Beit Lechem (Bethlehem)

Bethlehem which means “house of bread” is on the border between the wilderness and the hill country. By understanding the geographical region of Bethlehem we can understand the biblical accounts that occur in Bethlehem. David a shepherd boy tending his flocks near Bethlehem and the story of Ruth gleaning from the field of Boaz, all tie into the geographical location. When Yeshua is born in Bethlehem there are shepherds out in the fields (Luke 2:8). I also hold to the opinion that the time of year for the birth of Yeshua is around the time of Succot in the fall (late Sept. early Oct.), just after the last harvest according to the agricultural calendar. In Luke 2, angels of the Lord appear to the shepherds, proclaiming the birth of Messiah. The angels came to the lowest “class” of people. Westerners often portray shepherds as a group of middle aged men, but in Israel shepherds are more often than not young boys and girls. “The angels praised god saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’”(Luke 2). The streets of Bethlehem today are probably not much different than the time of Yeshua, small and crowded because of the census that was issued of the entire Roman world (Luke 2).