Luke the physician shared how a male child was born to Joseph and Mary, and afterward, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”, and in chapter two and verse fifteen of his book Luke shares how the shepherds say, “let us now go even unto Bethlehem” where we read:
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 has made known unto us.
The verse reads, “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, ...” Luke began with the words, “And it came to pass” or “and it happened and came into being”, “as the angels” which means “even as the messengers or envoys of Heaven” “were gone away from them” or “departed and left the shepherds” “into heaven” which means “towards the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings”, “the shepherds said one to another” or “the herdsmen who cared for sheep uttered, declared and proclaimed each shepherd to the other shepherds”, “Let us now go” or “allow and permit we shepherds to depart and go forth immediately” “even unto Bethlehem” which means “till we reach the town of Bethlehem whose name means house of bread”. Luke shared how the “angels” went back into the Heavenly region, and the “shepherds” decided to “go” to “Bethlehem” where the “angel” told them the “Savior” was born.
The verse goes on to say, “... and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.” Luke continued with the words, “and see this thing” which means “and observe, perceive, know, be aware of and care for this event” “which is come to pass” or “that has happened, appeared and come into existence”, “which the Lord” which means “that the One whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah” “has made known unto us” or “has revealed, certified, declared and given understanding to the shepherds”. Luke shared how the shepherds desired to “observe” the baby “Savior” about which the angel told them.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see the reaction of the shepherds to the news of the “angel”. They decided to see with their own eyes the fulfillment of the words of the “angel”, so they left their “field” and went to “Bethlehem”. They heard the news about this “Savior” who would bring “peace” and “good will” from God to mankind, and this news was too great to simply ignore. The shepherds heard the “news”, and responded by going to where Jesus was. Those who are wise will do the same today – hear the “good news” of Jesus, and simply come to Him in belief and trust Him as a personal “Savior and Lord”, and God will provide “peace” and “good will” that will last for all eternity.
Next time Luke shares how the shepherds, “came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe, 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".
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