Bethlehem

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The prophet Micah prophesied in Judah seven hundred years before Christ. It was indeed a mournful time; for the kingdom of Israel hovered on the brink of destruction, and the godless character of the realm of Judah had increased to such a degree as to fill the peaceful in the land with the most dismal apprehensions for the future. Micah, by his prophecies, brought those fears to a climax; for frightful things they were which he predicted to the two kingdoms. To the kingdom of Israel he announced its near and entire destruction by the hands of the Syrians; and to the kingdom of Judah he uttered the harsh words, “Therefore shall Zion for your sake be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.” But the more awful the threatening of those thunders which he wielded against the rebellious and apostate ones, the more sweetly sounded the music of the promises with which he consoled and cheered the drooping hearts of the faithful. The very message we have heard to-day may convince us of this. It is a message from God; but at the same time, one which, before it was uttered, must have passed through the heart of the prophet; for it bears witness of a spirit deeply moved and attuned to the tones of Advent. Here is another period of the time preceding Christ, when we hear the joyful chiming of the Advent bells; and here we behold him not merely in the mirror of prophecy, but as received by the faith of believers, and as understood by the human mind. Let us now contemplate this prophecy of Micah more nearly, and direct our attention to the little city of which he speaks; to the expression “And thou” which he uses in addressing it; and to the coming One whom he announces.

I. The text of to-day contains the first prophecy of the Messias in which the name of Bethlehem is mentioned. The birth-place of the expected Saviour had never been known until now; although the deeper and more clear-sighted minds in Israel, had perhaps in some degree anticipated whence the great and long-desired Morning Star was to arise. The nearer the day of his advent approached, the more precise were the prophecies concerning it. In the infancy of our race, the intelligence of that future Saviour who was to bruise the head of Satan was only revealed in general terms. In the times of the patriarchs this Deliverer was more precisely described as a scion of that people who, numerous as the stars of heaven, were to proceed from the root of Abraham. In the days of Moses and the Law the cry resounds to us from the death-bed of

Jacob, “Judah, thou art He!” — thus pointing out to us the tribe from which the Sun of Righteousness should arise. During the government of the Kings, the prophecy attaches itself with still more precision to a single house, for out of the family of David the Ruler was to proceed. Two hundred years later, Isaiah predicted that a virgin of this family should bring forth Emmunuel. Micah then steps forward and names the place of his birth; while, at a still. later period, Daniel determines the time when he shall appear. “Seventy weeks,” he says — that is to say, seventy times seven years — are determined “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

There is no place in the world so important to us as Bethlehem, and none which will repay so well a few moments’ contemplation. It was situated on a rocky eminence some miles from Jerusalem, where its ruins can be traced even in the present day: “God Almighty established it on the top of the mountains, and exalted it above the hills, that all nations might flow unto it.” Vineyards and olive-trees garlanded the eminence on whose summit lay the little city; but the fairest vine flourished within — a vine whose fruit quickens our souls even now. Around Bethlehem rocky cliffs were mingled with fruitful valleys and cultivated fields: — even this seems to me to have a spiritual signification; for some groan with fatigue in approaching it, while others bind the sheaves and sing harvest-songs. In ancient times there was no want of rich pastures for the young lambs, nor yet is there at the present day; but with this difference, that now they are heavenly plants which grow, to nourish the flock of the good Shepherd. “When the Star of Bethlehem appeared the little town had already tarried more than two thou sand years in expectation of him. Many remarkable things had, meanwhile, taken place here, which carried their reward to those who could unriddle them for their hidden kernel was sweet as the gospel o* peace.

Bethlehem is first mentioned in the history of the patriarch Jacob; and a lonely grave bore testimony even in later times, to the melancholy event which took place here. At a short distance from Bethlehem, Rachel brought forth her youngest son; but the pains Ot death came upon her, and she knew she was about to die. With her last breath she therefore called her new-born babe Benoni, or “the son of my sorrow;’ though his father afterwards changed his name intc Benjamin, or “the son of my right hand.” “And Rachel died,” continues the history, “and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” The symbolical and spiritual signification of this family scene is evident to every eye. In Rachel we behold a picture of all Israel, and recognise their spiritual history. Like her they were dying on the pilgrimage to Bethlehem, although for a space of two thousand years. They hastened, borne along on the wings of ardent desire, towards the cradle of the promised King; but, alas! they remained long on the journey; and many of their sons were named, with tears, Benoni, when they saw that they were not the long-promised Seed whom they never for a moment ceased to expect. “These all died in faith,” says Paul, “not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off; and were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Thus the tomb of Rachel commenced the list of the burial-places of many thousand others, who in the course of their pilgrimage had been arrested by death ere they had attained the much-desired goal. Alas! many pilgrims in our day, proceeding along the road to Bethlehem, resemble those misty vapours which in the morning hours are seen ascending the mountains; but which, ere they have attained the summit, are dissipated amidst the cliffs and fissures by the noon-day heat. Ye know what the apostle says of those people — “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” And what our Lord also says, — “Many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in,” (at the strait gate,) “and shall not be able.” Oh that the souls of those people whom we have just described, instead of regarding Christ with indecision and lukewarmness, might be inspired with the resolution of giving themselves up entirely unto the Lord!

After Rachel had slept nearly a thousand years in her tomb at Ephratah, the little town on the mountain again starts into notice; for, owing to a remarkable occurrence, it is placed in a most mysterious and important light. Two women clad in mourning garments come out of a far country to Bethlehem. The elder, Naomi, is by birth a Bethlehemite; she comes from the land of the Moabites, where she has dwelt for many years with her husband Elimelech and her two sons, having been obliged to take refuge there on account of the famine in their land. But, alas! now that she is able to return to her beloved country and the home of her youth, she sees herself bereft of her dearest ties. She has buried in a distant land those who made life pleasant to her — with the exception of one, her step-daughter Ruth, like herself a mourning widow; and who has said to her — “Entreat me not to leave thee — for where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried — thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God!” What is it that happens now in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem? The lovely Ruth is industrious, and occupies herself in gleaning the ears of corn after the reapers; for the two women are poor and in want. Then comes Boaz, the master of the field, “a mighty man of wealth;” he is pleased with the appearance of the pious and modest Ruth, and takes her to be his wife. All the people in Bethlehem wish them joy, and say, — “The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel; and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be praised in Bethlehem.” Afterwards, when Ruth bore a son, the women said unto Naomi, without the least idea of what their words betokened, “Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel!” They prophesied without being conscious of it; for who are the people to whom it is addressed? is it not the family of the Lord Jesus 1 The son whom Ruth bore was Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David, and one of the descendants of David was Mary, the blessed Virgin. How wonderful, that in the fields in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, by the blessing of Jehovah, the covenant between Boaz and Ruth was concluded! And how remarkable, that the people at that time should say, — “The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house, like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel!” How strange, that the great Prince of peace should have a mother from amidst the heathen! and how gladdening and enlivening, thus to be able to trace the secret government of the Almighty God in histories at first sight the most unlikely! They shew us that for more than a thousand years He was mysteriously employed in preparing with wonderful care for the advent of the future Saviour!

We now leave Bethlehem, but only to return to i after an interval of about a hundred and fifty years Hark! What sounds so beautifully in the distance a we approach the gates of the little city 1 It is joyfu and heart-enrapturing, like music from another sphere. Yonder, leaning against a rock, stands a youth, ruddy with exercise, and beautiful; around him peaceful flocks are pasturing, and before him rests the harp, whose strings he is touching, and to whose notes he is singing songs of inspiration. As the sun rises out of the sea, he commences his morning hymn — “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun; which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.” When the storm-cloud gathers over his head, he brings out other tones from his lyre, and sings — “O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty: who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot; who walketh upon the wings of the wind.” Night falls around, and the stars twinkle in the firmament, when the beautiful youth sings his evening song — “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” These are the words which he sings to the music of his harp. Do you not recognise the pious shepherd on Bethlehem’s hills? David the beloved is his name. Deep and mysterious tones proceed in the quiet solitude from his sacred lyre; and the sheep and the lambs play around him joyfully. This harper was sent to consecrate by his minstrelsy those silent heights; and his psalms were the prelude to a sweet and immortal song that was to be sung upon those very hills!

David has exchanged the shepherd’s crook for the sceptre, and now wears the kingly crown. We must once more return with him to Bethlehem, for in warlike array he enters the field against the Philistines, who have taken possession of his father’s city. The king is thirsty from the heat and fatigue of the day, and says to his generals — “Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” Upon this, three heroes rush with drawn swords into the camp of the Philistines, draw some of the water from the well of Bethlehem, and bring it to David. The king, however, will not drink it, but pours it out as a drink-offering unto the Lord. This was another important and most significant occurrence. In Bethlehem there was a precious fountain. My brethren, this water flows to the present day, and has water enough to satisfy the whole world; and whosoever drinks of it, in him it becomes a spring of living water flowing unto everlasting life. This spiritual water, like that poured out by the hands of David, flows unto the Lord in prayer and praise, in aspirations and in actions done to his honour; while the three heroes who fetched it from the well of Bethlehem may be compared to a true and living faith, which, armed with the sword of the word, penetrates through all hindrance and opposition, doubt and delay, until it reaches the spring, when it both drinks and procures water for others. May this faith which accompanied David’s thirst accompany yours also, ye pilgrims towards Bethlehem; and may your joy over the nativity of our blessed Lord gush forth and flow like the rivers of waters! II. God had distinguished the town of Bethlehem in various ways, and thus afforded ample food for conjecture to the deeper spirits among the Israelites. At last, seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Micah arose, and followed those obscure hints and intimations by a clear and definite prophecy which no one could mistake, — Out of Bethlehem should come forth the Governor that was to rule the people Israel. All the world now knew this, and the faithful were no longer at a loss on what point in the universe to direct their gaze, an object having been provided for the aspirations of their hearts. — “And thou, Bethlehem /” Thus begins this wonderful sentence. The words “And thou!” are those of the Lord, but Micah utters them; thereby expressing the emotions which are excited in his heart by the divine revelation.

They have a threefold signification. The prophet, by using them, first particularizes the city; secondly, they may be taken as an exclamation of joy and gladness; and thirdly, they express the astonishment and wonder which Micah experiences at the idea, that out of Bethlehem the Governor was to come that shoulc rule the people Israel. It appears to him almost in* credible, that out of the insignificant village which Joshua thought unworthy of being reckoned among the cities of Judah, and which was too small to furnish even a thousand men of war to accompany a leader into the field, — that out of this shepherd’s hamlet the Saviour of the world, the God-man, the King of kings should come forth. Yet, astonishing though it may appear, Micah’s faith is not shaken. No! the though is pleasant to his heart, and is sweet and consoling to him. Is it not so to you also, my brethren? If there is one among you who takes no pleasure in contemplating the Lord of glory in his mean and lowly form, descending among us in such humility that the poorest worm or the frailest sinner was inspired with courage, and had confidence to approach Him — if there is one among you who loves not to consider Him in this point of view, then he is unfit for the kingdom of heaven. In the pilgrim’s weeds which Jesus wore, ye must discern those garments that “smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia;” in his deepest humiliation, the eye of faith must behold his brightest glory; and his garland of thorns must waft a consolation to your souls, such as could proceed from no kingly crown. If this be not so, ye are still far from his kingdom, and the rejoicing over the birth of Jesus can find no response in your hearts.

“And thou /” — What joy as well as astonishment and wonder are expressed in those little words! It is the exclamation of rapture and delight! Micah had been threatening his country and his people with terrible things — when suddenly there gleamed through the darkness of the night, a star of hope pointing towards Bethlehem. What then was to happen within Bethlehem’s walls? and what did the prophet experience on beholding it? The clouds of sorrow which had gathered over his soul were instantly dispelled as though by a whirlwind. Joy transported him beyond himself; and in his delight he uttered the salutation “And thou!” to the little city on the mountains. If rocks could speak, and if solitudes had voices, of how many pious Israelites should we hear, who, since the prophecy of Micah, sat upon the elevations surrounding Bethlehem, unable to withdraw their gaze from the. favoured city, and feeling as though in its contemplation all earthly cares and sorrows might well be forgotten! And certainly, my brethren, if we also have not experienced something similar in regarding the birth-place of our Saviour — if we also, in whatever sorrow we may have been plunged, have not at least felt a sensation of joyful hope thrill through our bosoms as often as the name of Bethlehem -has been mentioned — then most assuredly we cannot congratulate ourselves that the treasures of Bethlehem are ours. No place in the whole world should be so dear to us as Bethlehem; no town we can think of should move our hearts so wonderfully and powerfully as this. We should rejoice with child-like gladness whenever Bethlehem is mentioned; and if we do not do so, we cannot expect to approach the table of our Lord with a Christmas blessing.

“And thou!” are the words of Micah. Bethlehem was already in existence — but where is the Hero — where is the Prince of peace within its gates? and whence is He to come? This is asked — this is whispered in the heart of Micah; and the words “And thou /” are but the expression of his ardent longing. After Micah’s prophecy, Bethlehem became the object of the desires and aspirations of thousands of waim and devotional hearts; for it was the point of the whole earth which attracted the eyes of the faithful, and the spot on which were centered the hopes of the world.

Even during the captivity of the Israelites in Babylon, while Bethlehem lay deserted and in ruins, it is improbable that it was unfrequented. Its ruins would still be the object of anticipation and faith, and amidst its desolate walls gentle voices would still sing the songs of lamentation and of hope. And now, my brethren, are your souls moved with the same feelings as the holy saints of old? Do you feel the same sensations of joy and rapture? Is Bethlehem the object and the goal of your desires 1 Is the King that shall come forth out of Ephratah dearer to you than all besides 1 and if you but possess Him is all else valueless in your eyes? Oh, then, hesitate no longer; but consider yourselves as those for whom the marriage-feast of the Lord has been prepared — as those whom Jesus himself has invited, and who will advance to meet you with salutations of joy and gladness!

III. Who then comes out of Bethlehem 1 “He shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting!” Thus we have again before us “the Man Jehovah” the Man who is God the Lord in the highest. If the prophecy of Micah appear dark and mysterious, the New Testament throws full light upon it, and accurately determines its signification. In 1 Tim. iii. 16, the greatest of the apostles, referring to the mang«« in Bethlehem, writes, “God was manifest in the flesh;’ thus explaining and making intelligible the words ol the prophet. “God” is the expression of Paul, and Paul knows well what he utters; — for, like the angels that stand before the throne of Jehovah, and who only enter the presence of the Almighty with their faces covere 1, he would not presume to employ the name of God vi here he had not the divine permission. He uses the word God as the most definite and comprehensive name by which he could designate the man in whom he revered the Creator of all things, the Fountain of life, and the Ruler of the universe. This God, this glorious One, who dwells in a light to which no one can approach, He has appeared, and is manifest in the flesh. He was manifested when by the word of his power at the creation of the world he said, “Let there be light; and there was light,” He was manifested when the commandments were thundered forth from Mount Sinai; he was manifested when in a human form he met Abraham, and when he spoke with Moses as a man speaks with his friend. But what was all this when compared with the manifestation of which Paul speaks, and along with Paul, Micah? It brings into connexion two natures as different from each other as heaven and earth. They join together in one, God and man. Unheard of combination! Most astonishing alliance, scarely to be believed! A thousand obstacles seem to lie between, but in a moment they are all overcome. God might have revealed himself in a visible form, amidst lightning splendour in the clouds; or, by a voice from heaven, manifested himself still more clearly to mortals. He might have instructed men by heavenly messengers, or disclosed himself by means of wonders and signs to the blind and deaf throughout the world. Had he willed to appear personally, he might have assumed long ago the form of a holy angel, or taken upon him the unfallen and glorious nature of the first of our species. But ao! such was not the Eternal counsel! Not God and angel — not God and Adam — but God and our disorganized nature, were joined together in one! The whole Bible declares to us that it so happened. Oh, unutterable mystery! The Eternal become a creature of time! The Unapproachable, an object which we have seen with our eyes, looked upon, and handled! The Lord of lords, a brother and a relative of miserable sinners! The All-holy One, a partaker of our misery, and a sojourner in our vale of tears! The Disposer of every creature tended by a mortal mother! The Consoler of all affliction, weeping with those that weep, and suffering along with them! The Thunderer amidst the clouds, at whose reproof the heavens tremble — a lisping, stammering child on the bosom of the Virgin! And He who gives life and breath to all, become for our sakes needy and helpless — an infant requiring the hands of men to guide him, and the love of a mother to watch over him! All this is now clear as day; it is the perfection and the crown of the wonders of God! Here we stand upon a height beyond which neither the spirit of man nor of seraph can soar I And this incarnation of God did not take place merely in appearance; it took place in deed and in truth, and is now an historical fact. In order to believe and comprehend it, one must be God himself, or else a simple child; yet, whether it is believed or not, let us still cry Hallelujah! for we know that it has been done!

This God become man is not the Eternal Father himself, but the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person. Therefore Micah says, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting;” meaning, out of the essence of the Father. He was from eternity with the Father, distinct from the Father, and yet one with him: the living image o. his glory, perfection, and beauty; and therefore the eternal object of his love. And, oh wonder of wonders! it entered into the Father’s heart to send this, his only-begotten Son, into our sinful world! The fact of his incarnation seems almost incomprehensible, did not the unutterable compassion of God solve the mystery; for never did the light of the countenance of God shine so benignantly over the benighted earth as in the promise and sending of his beloved Son. The doors of his fatherly heart had never before been so opened to receive us as they now were in Bethlehem; and all the past love which had been shown us since the beginning of the world, seems, in comparison 01 this, as the first glimmer of the morning dawn to the full blaze of the noon-day sun.

Hitherto a faint and distant prelude had been heard, until at Bethlehem a full burst of harmony proceeded from a thousand voices. And now we may ask the question, What induced the Father to send us his only and well beloved Son? It was enough that he willed to save us. And wherefore did he will to save us 1 Because he pitied us. Why did he pity us? Because we were lost. Why did the fact that we were lost touch his heart with compassion? Because he loved us. Why did he love us 1 Because he saw us already in €hrist, whom he purposed to send. Why did he behold us in Christ and not in our sins? Because otherwise he must have destroyed us. And why did he not destroy us 1 Because he did not will it. We now stand at the boundary of all human knowledge and comprehension. This love which made him resolve to give his Son for us, had its origin in himself; and was like the tones of an iEolian harp, which, without being touched by human hand, gives forth sweet melody. But no! this is not a just comparison; there is always a cause for the music of this harp, though it should only be the faintest breath of air playing among its strings. The love of God, on the contrary, was like nothing in this world; for every thing here below has its origin in something, while this kindled of its own accord, and, if 1 may so speak, was caused by itself. This love we now behold surmounting all those impediments which our sins opposed to its progress — illuminating Bethlehem’s night with its sunny splendour — rendering the whole earth bright with its rays, and transforming the death and darkness in which the world has been plunged into happiness and light. This love resembles a mysterious sea, — an unfathomable ocean; you may throw the lead, but here no bottom is to be found. Use telescope after telescope, and still you search for coast and shore in vain; and I think that the view of Adam’s paradise or the heaven which was opened before Stephen, could scarcely be so enrapturing as a glance into this depth of compassion, — into the love of Jehovah’s heart; and I think that to bask in the rays of this love would he far better than to lie in the pool of Bethesda, os to dwell in the tabernacles of Tabor.

“Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,” cries Micah, “out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel!” “To me” shall he come forth, says the prophet; and this “we” is not merely uttered by Jehovah, in whose name Micah prophesies, but it is an expression from the very heart of the prophet. Micah thus appears to us in the act of raising up a standard of rebellion; he resolves no longer to serve his hereditary lords — Satan, the world, and the flesh; he renounces his allegiance to them, and awaits another Prince, under whose government he will be ruled. It is to his banners he summons you to-day, my brethren! Shake from off your necks the yoke of slavery! Tear your souls away from the grasp of the enemy! Set yourselves in open warfare against Satan, whose chains you now wear; against the world that holds you captive; against sin, that murderous serpent; and against the spirit of this backsliding, antichristian age; and bow the knee to him who comes to you in the name of the Lord of Sabaoth. Bethink yourselves, however, that it is a whole and perfect sacrifice which you must offer up to this Prince; there must be no reservation, or you are unfit to enter his kingdom. Here there is only one question, — “Lord, what dost thou require? Is it my heart? it is here. My body? it is consecrated to Thee. My gold and silver? use it according to thy good pleasure. My temporal happiness? I sacrifice it, if it is thy will. My darling plans? I offer them upon thy altar!” If ye can utter from your hearts language such as this, then the gates of heaven shall be open unto you. Jesus himself inspires us with them; — he himself loosens our tongues. An angel now accosts us on the path with the Christmas salutation, “Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy!” And we ourselves can rejoice with Micah, and say, “0 Bethlehem Ephratah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, who shall be Israel’s Lord, Israel’s Saviour, and Israel’s messenger of peace!” Amen.