“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. “ Micah 5:2

Millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours are spent every year trying to persuade industries to host their trade shows in their cities. Think of the Olympics. Many nations realize the financial impact that hosting the Olympics would bring to their countries and cities.

In keeping with an ongoing theme in Romans, this verse in Micah shows but one example of God choosing a lowly town of Bethlehem to bring Jesus Christ into the world we know.

Bethlehem was obviously a tiny town compared to other neighboring cities. It was out of the way and clearly not ready for the Christ child. Even the rulers of the day feared Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:1-12) to the point that they wanted to kill him. The townspeople saw an influx of people come to their town so they could be counted in the census. Wise men from the East came. Shepherds from the hills came. Travelers from around the region returned home.

And yet, Bethlehem was the birthplace of the Greatest Man ever born among men. Could God have made it any clearer that He cared not for the powerful, wealthy, famous, or prestigious of the known world?