Preparing for the Season – Shepherds in the Fields
While shepherds watched their flocks by night all seated on the ground, the angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around.
I think one of the most interesting aspects of the Christmas story is who was notified first of the birth of the Savior of the world. It’s not the obvious. I mean, one would think it would be the priests, the levites or scribes, or maybe a prophet. It wasn’t the king or the current Caesar. No, it more ordinary. The first people notified were some shepherds out in the fields at night outside the town of Bethlehem. That’s right – shepherds. So why shepherds? I mean if you really wanted to get the message across, shouldn’t it at least be a religious leader? So I began to research a bit about shepherds in the Bible and I came across some pretty fascinating facts. Now, after all the research, my viewpoint is – of course it was shepherds. Who else would God tell first!
Fear not! said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind. Glad tidings of great joy I bring to all of humankind.
Before we dive in, there is one viewpoint we probably need to clear up right away. For some reason, many would have us believe shepherds were social outcasts representing the humble and lowly people of the day. This seems to be a pretty prevalent position BUT Scripture would show this to be absolutely inaccurate. The fact is this – throughout scripture we find shepherds and shepherding as examples of God’s relationship with His people (think Psalm 23). If they are outcasts, we would have to eliminate several patriarchs, a prophet and even a king from the halls of our Biblical heroes. And then we find Jesus identified himself as being the good shepherd. So, I think we can safely say, they were not considered social outcasts. As we will find, shepherds and shepherding was prevalent throughout the Bible.
To you in David’s town this day is born of David’s line a Savior who is Christ the Lord and this shall be the sign…
So, let’s start of by discovering a few biblical shepherds. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is a few of the more famous names. The first shepherd we encounter is Abel. Genesis 4:2 tells us he is a shepherd and his offering to the Lord was a firstborn lamb – the best of his flock. Abel The next shepherd we encounter is Abraham – the father of the nation of Israel. He is a wealthy and prestigious man and would certainly not be considered an outcast. His son and grandchild Jacob follow in his shepherding footsteps. Next we discover Moses shepherding his flock when he comes upon a burning bush. He is called from being a shepherd of sheep to shepherding the nation of Israel to the Promised Land. The next shepherd we find is David. When he volunteers to go up against Goliath he uses his time as a shepherd as a reference to why he can beat him. 1 Samuel 17:34-37 tells us the story: “David answered Saul, Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” He was confident that the Lord would give him the victory. David goes from being a shepherd to being the king of Israel. God has promised David that his kingdom will never end. One will come from him who will be King over all. And finally, we happen upon a prophet who was a shepherd. Here is his introduction: “The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders from Tekoa what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. He said: The Lord roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.” Yes, shepherds have been prominent throughout scripture. They have fathered nations, led a nation through the wilderness to the Promised Land, been king over a nation and prophesied to a nation. Now, a few shepherds are being called on once again to bring the good news.
The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed, all meanly wrapped in swathing bands and in a manger laid.
Throughout scripture, shepherds and shepherding have been used as an example of how God cares for His people. The most famous of these is Psalm 23. Written by David, this Psalm gives us a unique perspective as it is chalk full of all things shepherding. If anything is going to counter the idea that shepherds were the outcasts of society, the first line of this Psalm would be it: The Lord is my Shepherd. If the Lord is our shepherd, then shepherding must be a noble profession after all. Here are just some of the wonderful illustrations we get from this Psalm. If the Lord is our shepherd, we will not need for anything. The good shepherd leads me besides still waters and green lush pastures. He leads me along the right paths. When I am going through the dark times of life, he is with me, guiding me and comforting me. He anoints my head with oil. He prepares a place for me. All these things are what shepherds do for their sheep, and what Christ does for us. He is the good shepherd. Isaiah 40:10-11 says, “See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him. He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.” What a beautiful picture presented here. God, as our Shepherd, gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment. Ezekiel 34 is both an indictment of bad shepherds and a promise that God will care for His sheep. Here are verses 22-24: “I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken.” Do you see the promise? God will send a descendant of David – the Messiah to us and He will be the good shepherd. In John 10:11-16 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Can you here the echo of Ezekiel 34 in the words of Jesus? He is the good shepherd from David’s throne that will care for His flock.
Thus spake the seraph and forthwith appeared a shining throng of angels praising God on high, who thus addressed their song.
So when you look at all of this, it is no wonder shepherds were the first to be told about Christ’s birth. God called a shepherd to become the father of the nation of Israel. He called a shepherd to lead His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He called on a shepherd to be king over His people and promised that shepherd his kingdom would be forever. He called on a shepherd to bring his people back to Him as His prophet. Other prophets used examples of shepherds to show God’s relationship with His people. And this is why God called on a few shepherds who were out in a field outside Bethlehem one night. They were called to come and see. They were called to bear witness to the Savior’s birth. “After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.”
All glory be to God on high and to the earth be peace, good will henceforth from heaven to earth begin and never cease.
So, we, like the shepherds, are called to come and see. We are called to go tell it on the mountain. We are called to rejoice for Christ has come. In this season, in this year, we need to remember those great words written by a shepherd – “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” God’s goodness and His faithful love will pursue me – all my life. We can celebrate and rejoice in this! And finally – we will dwell with Him. So as the angels sang – Glory to God in the highest and on earth – Peace.
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