On the Road Again

by Sandra Gilmore

When living in East Tennessee, it doesn’t take long until a John Muir quote surfaces, jarring us to discover something wonderful we’ve overlooked. The embarrassment of neglect is eclipsed by the joy of realizing something beautiful that’s been on our path all along. Mr. Muir validates his quest into these hills, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”

We can take a cue from Mr. Muir’s point. Regarding the Bible, when one tugs at a single thing in the Bible, he finds it attached to none other than Christmas! This is the first in a series of articles about connections to Christmas. Stay tuned each month in 2022 for more articles about the unique and often overlooked connections to this sacred event.

Our first tug toward Christmas is at a little town called Ephrathah or more specifically, the road connecting Ephrathah Bethlehem as it meanders even farther toward Jerusalem. True to form, this tug leads us across the dusty centuries to Christmas.

Nothing changes the world quite like a road. Whether an intercoastal highway or a simple footpath, the landscape and scope of living become connected. Communities exchange philosophies along with produce, and cultures as well as commodities.

The Psalmist assures us, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Although the road passing by Ephrathah mutely carries its travelers, the Word spotlights grand events. Through Scripture, we know King David’s men found the Ark of the Covenant at Abinadab’s house near this tiny town. With a grand and holy procession, David took the Ark back to Jerusalem (Psalm 132:6, 2 Chronicles 1:4). As Benjamin gasped his first breaths from the dusty air alongside this road, his mother Rachel breathed her last (Genesis 35:19). Centuries later, Jeremiah’s tears would stain this road without recourse as Babylonian soldiers forced Rachel’s shattered tribe to captivity (Jeremiah 40:1). 30 // March 2022

Not all the tears along this road were unhappy. Naomi’s friends formed a welcoming committee for Naomi’s daughter-in-love and blessed her, “All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, ‘We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem’” (Ruth 4:11).

It’s no wonder the Christmas story unfolds in Matthew with a quote from Micah, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

God’s people were steeped in the history of this road from Ephrathah to Jerusalem. The torch of prophecy and the lantern of history shed light on this well-worn pathway. And even today, we’re looking to this road for connections to Christmas!

About The Author Sandra Gilmore serves the Lord as wife, mom, and encourager, mostly through writing and speaking, occasionally through cooking, rarely through anything athletic and only because of the mercy and grace of Jesus. You can reach her by email: tandsgilmore@yahoo.com or her website www.sandragilmore.org.