Have you ever wondered why the most significant birth in history took place in Bethlehem? One of the least significant locations in the ancient world? Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah takes a closer look at that tiny rural village and shares why this dot on the map is far more important than it appears. From the series Why the Nativity?
Here's David to introduce his message: Why Bethlehem? And thank you for joining us. In case you have just joined us today for the first time in December, we're in the midst of a series called Why the Nativity. This series is based on a book that I wrote some years ago when I was asked to answer 25 questions about Christmas and put them in a book. And believe it or not, three years ago, that book became a movie, Why the Nativity, that's been seen now all over the world.
The answers are wonderfully written, so you can read them and study them and share them. They will help you. And I'd like for you to get a copy of this study guide, which takes you through all of the questions I'm asking and answering during the month of December.
So, Why the Nativity study guide available from davidjeremiah.org. You know, Bethlehem is an interesting study. I've been to Bethlehem a couple of times. It's very sort of unimpressive, except for the fact that in your mind you know this is where the Savior of the world was born. Why Bethlehem?
That's our discussion for today and tomorrow, and it begins right now. Good. It is my delight during this season of the year to direct your attention to some of the Christmas themes that are so familiar to all of us. And you would think after doing this for all these years that I would get tired of it and wonder. How I could ever come up with something else to say about Christmas that we haven't already said.
But you know, the Bible says God's mercies are new every morning, and every time you see them, You see something else. And so at Christmastime, we open our eyes, and through the experiences that we've had since the last Christmas, we once again view the Word of God. We ask this question. Why did Jesus become a man? Maybe we could extend that question today and ask this question: why did Jesus become a man in Bethlehem?
Why? Bethlehem. An Episcopal preacher by the name of Phillips Brooks. Attended a five-hour Christmas Eve service. back in eighteen sixty five.
Which he attended by traveling by horseback from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. And at the Church of the Nativity, which is still there in Bethlehem. Phillips Brooks sat and listened to the celebration of Christmas for five hours. Every Christmas song that is a part of the Sacred story was presented. And he said that night as he heard again the splendid hymns of praise to God, and again and again, he seemed to hear the voices that he had remembered singing praise to.
Almighty God, he fell in love again with the wonderful night of the Savior's birth. Three years later, He decided he wanted to write a hymn. for the children of his congregation to use in the celebration of Christmas. And he began to think back to that night three years before when he had spent those five hours in Bethlehem. And before he was finished reflecting on it, he wrote the words to the hymn, O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, The silent stars go by Yet in thy dark street shineth an everlasting light, the hopes.
and fears. of all the years. are born in thee tonight. Bethlehem is a place That was selected by God before the world began for a historic event. that would one day take place.
The town of Bethlehem, as I mentioned, still exists today. although the passage of time hath left its mark upon the city, When the registrants filled the city that first Christmas, there probably weren't more than maybe a thousand people living in Bethlehem. Today, In the city of Bethlehem, there are 15,000 inhabitants. most of whom work in the tourism industry and take care of people like us when we come to see the Church of the Nativity and all of the other things that go back to the historic events of the Scripture. But the question today is why Bethlehem?
Why out of all of the cities that could have been chosen, was Bethlehem chosen for the birth of our Lord. One would think that Jerusalem would be the ideal place for Jesus to have been born. But Bethlehem, the name is musical, the image is comforting. And it brings happy carols and quiet nights. But why would this unpretentious village?
Play host. to a scene so eternally beloved by all of God's people. It was here in Bethlehem. that the Virgin Mother gave birth to the infant Son of God. It was here in Bethlehem that Christ took upon himself the flesh and blood of mankind.
And it was here that he assumed the form of a servant. and became like unto his brethren. The Bible says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. In this city of Bethlehem, the events that are recorded in Matthew and Luke concerning the birth of Jesus took place. But oh, there's so much more than just Matthew and Luke's words.
To understand the significance of the city of Bethlehem. you have to reach deep into the history of the Old Testament. For first of all, the city of Bethlehem was prepared for the birth of Christ historically. The city of Bethlehem is mentioned in the Old Testament 35 different times. in eleven different books over a period of some thirteen hundred years.
Bethlehem was first of all a place of sorrow. In the history of the Old Testament, there are many stories that relate to this city. One concerns the relationship between Jacob and Rachel. and their family. In Genesis chapter 48 and verse 7, When Jacob was dying, he recalled an event that had taken place with his wife Rachel, and he penned these words.
But as for me, when I came from Pidan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, and there was but a little distance to go in Ephrata, and we buried her there on the way to Ephrata, that is, Bethlehem. The first time Bethlehem is mentioned in the Old Testament Is in connection with the birth. of a son. And the last time it's mentioned in the New Testament. is in connection.
with the birth of a son. Jacob's son and the Son of God. Wilbur Smith. One of the great students of the Word of God says that no woman in the first thousand years of Hebrew history was loved with the passion and adoration that Rachel was loved by her husband, Jacob. For years, however, Rachel was tormented.
in her life because every time she would see her sister Leah give Jacob one son after another, and she herself was childless, she was tormented. But then one day we continue to read in the book of Genesis, and in the 30th chapter of the book of Genesis, we read this story concerning this tormented woman. Then God remembered Rachel. That's a great phrase, isn't it? Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
And she conceived and bore a son, and said, God has taken away my reproach.
So she called his name Joseph, and said, The Lord shall add to me another son. And the Lord did give Rachel another son. But in giving birth to that son, Rachel. died. The record of her death is recorded in detail in Genesis chapter 35.
Here we read the story of what happened to this woman as she was giving birth to her second son. Then they journeyed from Bethel, and when there was but a little distance to go to Ephra, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor.
Now it came to pass when she was in hard labor that the midwife said to her, Do not fear, you will have this son also. And so it was, as her soul was departing, For she died. that she called her son's name Ben-Oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephra, that is, Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave. to this day.
Now, having read that, you may wonder what in the world that has to do with Christmas and what it has to do with Bethlehem, but stay with me for a moment. This is an amazing story for many reasons. First of all, it's the longest account of the death of a woman in the Bible. Five long verses describe The death of Rachel. Secondly, Rachel is the first woman in the biblical record to die.
in childbirth. This is the first occurrence of the use of the word grave in the Bible, and it is the first time a gravestone was erected over a grave. As Rachel died, she called her son's name Ben One. which in the Hebrew means Son of my sorrow. Centuries later, in this very place, Another would be born who would be called.
The man of sorrows. This one who was born in the place Where Ben-Oni was born, he would also carry our sorrows in his own body. And because of his birth, we now, when we lose someone in death, sorrow not as others who have no hope. And one day, because he was born where Ben-Oni was born, we will go to a place where there will never be any sorrow again forever and ever. Jacob never forgot the death of Rachel.
In fact, when he finally died some thirty years later, he recalled with vivid detail the moment of sorrow in Bethlehem. And that's the verse we read at the very beginning from Genesis chapter 48 and verse 7. Even after The sorrow of Rachel and the sorrow of Jacob The story continues. Eleven hundred years after Rachel's death, A prophet by the name of Jeremiah wrote these words in Jeremiah 31:15. Thus says the Lord.
A voice was heard in Rama. lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. Refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more. Matthew in the New Testament connects the words of Jeremiah. With another time of great sorrow in Bethlehem.
Watch how this works. Matthew 2, 16 and 18 says this. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry and sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all of its districts from two years old and under according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
Now notice, then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more. Matthew connects the birth of Jesus With the death of Rachel. Matthew looks back to Jeremiah. And Jeremiah takes us all the way back. To Genesis.
It's almost as if you start in the book of Genesis and you have a thread, and you connect that thread all through the scripture from Genesis all the way to Matthew. the story of the birth of Christ in the historic city of Bethlehem. Jeremiah calls forth the ghost of Rachel. to remember the sorrow and suffering that would one day take place, when the innocence were destroyed. in Bethlehem.
How in the world does one ever reconcile the glorious birth of our Savior with the bloody massacre of all of the male children under two years of age? Hear me carefully. In the contrast of death and life is the picture of redemption that is proclaimed in the birth of Jesus. Our God was not responsible for the massacre of those children, but he was responsible for sending one into the world who could, by his own life and death, make it possible. For those who die, physically to live eternally.
And in the death of the babies and the birth of Jesus is the picture. of why Jesus had to come into the world in the first place. Until we see our Lord's birth against the backdrop of the massacre in Bethlehem, we will never realize why it is so important for him to come. He came to rid us of the ugliness of sin, and there is no picture of the ugliness of sin like the infanticide. At Bethlehem.
Even today, in our culture, when we read of little children, Being tortured, or mothers killing their own offspring, or children being abducted. Our hearts are filled with anger because it represents the ugliness of the world of sin. And here in this picture, of Bethlehem. is the killing of babies. And the birth of the baby, who will put an end to all of that, ultimately.
Bethlehem's not just an accident. It's not just incidental. It's all a part of the sovereign plan of God. Bethlehem was a place of sorrow, but as you continue to read the Old Testament, it's also a place of selection. In the book of 1 Samuel, we read a story that's very familiar to most of us.
It's the story of the selection of David to be the king of Israel. We read in 1 Samuel 17:12, Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem, Judah. whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And the man was old and advanced in years in the days of Saul. Little Bethlehem provided Israel with its most enduring hero.
Samuel the prophet had come to Bethlehem, and the scripture says he had been sent there by Almighty God to select the king of Israel who would. Succeed. The man-chosen king, Saul.
So David would be the first God-chosen king. The book of 1 Samuel records how the prophet came to the house of Jesse and he carefully sized up all of the young men of the household. His godly eye finally fell upon David. And the shepherd boy, who was out in the field and wasn't even in the house when the examination took place, the least likely to succeed. here Samuel announced was the raw material of a popular king.
Here stood one who was destined to be known as the man after God's own heart. From Shepherd to King, what an amazing story that was. In Bethlehem, the king of Israel was selected.
Now, watch carefully. Bethlehem became known as the city of David. Jesus is called the Son of David. Through the city of Bethlehem flowed the lineage and descent of our Savior. And the night that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, another king was selected.
He wasn't selected to be king of Israel. He was selected to be king of kings and lord of lords. Isn't Bethlehem an interesting place? Not only a place of sorrow and selection. It's also a place of salvation.
One of the wonderful stories of the Old Testament is found in the four-chapter book called Ruth. And in Ruth chapter 4, verse 11, we read these words: All the people who were at the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses, the Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah. Who built the house of Israel, and may you prosper in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlehem. Here we are in Bethlehem again. From the time that Jacob spoke of Bethlehem as he was about to die.
There's no important reference to the city for many years, and then all of a sudden you open the book of Ruth, and here in this little book, the city of Bethlehem is mentioned seven times. The book of Ruth presents to us one of the most perfect pictures in all of the Old Testament of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Boaz, a rich citizen of Bethlehem, was the near kinsman of Naomi and by law was bound to redeem the inheritance of the deceased relative and marry his widow. We read in Ruth 4:13, so Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. The words redeem, redemption, and kinsman redeemer occur 19 times in the four chapters of Ruth.
And Ruth is only mentioned one time in all of the New Testament. You'd be surprised where it is. You know where she's mentioned? in the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew chapter 1, verses 5 and 6.
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab. Boaz begot Obed. By roof. Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. The whole story of the Old Testament leads up to the birth of Jesus.
in Bethlehem was the story of Jacob. And Jesus was from the descent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the story of the selection of David comes David, and Jesus is called the son of David. And in the story of Ruth, we meet this. Woman.
And in the Genealogy of Jesus, she is mentioned as being in the line of descent of our Savior. And the one thing that connects all of these together is. Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem? Well, the city of Bethlehem was prepared historically, and the city of Bethlehem was prepared symbolically.
In Micah chapter 5 and verse 2, we have the Old Testament prophecy. That tells us that Jesus is going to be born in Bethlehem. And let's remind ourselves of what it says, but. You, O Bethlehem Ephrata, are only a small village in Judah, yet a ruler of Israel will come from you. one whose origins are from the distant past.
Now, in the verse, you will see that Bethlehem has two names: Bethlehem. and Ephrita. Two names, two meanings. Bethlehem means and always has meant the house. Of bread.
It's child. Jesus would later be called. The bread of life, and he would say, I am the living bread which came down from heaven in John chapter 6. What other place but the house of bread would produce such a person as Jesus? But what about the other name?
Bethlehem Ephrata. And the word Ephrata is a much older name for the town of Bethlehem, and it means fruitfulness. Ephroth is a word that means to be fruitful.
So to a hungry time and a thirsting world came the bread of life who teaches us to have a fruitful life in His behalf. Our Savior was born for the hungry as the bread of life. He was born for the helpless. And now He comes to us as our Savior.
So Bethlehem was prepared. Historically, Through Ruth and David and Rachel, and all the story of the Old Testament that finds its commonality in the city. And Bethlehem was prepared. symbolically by its very name. the house of bread where the bread of life would be born.
But perhaps the most amazing thing about this city is yet for us to discover. And that is that the city was prepared prophetically for the birth of Christ. We have alluded to Micah's prophecy, but I want you to catch the importance and the amazement of this prophetic utterance. Because in many respects, Micah 5.2 may be the most amazing prophecy in all of the Bible. Micah said that Bethlehem, the least of all the cities in Judah, would become the birthplace of Christ.
Now hear me friends, Micah wrote that prophecy in 722 BC. Critics who want to destroy the Bible have zeroed in on Micah 5:2 and they've tried to find some way to get it out of the text. because it's a great embarrassment to them and there is no way for them to explain it. But they have not been able to undermine Micah's identification of the birthplace of our Lord. A prediction that was made at least 600 years before the birth of Jesus.
At the time of our Lord's birth, When Herod gathered the whole Jewish Sanhedrin together and inquired where Jesus was to be born, they responded in Matthew 2, 5 and 6, in Bethlehem of Judea, for it is written that way by the prophets, they said. Later on in the book of John, chapter 7, in verse 42, we read that the Jews of Palestine were still willing to admit that Micah spoke of the coming Messiah. Here, They said that Christ comes from the seed of David, who was from the town of Bethlehem. All throughout the early part of the New Testament, we have verification that everyone believed that Bethlehem was the place where Jesus was to be born. Even as Micah had said it would be 600 years earlier.
It is quite a story, this Bethlehem story, and we have more of it tomorrow as we continue to ask the question, why Bethlehem? Men and women, we rejoice in the opportunity that God gives us to talk with you every day and also to place resources in your hand that we know are going to add value to your Christian life. And this year, once again, we are making available our beautiful leather-covered devotional. This year's edition is called A Closer Walk with Jesus. It contains 365 devotionals, one for each day of the year.
So that each morning when you wake up or even at night before you go to bed, you turn to the right date and you'll find a devotional writing to help you grow in your faith. It will be a catalyst for your devotional life and we want you to have this beautiful devotional only available from Turning Point and it's yours for a gift of any size to Turning Point during the month of December. Please ask for your copy when you send your gift today. Thank you for supporting us and have a great day. For more information on Dr.
Jeremiah's series, Why the Nativity, please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected, our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's new 365-day devotional for 2026, A Closer Walk with Jesus. It's yours for a gift of any amount.
You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James Versions, complete with notes and articles from Dr. Jeremiah's decades of study. Get all the details when you visit our website, davidjeremiah.org/slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series, Why the Nativity?
on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.
