eternity. “ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,” Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”

There are many chapters of history between Jesus’ birth and the scenes described in Revelation, and some still need to be written. God’s kingdom building seems to have been slow at times, and sometimes almost snuffed out. History is more a story of God’s faithfulness and His drawing mankind to Himself, than it is of man’s accomplishments. Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and all Judea declined in relevance after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD. The early Christian church was scattered.  The Christian movement left Judea,the historic “land of promise”. Jesus predicted in Luke that Jerusalem would be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles would be fulfilled. Will that be soon? The nation of Israel was re-established after WW II. President Trump just recognized Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. What is the significance of these events? Bethlehem has also survived the centuries, whatever happens to Jerusalem will be seen and felt there as well! O little town of Bethlehem, you will again see the Redeemer in all His glory!