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| Behold those lowly village shepherds |
#humble_shepherds
#little_kings
Behold those lowly
village shepherds... and those little napoleons in Jerusalem
Luke 2
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.
12 And this shall be
a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.
15 And it came to
pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said
one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came
with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had
seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this
child.
18 And all they that
heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all
these things, and pondered them in hr heart.
20 And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told unto them.
Look at the
responses of the lowly village shepherds to the glad tidings the Lord had made
known to them. Are you of their kindred? They wholeheartedly believed the glad
tidings brought to them. Initially, they were overcome by the majestic
appearance of the angels but once they recovered from that they sprang into action.
- "Let us NOW
go even unto Bethlehem..." There was this sense of urgency to meet the
newborn Saviour, Christ the Lord. To them, everything else can wait. To many,
it is "what's the rush. Christ can wait!"
- "Let us go to
see this thing which IS COME TO PASS..." The Saviour, Christ the Lord,
whom they had been expecting has finally arrived. These simple village folks
were expecting their Messiah, foretold by the prophets! They must see for
themselves this wonderful fulfilment!
- "Let us see
the thing which the Lord hath made known to us." To them, it is the Lord
Himself who had made known the glad tidings to us, though it was delivered
through the angel of the Lord.
- "And they
came with haste..." They rushed from the field to the inn. How earnest and
eager they were to meet their Saviour. There was a full moon - in the middle of
the month of Tishri - bidding them godspeed.
- "And when
they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying..." They were
eyewitnesses. They not only believed what the Lord had made known to them, they
actually witnessed the truth of it, and they bore witness to what they had
seen!
- "The
shepherds... glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told unto them." The lowly shepherds rejoiced in the
great honour the Lord God of heaven had bestowed upon them; they glory in the
coming of the Saviour, Christ the Lord; and praised God for the fulfilment of
the great promise.
What is your
reaction to the glad tidings brought to you?
Are you like these
lowly shepherds?
Or are you like
Herod the King and his fellow urbanites of Jerusalem, of New York, London,
Putrajaya, or Timbaktu?
"When Herod
the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him."
Matthew 2
1 Now when Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is
he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and
are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the
king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Are you TROUBLED by the glad tidings concerning the Saviour, Christ the Lord, the King of the Jews?
Little kings are
indeed troubled by the coming of the King of kings!
But sinners rejoice
at such glad tidings!
It's safe to fool around with a babe in a manger;
He is now the
exalted King of kings on His throne. Be wise, pay homage. Amen.
Psalms 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest
he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
