Shepherds Glorifying and Praising God - Luke 2:20

Luke the physician wrote how an angel and a heavenly host appeared to shepherds to tell them of the Messiah's birth, and “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 has made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds, But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart”, and in chapter two and verse twenty of his book Luke shares how, “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God” where we read:

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The verse reads, “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, ...” Luke began with the words, “and the shepherds returned” or “and the herdsmen or ones who oversaw, cared for and presided over sheep went back to their field”, “glorifying” which means “honoring, praising, extolling, magnifying and celebrating” “and praising God” or “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “for all the things” which means “because and on account of each, every, the whole and everything” “that they had heard” or “that the shepherds were given the faculty for hearing, perceived, understood, discovered and discerned” “and seen” which means “and perceived, noticed, discerned and discovered with their eyes”. Luke shared how the shepherds went back to their field where they were tending to sheep and continued “honoring and praising” God for everything they were privileged to “hear and see”.

The verse continues, “... as it was told unto them.” Luke added the words, “as it was told” which means “in the manner and exact likeness to what was uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” or “to the shepherds”. Luke shared how the shepherds “heard and saw” these exactly the way the “angel” told them it would be.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see the reaction of the shepherds to this wonderful encounter with the Messiah Jesus. They could not refrain from rejoicing and praising God for all He allowed them to “hear and see”, and whenever a person truly discovers who Jesus is and His desire to have a personal relationship with them, they too shall rejoice, praise God and “glorify” Him for His wonderful works that are extended to all who believe.

Next time Luke shares, “when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS”, 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".