Scripture to Read: Luke 2:8–9
God reveals to us another group involved in Christ’s life in Luke 2:8–9, In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. Some might wonder why God included the shepherds in His story. Many people may not realize that Bethlehem’s shepherds were known to be the ones who took care of the temple flock. These sheep would have been the ones used for sacrifices in the temple. So, God had chosen to send His angel to give these shepherds the Good News that the Lamb of God had been born. Christ is the perfect, spotless Lamb who sacrificed Himself for the sins of all mankind. What an incredible act from our God to include these shepherds to declare His perfect Lamb had been born. Just as Mary was afraid when Gabriel showed up to talk with her, these shepherds were afraid. As God’s Word says, it was nighttime and unless these shepherds had a fire going, they would have been out under the star-lit night. When the angel appeared, God’s glory shone around the shepherds. We have no idea how bright God’s glory was but that in itself would have caused the shepherds to be fearful. God’s Word tells us they were terribly frightened, so this was a dreadful fear, but Good News was about to be shared with them, and we’ll examine that tomorrow.
Challenge & Application
What difference do you see between how angels are drawn today and how they appear in God’s Word?
Why did God use the shepherds as part of Christ’s story, and how is God using you to continue His story?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!