8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby,
guarding their flocks of sheep.
***
(Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem
as a symbol of Israel’s constant daily need for a remission of their sins.
Bethlehem, only five miles from Jerusalem, may have provided many of those lambs.
Also,
As part of the law of Moses,
the firstborn lambs were to be offered to the Lord as a special sacrifice.
(Exodus 13:1-2 NLT)
This would mean that the shepherd would need to set the firstborn
apart from the other newborn lambs.
That meant that they would have had to be alert and vigilant day and night.)
***
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
***
(“The radiance of the Lord’s glory” broke into a quiet night
and the world would never be the same.)
***
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
***
(As David was called from shepherding in Bethlehem to be anointed as king,
so these shepherds were sent by the angels to Bethlehem
to see the newborn King and Shepherd of Israel, born in David’s line.)
***
12 And you will recognize him by this sign:
You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
***
(Specific directions to a specific baby. No possibility of error.)
***
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—
the armies of heaven—
praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Luke 2:8-14 NLT
***
[The shepherds’] night watch had been interrupted
by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels.
God goes to those who have time to hear him–
and so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds.”
Max Lucado