Bethlehem

The word “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.”

Let us go to Bethlehem. We reach there around 1200 B.C. There is famine in the land. A man moves out with his family to the land of Moab in search of food. There he and his sons die. After all this, his wife heard that “the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them” (Ruth 1:6 NIV). So she, Naomi, returns to her homeland Bethlehem with one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth.

Later, Naomi arranges for Ruth to be married to a relative named Boaz. When he married her, the people wished him that he will be famous in Bethlehem. And his son Obed became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. And Bethlehem later became known as `the town of David” (Luke 2:11).

And in this town, Jesus the Son of David was born. He was the bread of life (John 6:33,35,48–51) who came down from heaven. God found it appropriate that He be born in the “house of bread.”

In the earlier story, there was a famine in the “house of bread.” It can happen to us too if the bread of life is not found in our lives.

But these famines will be over when God provides food. What we have to note is that God has already provided it in the form of Jesus. He is the bread of life. If we cannot survive physically without eating food; we cannot also survive spiritually without eating of this heavenly food.

Therefore let us open our hearts and homes to be “Bethlehems” where the bread of life will provide us with food in plenty.

 

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