Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
There a couple of things that stand out to me here.
These were some godly shepherds. Why else would the Lord chose to send His angels to them?
The presence of angel brings fear to the hearts of men. These were no wimpy guys and they were afraid. The angel tells them to "fear not".
The shepherds were expecting the Messiah. These men had been reading about this day for probably their entire lives and it had finally come.
The angel expected them to go with hesitation to see their Messiah. He told them what the sign would be, "Find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" and there wouldn't be a way for them to see the sign without going.
There was some great singing in the night sky. When the sky is filled with singing, that is a big place to fill. The angels understand how special the Messiah is and they express that by singing with all their might.
This was big and the shepherds knew it. They knew it enough to leave their flocks right where they were, in the nigh, when animals of prey come and attack the flock, but that didn't slow them down, "they went with haste".
Mary knew that what the angel had told her was true and now she had physical proof that it was true. She must have been amazed that God had chosen her to be the mother of the Son of God. "She pndered all these things in her heart".
The shepherds went back to work, but they were no doubt changed men when they returned. Can you imagine the breakfast table the next morning? They had seen the long awaited Messiah, and they would never be the same again.
When God calls His children to do something, He is expecting us to do it immediately. He expects us to be waiting, with anticipation, His return. He expect us to be pondering and meditating on His Word so that we would be righteous ones when He returns.
What a glorious day tat was, when God sent His Son to the earth to be a payment for our sins. "What wondrous love is this oh my soul".
No comments:
Post a Comment