Shepherds Abiding in the Field - Luke 2:8

Luke the physician wrote how Mary, “brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn”, and in chapter two and verse eight of his book Luke shares how,“there were in the same country shepherds” where we read:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

The verse reads, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, ...” Luke began with the words, “and there were in the same country” or “and there existed in that selfsame region, territory or surrounding area” “shepherds” which means “herdsmen who were overseers of sheep” “abiding in the field” or “living in areas under the open sky”. Luke shared how “herdsmen” were living in a “field” under the open sky.

The verse continues, “... keeping watch over their flock by night.” Luke added the words, “keeping watch over” which means “guarding, overseeing, preserving and protecting” “their flock” or “the herdsmen's fold of sheep” “by night” which means “during the night time hours”. Luke shared how these “shepherds” were “overseeing” their “flocks of sheep” during the night time.

When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we see new characters within the scene of the birth of the Messiah Jesus. This time it was “shepherds” who were not very well esteemed among people and out of favor with most. These “shepherds” will play a significant role during the time of Jesus' birth, and as we shall see, they became promoters and heralds of His coming. God's plan was being implemented for the “salvation” of mankind, and because people needed to be “saved” from their sins, Jesus came so they could be in a personal relationship with Him. The “shepherds” were involved in this process because they became examples of how all people must come to Jesus, and as we consider these things, let us pay particularly close attention to their role and yield to the word of the Lord's birth even as they.

Next time Luke shares how, “the angel of the Lord came upon them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".