Bethlehem

Bethlehem is called the City of David because King David was born and raised there. It was his hometown before he became king of Israel. Samuel came to Bethlehem specifically to anoint David among Jesse's sons. Jerusalem is also called the City of David, but for a different reason: David conquered it and made it his capital.

Caesar Augustus ordered a census requiring people to register in their ancestral towns. Joseph, being a descendant of David, had to travel to Bethlehem with Mary. This fulfilled Micah's prophecy that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. God used a Roman decree to bring about the fulfillment of prophecy spoken 700 years earlier.

There was no room in the inn when Mary was ready to give birth, so Jesus was laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. This humble beginning fulfilled prophecies about the Messiah's lowly estate and demonstrated that he came not in worldly power but in servant humility. The shepherds, among the lowest in society, were the first to receive the announcement and visit the newborn king.