Wisdom's Corner
Shepherds in the Field

It always amazes me how that even the smallest of things in the Bible have meaning. Sometimes I can read something over and over and think that I have learned everything there is to be learned from the passage. But more study will always bring more learning.

You are probably very familiar with the Bible account of Jesus' birth. You know that he was born in Bethlehem. You know that he was put in a manger. And you know that an angel appeared to shepherds in a field (Luke 2:8). This field is what I have just learned about.

Very near Bethlehem there was a tower, known as Midgal Eder. This name means, "watch-tower of the flock." This tower was the station where shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem. The tower was on the road from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.

It is very likely that these are the shepherds who were told about the birth of Christ. These shepherds then went and saw the baby Jesus in the manger. They went about telling everyone what they had been told and what they had seen.

How interesting that the shepherds who were to take the sacrificial lambs to the Temple in Jerusalem were the first ones to see the True Sacrificial Lamb. And while they were delivering the lambs for sacrifice to the Temple, they were telling everyone that they had seen the Christ.

In about 33 years, Jesus would die on the cross and there would no longer be any need for all of those lambs to be sacrificed. As Luke 2:14 states, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Keep studying your Bible. Learn all you can from it. God gave it to us so that we can know His wisdom -- so that we can know what to do to obey Him. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Mark McWhorter

Copyright 1999

Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)