Grace and peace to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.
Hear the Word of God, from Micah 5.2-5a:
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. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 5 And he shall be their peace.
In the Hebrew language, the meaning of the term Bethlehem is “House of Bread,” with Ephrathah serving as both the name and description of the surrounding region: “fertile.” The original ancient settlement was on a high ridge, with terraced gardens and fields on its adjacent slopes. It is little wonder that shepherds maintained their flocks in the surrounding area; what better place could there be to find provision than at the House of Bread?
In the December 23, 2017 edition of National Geographic, Nicholas Blencoe offers this additional information about the ongoing history of Bethlehem:
“Bethlehem is a collection of very fertile villages that grows almonds and, more importantly, olives for oil. It’s so fertile because Bethlehem sits on an enormous aquifer, which eventually became the water source for Jerusalem in around 200 BCE. There were so many Jewish pilgrims coming to Jerusalem that the city couldn’t cope. The older water supply was contaminated by the animals slaughtered in the temple. They needed fresh water and this came from Bethlehem. Bethlehem was built specifically to sit on top of the aquifer and be the defensive military installation guarding the whole infrastructure. It’s a fortress town amongst a series of villages, which is why the Bible always talks about the best tasting water coming from Bethlehem."
"That’s what Bethlehem is: a place that guards the water.”
The “House of Bread” is also “The Place that Guards the Water.”
In the Old Testament Book of 2 Samuel, we are told that King David, who had grown up shepherding his father’s sheep on Bethlehem’s slopes, recalled how sweet the water from Bethlehem’s well had tasted and longed to drink it again. Perhaps it is against this backdrop that David, when he was fleeing for his life in the barren wilderness desert of Judah, wrote the following words of Psalm 63:
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
2020 has been a wilderness year for many of us. For many, the flesh has actually fainted under the attack of a debilitating virus; too many have died in this pandemic, and too many are mourning the loss of loved ones during this Advent season as a result. For others, the economic impact of this crisis has left them fearful of where and whether their next portions of bread and water will be found. For others, the hunger and thirst for a sense of what is “normal”…or even the longing for the flesh-and-blood companionship of family and friends…have created sleeplessness on our beds in the watches of the night.
When King David experienced the physical, mental, and emotional toll of his time in the wilderness, he looked upon the power and glory of God, recalled that God’s steadfast love is better than life, and praised Him for being his help even when he felt he was in the shadow of God’s wings rather than soaring upon them. David sang for joy in the shadow, for he trusted God to uphold him.
Three centuries after David’s time, around 700 B.C., the Old Testament prophet Micah predicted another Ruler would come from Bethlehem, with an origin older than Time itself:
"And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace."
Seven centuries later, the second chapters of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament tell us that this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, the Descendant of King David, the Jesus who said of Himself:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6.35
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4.14
Jesus, born in the House of Bread that Guards the Water, is our provision in our wilderness experience, no matter what shape or form that experience may be taking for any of us. No political principle, no philosophical promise nor physical pleasure can offer what can be found in the Person of our Prince of Peace, for He stands and shepherds His flock in the strength of the Lord. “They shall dwell secure…and he shall be their peace.” He is our Provision.
The great missionary E. Stanley Jones wrote, "Earth's blackest day and earth's brightest day are only three days apart." Jesus carried us through the days from His cross to His resurrection. He will carry us through these days as well, as we cling to Him in faith.
He is our Provision...and the only Present we need this Advent.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
Amen.
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