Luke 2:8-11 "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose to reveal this amazing event to the
lowly shepherds? It seems in that time that the shepherds were considered
as lesser citizens. Remember when the Lord sent the Prophet Samuel to anoint
the second king of Israel? Even Jesse, the father, thought the older sons would
surely be the one selected by God; yet, God chose the younger son, David the
shepherd. On this momentous occasion, God chose to send the birth
announcement to those shepherds who must have been forgotten by everyone else;
but, they were faithful in carrying out their appointed duty of keeping the
sheep. It is not insignificant that we are told, they were "keeping watch
over their flock by night." They were not sleeping. They were not
inattentive to their responsibility; rather, they were "keeping
watch." They were doing what they were supposed to be doing and they
were doing it well. It was to these men that God sent the angel with the
glorious message, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
We are told throughout Scripture that God reveals Himself to those who are
lowly in heart. Hear the words of Jesus, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good
in thy sight." (Matthew 11:25-26) Then the Apostle Paul was inspired
to write these words, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21) He went on to say,
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God
is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) To me, this is saying that in
order to see, understand, and rejoice in the glorious message of Christ's
birth, we must lay aside our own thoughts and ideas. The simple truth is
this, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16) Let us receive and rejoice in this blessed truth.