Why Bethlehem? (part 2)

Revelation 12:1-5; Genesis 35:16-19; Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.  Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.  His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.  She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne (Revelation 12:1-5). This is a strange passage but it holds the key to another reason Bethlehem was the birthplace of the Savior.

---

Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. 17 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.” 18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

Genesis 35:16-19

Thus says the LORD: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Jeremiah 31:15

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 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 2:16-18

---

I know this is a lot of scripture, but I want you to see that this is not an arbitrary connection. It is important for us to know that God had a plan for the redemption of His people from the very beginning of time. Yes, the Bible says that, but we need to know that the events of human history have been fulfilled to complete that story as well. Even what seems to be tragedy or seemingly trivial events.

In John's vision in Revelation, he saw the image of a woman who was prepared to give birth. The key to understanding who this woman is can be found in her clothing. John said she was clothed with the sun, the moon was under her feet, and her head was crowned with 12 stars. Joseph had a dream in which we have the interpretation of this vision. The sun was Jacob, the moon was Rachel, and the 12 stars were the 12 sons of Jacob (Genesis 37). The woman is about to give birth and a dragon is waiting to eat her child. The dragon is Satan (Revelation 12:9). The child is Jesus. We know this because he was caught up to God's throne, and Jesus is at the right hand of the Father today (Hebrews 10:12-13).

The Genesis passage tells us about a bittersweet moment in the life of Jacob. This event is the birth of his youngest son, but it is also the death of his beloved wife Rachel. Perhaps you remember that Jacob worked for 14 years to be able to marry Rachel. Jacob and Rachel had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph was his father's favorite because he was the firstborn from Rachel. This is the same Joseph whose dream gave us the key to unlock the events of Revelation 12. Rachel died while Jacob was taking his family back to Canaan. Rachel died and was buried near Ephrath which is Bethlehem. This seems like a minor detail, but like most things in the Bible, it is not.

By the time we get to Jeremiah, 1,300 years later, this little detail becomes a vital part of prophecy. If you take the time to look up Ramah and Bethlehem, you will find that they are about 11 miles apart. Rachel was buried near Ramah on the way to Bethlehem. So, according to Jeremiah, she is weeping in Ramah, but her weeping is over the events in Bethlehem. These events are the slaughtering of the baby boys two years old and under in an attempt to kill Jesus. Matthew makes this connection clear. To come full circle, Herod tried to kill Jesus as a fulfillment of Revelation 12. Satan wanted to destroy the plan of salvation before Jesus could complete it. If he could kill the baby, there would be no redemption for humanity, and he would have a victory over God. That did not happen. God protected His Son. In all of this, we see the plan of God completed in the history of humanity. If you have been saved, it was not by accident. From Genesis to Revelation, the story of redemption is both foretold and fulfilled. This is another reason for Bethlehem!

Father, thank You for being detail -oriented. Minor events that seem insignificant are keys to understanding Your plan. May we seek to understand Your Word more each day. Help us to see Your plan and providence in Your Word. We also thank You that tragedy is not in vain. Help us to trust You in this as well.