Tag: 1 Samuel

Christmas carols in the Scriptures – O Little Town of Bethlehem

Why is Bethlehem referred to as “little” in the Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”? Find connection to the Scriptures and the significance of this little town.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

As I’ve become more familiar with the content of the Bible, words and phrases from Christmas carols take on new meaning as I recognize references in scripture. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is one such carol whose lyrics speak more deeply the more I read my Bible. Let’s look at a few noteworthy observations as we seek to find significance in this song about a small town.

Christmas carol

This may not be the most well-known Christmas carol. Songs like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” or “Silent Night” tend to top the list of a Christmas carol sing-along. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is more likely to be a song some singers in the group know but not all. The other two songs clearly sing of the angels or nativity scene with mother and child. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” focuses on a location. What’s so important about that and why is it described as “little”?

That’s precisely what caught my attention this year as I pulled out holiday tunes to play on the piano. Let’s look at the name of this song to discover some details about its significance.

O Little Town

Why little?

This description of “little” comes from a reference in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew:

“And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.” Matthew 2:6 NLT

This is actually a reference to words of the Lord through the prophet Micah in the Old Testament:

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
    whose origins are in the distant past,
    will come from you on my behalf.” Micah 5:2 NLT

Did you notice the contrast of how these are both written? The Old Testament excerpt describes Bethlehem as “only a small village among all the people of Judah.”

Then the Lord continues to proclaim, “Yet a ruler… will come from you on my behalf.”

The New Testament passage from Matthew declares, “You, O Bethlehem… are not least among the ruling cities of Judah.”

Then continues to announce, “For a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”

The Old Testament passage from Micah helps us understand the label “little”. But we also see that in spite of Bethlehem’s small stature, this little town was chosen for a great purpose.

Bethlehem and a ruler

This ruler, a shepherd, points forward to Jesus. The Son of God sent from the Father. Jesus the Good Shepherd. (John 10:11,14)

Bethlehem is the birthplace of the Messiah. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, the town of Joseph’s lineage.

“And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” Luke 2:3-5 NIV

David, a shepherd, who also happened to be the least of his brothers. When the Lord sent Samuel to the house of a man named Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king, no one expected the youngest son David to be chosen.

“Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’

‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered. ‘He is tending the sheep.’” 1 Samuel 16:10-11 NIV

Bethlehem and provision

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we find another connection to Bethlehem and to David. A widow named Naomi returned to her people in Bethlehem. Accompanying her was her faithful daughter-in-law Ruth, also a widow who was from Moab.

Ruth met and married a man named Boaz, a guardian-redeemer (Ruth 2:20) whose act of redemption brought Ruth into his family and provision for the widow. From this union a woman on the outside joined the family line of Judah and became an ancestor of Jesse and of David, the shepherd who grew to be king. (Ruth 4)

From this family line came the One who would be ruler and shepherd, Jesus.

Bethlehem’s significance

Bethlehem, the place the shepherds journeyed to after a visit from an angel gave them word of the Messiah, the Savior born there. (Luke 2:8-15)

While Bethlehem may have been small, her role in history is far reaching. And who came to Bethlehem but shepherds, the outcasts of society, and a pair of widows, easily forgotten were it not for the presence of a redeemer.

And who came out of Bethlehem but a shepherd David, the youngest of his brothers, and a Savior, Christ the Lord.

What of your story? Do you see yourself with a small part to play? What greater role might God have for you that’s bigger than you imagine? Your part may be more significant than you realize. Take a cue from a small home town that birthed the greatest gift from God.

Looking for more Christmas carols?

Christmas Carols in the Scriptures – Angels We Have Heard on High

Christmas Carols in the Scriptures – O Holy Night

Christmas Carols in the Scriptures – Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Christmas Carols in the Scriptures – The First Noel

Christmas Carols in the Scriptures – O Come O Come Emmanuel

Wondering how to get started with the Bible? Here are five simple steps to get into the Bible.

A bike and the Bible – Revelation – part 16

Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is where we find comparison to the final stretch of the bike ride. Join me as we shine some light on the path.

Perspective

We had traveled over several trestles on the length of this bike ride. They first appeared far in the distance – I hadn’t even realized they were a part of the route.

As we progressed further I began to realize they were an integral part of the trail. I started to see them in relation to other sections of the landscape of this trek. We can make a similar connection to the book of Revelation against the backdrop of the whole Bible.

Return to the tunnel

One more book to go. Revelation. Remember that tunnel at the beginning of the ride? The shuttle bus dropped us back at the wrong end of it in my opinion, but that’s the only place it stops. I think it’s really good that I had no clue I would have to ride through this tunnel one more time. I personally think that would have been my undoing had I realized this traumatic tunnel where I had encountered my fears would be my point of escape.

Revelation

For me, the book of Revelation was kind of like that too. The letters of Paul and others were comprehensible and then came Revelation, steeped in imagery. If I had thought the Gospel of John was hard to read with all of its visuals, Revelation came across like a bad dream. Well, it is the vision of the Gospel writer John.

Avoided reading

For years I avoided reading Revelation. Since I didn’t initially get the imagery of the Book of John, I had an even harder time understanding Revelation, penned by the same author.

Like the tunnel at the beginning of the ride, my first attempt at reading Revelation was a plunge into incomprehension and darkness. Nothing made sense.

Connections to the beginning

Once I read through the whole Bible though I saw some connections to the beginning in Genesis. Which is fun since I had to ride back through the tunnel at the end of the ride. And if you recall from early posts about this bike ride I referred to the start of the Old Testament as the long dark tunnel.

Tunnel of darkness

At the start of the ride I ran into the 1.661 mile long tunnel of darkness and unknown obstacles, many of which were internal (fears). Which was the same tunnel I now approached on the return.

Trying to initially read through the Bible I also encountered the long dark tunnel of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Same issues

The beauty of the similarity of this journey is that in some ways, the same issues I had with getting started with the Bible, were the same ones that prevented me from crossing the finish line with this behemoth book in the first place. This last book of Revelation, this prophecy for the next chapter with Jesus, revealed nothing to me initially, only confusion.

Confidence

So what changed?

Well, for one thing, my confidence to even open it and read what was in it.

When I did, I was astounded. No, I didn’t suddenly have a full comprehension of what was in it. I was still confused. But my Bible was open to Revelation, and I was open to taking a look at God’s Word this far into the Bible – at the end of the book but not the end of the story.

What I noticed

So what did I notice?

I noticed this Revelation was a vision, what God had revealed to the Gospel writer John while he was exiled on an island. (Revelation 1:1,9-10)

I recognized references from Genesis (tree of life, tribes) and names for Jesus – the Lion of Judah, the Lamb, and the Root of David. I remembered reading about Judah in Genesis, the Lamb in Exodus, and about David in 1 and 2 Samuel. And those are just some of the places we find them.

Did I understand everything I read? No. Did I read through it even though I didn’t fully grasp it? Yes. Did I gain more confidence having read through it and opened this book in the first place? Yes.

I recognized more from Revelation because I had taken a chance at the beginning to read from Genesis, Exodus, and further in.

The point wasn’t to comprehend everything, but have a better sense of what was there.

As with the tunnel. The 1.661 mile tunnel was still dark and much too long for my taste. The ceiling still dripped water and the road still slanted toward the gutters. But I knew that now. I was aware of those elements, those aspects of this previously unknown path.

I had ridden the length of the trail. I knew what to expect, even if what I knew was that I would still be traveling in darkness. That revelation provided a level of assurance as I made the return trip through this space that had tripped me up at the onset.

What changed

We raced through the tunnel. Partly because we were hungry and way behind schedule, but also because I had grown a bit on the journey.

It was the same tunnel, but I was changed.

I now had the strength to endure, the tools to continue on this journey in spite of the darkness I would inevitably encounter. And I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.

I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.

Through my experience of the entire ride, the clunky start, the angst, the hesitation, I had gained skills over the course of my journey. And perspective. As I learned more about the route I saw how the pieces fit together. I could see where I’d been and where I was headed. And though I still struggled periodically along the route, I gained skills that helped me as I continued along the path.

Had skills

So by the time I arrived at this tunnel that had plunged me into darkness and confrontation of my fears, I had skills that helped me cope with the darkness and confidence that I was indeed riding toward the light.

Remember that mud stripe I saw on the backs of the ones who had ridden through the tunnel on the way in? That stripe came from riding quickly through the tunnel. When my husband and I emerged from the darkness we discovered that we now had the tell-tale sign of an experienced rider.

I wore my mud proudly. Yes, I rode the route. I pedaled fast. I sailed through the tunnel. I had enough light on the way back. I had confidence to soar through the darkness to reach the light.

And much in the way we were tagged by the trail and our experience with it, so do we, as we dive into Scripture and pursue the length of the journey, emerge as ones who have been with Jesus.

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NIV

Want a quick review of Genesis?

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

Or a few more insights on Revelation?

Beginning with the Book of Revelation