It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven. The earliest known mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350–1330 B.C.E., during its habitation by the Canaanites.
The Hebrew Bible, which says that the city of Bethlehem was built up as a fortified city by Rehoboam, identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel.
The president of a Christian university was famous for telling discouraged students: “It’s always too soon to quit.” Those words ring true for all of us, because life is difficult and we sometimes want to give up.
Hebrews was written to tell us to persevere, to keep going, to focus on our great high priest, and to run with patience the race before us.
According to background given in chapter 10, Hebrews was addressed to some Jewish Christians facing renewed challenges.
Though they had confessed Christ as Savior and been faithful in the past, they now faced a new wave of persecution. Some were in danger of reverting to Judaism.
The writer of Hebrews, whoever he was, exhorted them to remain strong in Him who is greater than anything or anyone in the Old Testament.
Jesus is truly our great High Priest, who instituted a new and better covenant and who ever lives to make intercession for His people.
Words like better, more, great, and greater appear about forty-five times in this book, making Hebrews a book of superlatives about Jesus, who is superior to all the angels, prophets, writers, systems and sacrifices of Old Testament days.
While most of us don’t have a heritage steeped in Levitical tradition, we all face discouragement. Hebrews tells us to hold firm to our faith, keeping our eyes on our
Great High Priest, and to persevere, never giving up. With Christ on our side, it’s always too soon to quit.
Key Thought:
We must never yield to discouragement, for our Great High Priest is supreme over-all and sufficient for all.
The church was badly damaged by the Samaritans, who sacked it during a revolt in 529, but was rebuilt a century later by Emperor Justinian I.
Bethlehem now has a Muslim majority, but is still home to a significant Palestinian Christian community. Bethlehem’s chief economic sector is tourism. It has 30 hotels and 300 handicraft workshops.
Key Verse:
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” (Heb 4:14).
Key Action:
Persevere!