"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."
Micah 5:2
To start off my new Advent series, I'm reflecting on O Little Town of Bethlehem. It is one of the more understated carols, not as loud and joyful as O Come All Ye Faithful or Hark The Herald. When I was listening to this carol in preparation, I was really struck by this verse in Micah.
I remember the first time I read this verse. I was reading a Bible in a Year plan and after feeling a big overwhelmed with reading this little book of Micah, this verse really stood out for me. Bethlehem is just a little place. Maybe not the most special town, definitely not somewhere a King would be born. Yet this little town is where God planned for the Saviour of the World, Jesus Christ, to be born.
God doesn't always choose to do things the way we would expect, but they are always good. In this little prophecy, God showed us that Jesus would be born in that little town years later. Not a town that we would have chosen for a King or even God Himself. But over and over again in the Bible, we see God choosing the insignificant, unworthy and hopeless places and people to bring about good.
It might not always be what we expect, but He brings it for good.
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