by Barbara Latta
Our information regarding the birth of Christ is limited to
the details laid out in Matthew and Luke. Isaiah spoke of the virgin birth in Isaiah
7:14 and Micah 5:2 lets us know his birthplace will be Bethlehem. But there is
another verse in Micah that is sometimes overlooked that tells us a more
specific location and breaks tradition about the location of the Bethlehem
manger.
And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the
daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come,
the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem (Micah 4:8 NKJV).
Movies and Christmas plays always portray Mary riding into
Bethlehem on a donkey while labor pains are attacking her body as if she is
about to give birth on the back of the animal. Joseph frantically runs from
place to place knocking on doors to find a place to stay and gets doors slammed
in his face with the response of “No room at the inn.”
No Room at the Inn
The word inn comes from the Greek word kataluma and also
means upper room, not necessarily a motel. In biblical times, families extended
hospitality to other family members who were traveling and sometimes to
strangers. No room at the inn could simply mean the upper rooms were all full
by the time Mary and Joseph arrived. The scripture also states, So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered (Luke 2:6 NKJV).. They
could have been in Bethlehem for days or even weeks before baby Jesus arrived.
Sacrificial Lambs
I have read several articles that seem to agree that Midgal Eder,
which means Tower of the Flock,
This was a field were special shepherds were raising sheep
for the temple sacrifices, which was on the edge of Bethlehem at Migdal Eder. The Tower of the
Flock was a place where the ewes were laid when they were about the give birth.
The lamb that was born was then swaddled in cloth to prevent any injury or
blemish from marring the body. Perfection was the qualification for the sacrificial
lambs. This field was separate from other sheepfolds as it only was used for
this purpose.
When the angels gave the announcement to the shepherds, this
group of men would have known the significance of the sign of the Messiah’s
birth. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger...(Luke 2:7) This would tell
them to go to find the Lamb of God at The Tower of the Flock because they would
have been familiar with the prophecies in Micah.
As the infant laid in the manger, which would have been a
stone trough not a wooden box, he was swaddled in cloth. At his death, he was
laid on a stone slab and wrapped in linen. The Lamb of God was born to die.
The Significance of Swaddling Clothes
Bethlehem could have been filled with babies wrapped in
swaddling clothes, but none of them would have been in a manger at the Tower of
the Flock.
Only the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
was born at the place the sacrificial lambs were born. The lambs born at Migdal
Eder were swaddled to prevent any blemishes from making them imperfect. The
Lamb of God was swaddled at Midgal Eder because He was without
blemish.
Where else could the Son of God be born except in the House
of God (Beth-El or Bethlehem) at the place were sacrificial lambs were born?
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world (John 1:29).
How does this information change your traditional views of
the manger? Share your thoughts.
