Bethlehem was the burial place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob. - Gen. 35:19 - Bethlehem also was the ancestral home of David. - 1Sam. 7:12 - The most important Old Testament figure associated with Bethlehem was David, Israel great king. At Bethlehem prophet Samuel anointed David as Saul's successor. Although David made Jerusalem his capital city, he never lost his love for Bethlehem. 2Samuel 23:14-17 is a warm story about David's longing for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem which was a Philistine garrison at the time. But when three of David's mighty men broke through the Philistine lines to draw a drink of water, David refused to drink it because of the blood that had been shed for it.
The prophet Micah predicted that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah - Micah 5:2 - a prophecy quoted in Matthew 2:6. It is significant that the King of kings who was of the house of David, was born in David's ancestral home. According to Luke 2:11, Jesus was born in 'the city of David', Bethlehem, Christ, who is the Bread of Life, was cradled in a town whose name means "House of Bread".
Now at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census - the first - took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and traveled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem since he was of David's House and line in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed who was with child.
While they were there the time came for her to have her child and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified but the angel said, 'Do not be afraid, Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:
'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to men who enjoy his favour'.
Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us'. So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. as for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told. - Luke 2:1-20 -
Page 1
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
No comments:
Post a Comment