Glory to God in the Highest

I have frequently written about how Mary might have felt when Jesus was born in a stable and her precious baby was placed in the only cradle available, a manger, a feeding trough for the animals. However this unusual circumstance became a sign for the first group of visitors. 

You might imagine that the religious leaders or the synagogue rulers of Bethlehem would be first to visit the baby Messiah but no. God chose shepherds as the first visitors; uneducated, straight from the fields, probably dirty and smelly working men. 

But God loves shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and now his Son who would become the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5: 4). Jesus spoke of himself: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10: 1 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10: 14 – 15 So it is not surprising that the shepherds were the first to hear the news and what a way they heard the announcement. 

This is surely one of the great events of history. Here we have shepherds possibly looking after the temple sheep (more symbolism) and suddenly into the darkness an angel appears with the words, ‘Fear not.’ The Bible is full of angels telling people to ‘Fear not.’ Obviously a glorified angel is a terrifying sight. These men would have been used to fighting off wild animals, rescuing silly sheep from their own predicaments, even dealing with sheep rustlers but an angel appearing – and they are terrified. 

The angel then made the royal proclamation. Today, a baby has been born, a Saviour, the Messiah. The shepherds were given the sign. This baby would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. However there was more. 

A royal birth requires the royal choir of heaven to rejoice over the Son of God entering the world of men. Suddenly – I love God’s suddenlys. Suddenly heaven was torn open and the heavenly choir stepped forth. What a sight that must have been! A choir of angels singing glory to God. How amazing! You can imagine the shepherds either lying terrified face down on the earth or standing with their mouths hanging open.

When the angels had gone back into heaven, the shepherds decided to investigate. You can hardly imagine them settling down round the fire again. They ‘hurried off’ and found everything as it has been described to them. What Mary and Joseph thought of this group of uneducated, uncouth men turning up to coo over the baby we do not know but whilst the shepherds went out and evangelised the whole area with the good news of the birth of the Messiah, Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2: 19). She didn’t need to tell the world that her baby was the Messiah, the shepherds did that. 

Jesus wasn’t born in a palace in splendour to come and spread beneficence to his lowly subjects. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1: 14). Literally it means the Word tabernacled amongst us – just as God had done with the Israelites in the desert ‘dwelling’ in the midst of the encampment. 

Jesus didn’t come to hob nob with the rich, the famous, the religious. He came and dwelt with ordinary people – shepherds and fishermen, tax collectors and sinners. And he will come and dwell with each one of us – if we will only ask him. Then we will be those ‘on whom his favour rests’ and we will know his peace – ‘the peace that passes all understanding’.

Glory to God in the highest

I have frequently written about how Mary might have felt when Jesus was born in a stable and her precious baby was placed in the only cradle available, a manger, a feeding trough for the animals. However this unusual circumstance became a sign for the first group of visitors.  

You might imagine that the religious leaders or the synagogue rulers of Bethlehem would be first to visit the baby Messiah but no. God chose shepherds as the first visitors; uneducated, straight from the fields, probably dirty and smelly working men. But God loves shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and now his Son who would become the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5: 4). Jesus spoke of himself:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10: 1

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10: 14 – 15 

So it is not surprising that the shepherds were the first to hear the news and what a way they heard the announcement. This is surely one of the great events of history. Here we have shepherds possibly looking after the temple sheep (more symbolism) and suddenly into the darkness an angel appears with the words, ‘Fear not.’ The Bible is full of angels telling people to ‘Fear not.’ Obviously a glorified angel is a terrifying sight. These men would have been used to fighting off wild animals, rescuing silly sheep from their own predicaments, even dealing with sheep rustlers but an angel appearing – and they are terrified.

The angel then made the royal proclamation. Today, a baby has been born, a Saviour, the Messiah. The shepherds were given the sign. This baby would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. However there was more.

A royal birth requires the royal choir of heaven to rejoice over the Son of God entering the world of men. Suddenly – I love God’s suddenlys. Suddenly heaven was torn open and the heavenly choir stepped forth. What a sight that must have been! A choir of angels singing glory to God. How amazing! You can imagine the shepherds either lying terrified face down on the earth or standing with their mouths hanging open.

When the angels had gone back into heaven, the shepherds decided to investigate.  You can hardly imagine them settling down round the fire again. They ‘hurried off’ and found everything as it has been described to them. What Mary and Joseph thought of this group of uneducated, uncouth men turning up to coo over the baby we do not know but whilst the shepherds went out and evangelised the whole area with the good news of the birth of the Messiah, Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2: 19). She didn’t need to tell the world that her baby was the Messiah, the shepherds did that. 

Jesus wasn’t born in a palace in splendour to come and spread beneficence to his lowly subjects. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1: 14). Literally it means the Word tabernacled amongst us – just as God had done with the Israelites in the desert ‘dwelling’ in the midst of the encampment. 

Jesus didn’t come to hob nob with the rich, the famous, the religious. He came and dwelt with ordinary people – shepherds and fishermen, tax collectors and sinners. And he will come and dwell with each one of us – if we will only ask him. Then we will be those ‘on whom his favour rests’ and we will know his peace – ‘the peace that passes all understanding’.

Psalm 23

This psalm of David’s is probably most people’s favourite and the best known psalm. It is used extensively at funerals and weddings and anyone who has had some exposure to church or the Christian life will be familiar with it.

The imagery it uses is comforting and we can easily identify with the ideas that David expresses. David was a shepherd both before and after his anointing as king by Samuel. It was a great training ground for a future king as he learned to depend on God to help him protect and look after his sheep. Here he came to understand what it meant to be a shepherd – king; a concept familiar in the Middle East in that time.  So many of the great men of faith in the Old Testament such as Moses and David spent some time being shepherds in preparation for leading God’s people.

Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd and there are frequent references in the Bible to God’s people being sheep. This is so appropriate – sheep need a shepherd and as God’s people we need the Good Shepherd. Independent living does not work for us any more than it works for sheep. Sheep never live alone, they are always in a flock and as believers we are never called to walk alone but to be part of a fellowship of other believers dependent on the Good Shepherd.

Sheep need guiding and looking after – a shepherd keeps an eye on his sheep and leads them to good pasture and quiet waters which is just what sheep need. Sheep panic when attacks come and a shepherd protects them. Sheep need shearing once a year otherwise their coats become burdensome and hot. There are times when God needs to prune or cut us back from things that have become burdensome to us.

We all know that Middle East shepherds lead their sheep; they don’t herd them in front of them. Sheep follow the voice of their shepherd, no one else, just as we follow Jesus. If we do this he will guide us in right paths and we will not dishonour him with poor lifestyle choices and behaviour.

Shepherds tend to every aspect of their sheep’s needs and well being. Jesus looks after his people and will restore and refresh us when necessary. So often we look to the world to do this but Jesus truly knows our needs and he alone can ‘restore our souls.’

Even in dark times Jesus is right there with us and we need fear no evil. Jesus has overcome the enemy completely and totally. Sometimes when under attack I think we try and defeat Satan again but he is already defeated; what we need is to apply the victory of Jesus in our situations and see the devil’s assaults fail. The shepherd’s rod and staff protected his sheep from all attacks. Jesus victory over sin and death is sufficient to overcome every dark time.

The final verses of this psalm are such a source of inspiration for us. We see a great feast laid out for us with our defeated enemies watching enviously. We are anointed for service. This is a wonderful picture that even when surrounded by enemies God provides and inspires us. His favour and anointing rest upon us. Our cup overflows; there are no half measures in the Kingdom and this is forever. God’s goodness, love, mercy and grace will never leave us and we will spend eternity with him.

What a great psalm!

The Good Shepherd

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23: 1 - 4

What is it that God so loves about sheep and shepherds?  The Bible is full of references to them. The most famous psalm read at weddings and funerals is Psalm 23. Jesus himself said he was the good shepherd – twice - just to make sure we got it!  (John 10: 11 and 14). In addition the two most famous leaders of the Jewish people in the Old Testament, Moses and David, spent their formative years as shepherds.

In Old Testament times, the concept of a shepherd / king was well understood by the people many of whom would have been shepherds and probably all of whom kept some flocks.  These kings were not tyrants lording it over the people, exacting taxes and demanding allegiance; they looked after their people and protected them. The Lord was acknowledged as the shepherd / king of Israel and it was when the people forgot this that they got into all sorts of difficulties.

Psalm 23 is a great insight into the role of a shepherd, learned firsthand by David. He understood that the way God looks after us is very similar to the way he had looked after the sheep. Just as a shepherd wants his sheep to prosper and flourish so the Lord wants his people to do the same. They will flourish through the Lord’s good provision for them through metaphorically green pastures and quiet waters. This speaks of good quality provision of all we need to both sustain and refresh us.

The shepherd makes his sheep lie down in safety and God too wants his people to feel secure and safe and he leads and guides them in his righteous ways. When they are down hearted he restores them. This is not just for his people’ sake but also for the sake of his name for when God’s people prosper and live in his safety and protection, his name in honoured.

However, even when the times are tough and it feels like we are walking in the valley of the shadow of death, we know God is with us and we have nothing to fear because he is by our side. We know he will keep us on the path of righteousness with his guiding ‘rod’ which can rescue us if necessary and protect us from danger. His supportive staff will comfort us in the hard times.

As we think about how a shepherd looks after his sheep, how much more the Lord, the Good Shepherd looks after, provides, protects and watches over us, his people because of his amazing love for us. As we trust him he will guide us and keep us on his path and bring restoration and comfort if we need it. The Lord is indeed a Good Shepherd to us.