"Go Even Unto Bethlehem"

The Christmas season is a time when a special oppor­tunity is presented for bestowing gifts on those to whom they will bring genuine pleasure; a time of peace and good will; a time when our thoughts are directed toward the miraculous birth of our Lord in the lowly surroundings of a Judean stable.

But in the midst of all these experiences it is possible for us to miss what might rightly be called the tonic of the Christmas carol. As we ponder this message of Christ­mas, it will be apparent at once that it is not confined to a brief commemorative period of time, but is one that has all-the­year-round relevance. There are at least three experiences in sacred history in which this message appears, and although one of these had no reference to the Christmas story, it serves to underline the wider im­portance of the theme.

The key is set for us in the chill midnight air of the Judean hills, where the assembled shepherds have just heard the angelic an­nouncement of the birth of a "Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Then we read of their unanimous response, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us" (verse 15). It is in quite different circumstances that the same thought is echoed, if not ex­pressed in so many words, when the jealous and suspicious King?^- Herod, on learning from the itinerant Wise Men the distressing news of the arrival of a supposed new King of the Jews, "sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child" (Matt. 2:8). This same thought of going to Bethlehem was expressed centuries before by the sorrowing Naomi, who jour­neyed there with her loyal daughter-in-law Ruth.

The message of Christmas that is so im­portant to each individual does not reside in the tinsel-bedecked tree reinforced by the sleigh bells and the dazzling whiteness of the Northern Hemisphere, or the shimmering heat of the azure antipodean skies. It is intensely personal and is linked with the inner meaning contained in the experi­ences of Ruth, the shepherds, and the Wise Men. For individual spiritual development it is vital to understand that there are im­portant reasons why we should "go even unto Bethlehem," not solely in the last month of the year, but as a continuing ex­perience, refreshing our souls throughout the year.

The story of Ruth opens with a brief glimpse of the tragic loss by Naomi and Ruth of their menfolk. It is with heavy hearts that they make their decision to re­turn to Bethlehem. Verse 6 of the first chap­ter reveals that a strong motive for return lay in the reversal of the famine conditions that had caused Naomi's original depar­ture. There was now bread in Bethlehem—of course, the very name of the town means "the house of bread." This city was well named, for it stands on a gray limestone ridge more than 2,500 feet above sea level, and it seems like a natural oasis to the weary traveler. Here the repelling Judean desert gives way to orchards, olive groves, and fields yellow with grain. The barren wastes of unproductive desert are replaced by fertile hills and fields of fruitfulness.

There are certain points worth noting in the fact that Ruth left Moab and came to Bethlehem. If we consider the origin of the area as recorded in Genesis 19:36, 37, Moab might well represent sin, in which case the spiritual food there would be in marked contrast to the type of soul-satisfying food obtainable at the house of bread. If we are to find the bread of life in our own lives, there must be a complete severing of all ties with the sinful practices summed up by the term "Moab." One cannot be an inhabitant of Moab and Bethlehem concurrently. Ruth found bread in Bethlehem, and we will also find bread when we return to Beth­lehem.

Our returning to Bethlehem is tanta­mount to receiving the bread of life that Jesus Himself spoke about in John 6:35. Bethlehem could represent Christ, the Bread of Life, who came to this earth and assumed human form so that we mortals might eat of Him and receive eternal life. Let us leave the fleshpots of the world, which at best hold only a few scraps of unpalatable and • unprofitable food, and return to the more complete and satisfy­ing spiritual food so freely available to all at Bethlehem. And just as Ruth's blessed experiences began when she returned to Bethlehem, so will ours.

However, it should .be noted that Ruth had to start gleaning in order to obtain food. As used in Ruth 2:7, 17 the word "gleaned" infers intensive and painstaking activity, a consistent rather than a spasmodic effort. Such effort sets the standard of our symbolic gleaning in the house of bread—our search for spiritual food in the Word of God. Is it diligent and thorough, or is it Irregular and unsystematic, confined to a few brief snatches as time permits? A re­turn to Bethlehem should bring with it a deeper desire to be a more diligent gleaner in God's Word.

A significant element in the story of Ruth is that she found her kinsman at Bethlehem (Ruth 2:20). According to the pattern of contemporary Mosaic custom, the next of kin to the deceased had the opportunity of marrying the widow to preserve the fam­ily name and to redeem the inheritance. Just as Ruth found her redeemer in the person of Boaz in Bethlehem, so when we return to Bethlehem we will find the Re­deemer, not wrapped in the infant swaddling attire, but clad in the pure white robe of sinlessness, awaiting our decision to ac­cept His proferred garments of salvation. It was to Bethlehem that God sent His Son "to redeem them that were under the law" (Gal. 4:4, 5).

There were those who answered immedi­ately the call to come to Bethlehem. There were the shepherds, lowly men who, be­cause their occupation involved so much time on the rugged hills in the dangerous and at times lonely tending of sheep with the consequent loss of some of the customary graces, were considered by some to be social outcasts. Despite this, these shepherds were devout men, for "through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Sav­iour, and prayed for the coming of the King to David's throne."—The Desire of Ages, p. 47. The message which was given to them (Luke 2:11) was the message of "a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." This is no less than the gospel message. Their reaction, as recorded in verses 15 and 16, reveals no shadow of doubt, no philosophi­cal surmisings, no attempted logical ex­planations. Here is immediate action—the action of faith. And unable to hide the light of revelation, "they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child" (Luke 2:17). The contrast with the attitude of the religious leaders of the time is most vivid, for when "the report of the angels' visit to the shep­herds had been brought to Jerusalem, . . . the rabbis had treated it as unworthy of their notice."—Ibid., p. 62. It takes faith to go to Bethlehem, and these rabbis did not have it.

The emphasis, however, lies on what we do after we have been to Bethlehem and received the gospel news. Our great need to­day is to return to Bethlehem to catch a fresh glimpse of the Saviour, to receive spiritual strength, to revitalize our belief in God and His Son in a world rent with the doubts of atheism, and so-called higher criticism. Bethlehem represents the source of much-needed power and strength. In this sense Bethlehem is a forward step in the plan of salvation, for it focuses atten­tion on Calvary and the great saving work of our Lord. The message to the shepherds, "Fear not," is still today the message of Bethlehem, the most effective tranquilizer for the tensions of this modern age.