Pastor Paul & Friends at "The SUB"

Luke 2:4-5 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the lineage of David:) (KJV)

In terms of history, Bethlehem is a pretty busy place. Not mentioning all the times it played a role in times past, I would like to focus on three important times history put its cursor on this little town south of Jerusalem.

The trip that Joseph and Mary took to bring forth the Christ child is really the third “all-important trip” made to Bethlehem.

The first great journey starts hundreds of years before that in the book of Ruth (a quick read consisting of only four chapters).  A man named Elimelech leaves Bethlehem with his wife Naomi, because there is no bread there. [Basically what it means to you and I today is that he was unable to find a good job... you know, ‘no bread’.] After Elimelech relocates, he finds nothing but misery and struggle and he and his two sons pass away leaving Naomi with two daughters-in law. Naomi and Ruth stay together and go back to Bethlehem.  Now this is important because Ruth, through a couple turns in life, marries a man named Boaz. They have a son who has another funny-named kid that everyone will laugh at in school, named Obed.  This funny-named man, Obed, has a son whose name is Jesse, who becomes the father of a really special guy who finally has a real name (David) that you can make a reservation with at a nice restaurant.

This takes us to the second great journey to Bethlehem - when Samuel the prophet goes there. This is, by the way, more really great reading (See 1 Sam. 16). Anyway, God has removed His divine anointing from Saul, the king of Israel, because of his sinful ways. God sends Samuel to the house of Obed’s son, Jesse, to ultimately anoint his little ruddy son David to be the King.  Where did all this happen?  You got it, in Bethlehem! God promises that through David, the Messiah would come.
So that brings us to the Third great Journey to this little town of Bethlehem. That is when Joseph, who can trace his birth line to David, is told by an angel to take a virgin named Mary to be his wife.  And just like life for most of us, that is when all the problems start.  You know after the ring. So to get to the conclusion of this story they have to go to Bethlehem since Joseph is of the linage (ancestry) of David. He takes his very pregnant wife with him. Getting to Bethlehem would fulfill the prophecies concerning the birth of the Christ.  So in Bethlehem when our Savior was born to Mary and Joseph, it finishes what was begun with Ruth and Naomi