For most of us, the name Bethlehem immediately summons images of a manger and shepherds and a star shining brightly in the night sky, guiding visitors from far away eastern lands.  Many hear the words Phillips Brooks, rector of the Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia penned in 1868 following his return from a visit to the Holy Land.

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless streets
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The Everlasting Light 
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight. 

Few places in all of Israel better illustrate the lengths to which the enemies of the Jewish people will go to deny the truth of their heritage in the land for thousands of years than the fate of Bethlehem.  This obscure village in Old Testament days became famous because it was the home of King David.  And in fulfillment of prophecy Bethlehem is where Jesus was born about a thousand years later. 

The name Bethlehem means “house of bread” in Hebrew, and it is located not far from Jerusalem.  It is fitting that the Bread of Life would be born there to a young virgin named Mary who had made the lengthy and difficult trip from Nazareth with her espoused husband, Joseph because they were both descendants of David.  The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem marks the spot where, according to tradition, Jesus was born.

But today most visitors to Israel who go desiring to see the places where the important events of Scripture happened do not visit Bethlehem.  The city is in territory controlled by the Palestinians, and the danger of attack is so high that many tours of the Bible lands no longer include a visit to the birthplace of Jesus.  Many of the Christians who once lived there and in other areas of controlled by the Palestinian Authority have been forced to move because of the threat of violence.  

In fact, the number of Christians of various denominations living in Palestinian areas is estimated to have declined approximately 90% in the last century, with most of the change happening in the recent past.  Today the letter “N” painted on the outside of a house (symbolizing the residents are followers of Jesus of Nazareth) is often the precursor to vandalism or even a violent attack.

Yet because Bethlehem is currently under Palestinian control, the claim is often made that Jesus Himself therefore is a Palestinian rather than a Jew.  This outrageous falsehood is declared publicly without shame (and too often without rebuttal from those who know better) by Palestinian leaders.  The Nativity scene at the Vatican this year featured the baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, the traditional checked Palestinian headscarf.  

Those who deny historical Jewish links to this land God promised to Abraham thousands of years ago are either ignorant or deliberately deceitful.  This land is essential for Israel’s security and self-defense.  It is not part of a historic Palestinian state, for there has never been one.  Israel did not conquer Palestine—they defeated the forces of Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967, after Jordan had illegally seized the land during the War of Independence launched by Israel’s Arab neighbors in 1948.

Israel has a divine right to the Bible lands of Judea and Samaria, what the world calls the “West Bank.”  The Jewish people who live there are not occupiers of enemy territory.  They live in Israel.  Land for peace has been proven to be folly because so many of the Palestinians do not want peace.  They want Israel destroyed.  Every friend of freedom and every friend of the Jewish people should stand with Israel when it comes to control of the Bible lands.  

Moses had experienced the presence of God as manifested in the plagues that beset the Egyptians before the Children of Israel were allowed to leave Egypt. He had seen the pillar of fire at night and the cloud during the day while he led the Israelites through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. He had great faith in the ability of God to take care of His children. And yet, because of his relationship with Jehovah, Moses asked for an even more intimate experience: He wanted to see, firsthand, the glory of God.

Moses is the only man in the Bible to have made such a simple, yet dynamic request, and with it, he stood head and shoulders above all other Bible characters. It was surely the sincere longing behind the petition that touched the heart of God and moved His hand to grant the desire of Moses’ heart. He had favor with God, and the Creator of the universe responded. How did Moses feel after He had made such a bold appeal? Did he tremble at the audacity of his entreaty? Did he quake in his sandals? Did the hair on the back of his neck stand up at such boldness?

Moses had a sustained track record of favor with God. He knew Jehovah to be faithful. He had seen His glory in the burning bush, in the fire and cloud, in the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, in the salvation of an entire people during the solemn Passover. Moses was sustained by both faith and favor; he knew his God.

Moses’ favor with God had been earned in the fire of adversity and the cloud of spiritual union. He need not fear a close encounter with Jehovah; he knew that he had purified himself and was prepared for the meeting. Moses refused to allow fear to rob him of stepping into the very presence of Jehovah. As the Apostle Paul wrote in I John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.”

In Exodus 33:13, Moses petitions God to “show me now Your way, that I may know You.” He wanted to know the way of God, before he requested to see the glory of God. He established a bond before he sought a glimpse of the Almighty. Moses was not a beggar who had to grovel at the back door of the throne room, seeking but not expecting an audience with the Lord of the manor. No, he was a son who had access to the front entrance, an open door because he had favor with God.

A place by God, covered by His hand—cherished, protected, blessed, and highly favored! Moses saw, not the God of judgment, not the all-consuming fire; he basked in the presence of a God who loved the man He had chosen to lead His people, the one upon whom rested favor with God. This is the favor God wants you to experience in your life.

Judges 6 relates the story of Gideon, a man who was basically a wimp! When we first meet Gideon in this chapter, he is hiding in fear from the Midianites in order to thresh wheat for his family. And yet when the angel of the Lord approached Gideon, his greeting in verse 12 was, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” You can imagine that Gideon’s response would be: “Who me?” and it was.

In his own eyes, Gideon was a zero, a nobody, a failure, and certainly not a “mighty man of valor” as he had been addressed. He was pretty sure God could not use him for anything, much less something that required boldness! But God was saying to Gideon: “You don’t know what you can do when you allow yourself to be accompanied by My presence and filled with My power.”

Gideon was slow to warm up to the idea of being a mighty man of valor, to be the one chosen of God to engage the entire Midianite army in battle. He could not comprehend that God wanted him for the task at hand. He was not some superhero, but he had two things in his favor: God’s power and presence.

With God’s assurance that he was the man for the job, Gideon chose to obey God. He quietly issued a call for the people to gather and was astounded when 32,000 showed up! But God had a different plan, one that would further challenge Gideon’s dependence on Him. Imagine his dismay when God told Gideon the army was too large and introduced His plan to streamline the troops to a mere 10,000 men. Even then, God determined that number to be too large and devised one further test that sent 97% of them home as well.

Three hundred men! That was Gideon’s army. The Midianite army was said to be “without number.” (See Judges 7:12.) Yet Gideon obeyed God’s very specific instructions. Each man was to carry a trumpet and a pitcher with a torch inside. The men were divided into three companies of 100 each and spread around the perimeter of the Midianite camp. At the appointed time, they were to blow their trumpets, smash the lamps and yell, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon” (Judges 7:20b.)

When the cacophony of noise awoke the Midianites, they were seized with panic and fled before the army of the Lord. Gideon pursued the enemy until it was vanquished. Gideon could have walked away from God’s plan at any time. In the natural, it must have seemed totally impossible to win Israel’s freedom from the marauding, murderous Midianites. However, Gideon chose to believe that the power and presence of Jehovah-Mephalti, the Lord my Deliverer, was greater than the multitude of Midianite militia.