Witnessing Shepherds

Linda Rock
12 hours ago
3 min read

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Luke 2: 20.

Earlier we were made curious about three huge-sized Advent bulbs, standing in our given text.

From where did the shepherds return?

Why were they glorifying and praising God?

What was told to them?

We are ready to have the other two huge-sized Advent bulbs, turned on, as the first was lit from the question, From where did the shepherds return? It was noted that they were returning from the City of David, which is Bethlehem. The very name, Bethlehem, means, Place of Bread. Now is this not cause for great rejoicing and praising God? To be led to the place where one receives Jesus, is nothing but life. This is the Jesus who says, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6: 35b.

The second huge-sized bulb, now being lit, is totally invigorating and transforming. Why were they glorifying and praising God? We can identify their response as due to several God-illuminating reasons, including that of receiving Spiritual bounty, just from even seeing the infant Jesus. From the text, we are told of things they had heard and seen.

The words, hear and see, are to be taken as one action, one sighting and one lighting. In other words, there is no hearing without seeing and no seeing without hearing. This is wonderfully and fully demonstrated for us with the hearing and seeing of the angels. When God’s angel stood before the shepherds, and a host of others joined that first angel, they were singing. Yes, they came to the shepherds singing, so there was no singing without singers, and no singers without singing. They were praising and glorifying God because all that they had been told was made visibly clear to them. They saw all that they were told by the angels.

I honestly believe that there are times when God speaks to us by His chosen vessels and we hear, but we are so disbelieving and so sceptical, we miss being witnesses to what we have been told. Perhaps we should seek to be like those shepherds and so believe our Heavenly Father’s message to us, that we are constrained to leave our dim, dark places and prove His Word to us.

The third and final huge-sized bulb, being lit, is completely sobering and compelling at the same time. What was told to them? Let’s look again at what we all know so well. This is what they heard from the lips of God’s messenger. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Luke 2: 11 - 12.

We itemize what was told to them, showing the Wisdom, Way and Workings of Almighty Sovereign God.

Today, in the city of David a Saviour has been born – Isn’t that Public Good News of great joy? Indeed! Jesus’ Birth is public news for the world.
Today, in David’s City a Saviour has been born to you - Isn’t that Personal Good News of great joy? Indeed! Jesus’ Birth is personal news for you.
Today, in the city of David, Messiah, Christ the Lord, has been born - Isn’t that Prophetic Good News? Indeed! Jesus’ Birth is prophecy fulfilled for all.
Today, in the city of David, lies a Babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger - Isn’t that Precise Good News? Indeed! Jesus Himself is made easy for them to identify Him.

Faith allows us to believe and accept that it is precisely because of all that was told to the shepherds, the public, personal, prophetic and precise Good News told to them that they became witnessing shepherds of Jesus.

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning the Child. Luke 2: 16 – 17.

As we come to the close of this special week of shepherd illuminations, we give unending praise and thanks to God for bringing us closer to Him in our thoughts, words and deeds. Like the shepherds, we have heard and seen and like them also, we cannot but leave this week, glorifying and praising God for all the things that we have heard and seen, as it has been told to us.