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My wish and prayer for you all is that you and your family will have a safe, warm, fun-filled, Blessed Christmas! A Christmas of remembering the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, but also looking forward to His Second Coming!
Have you ever wondered why the shepherds responded so quickly to the announcement of the angelic host that a savior had been born in the town of Bethlehem? Even the religious leaders of Israel responded to Herod's question about where the Christ was to be born by telling him, "In Bethlehem..." Now we all know of the significance of the little town of Bethlehem, we know that shepherds grazed their sheep there and it was where the Messiah, Jesus, was born. However, did you know that Bethlehem was a town designated to be the birthing place for lambs which were used for the Passover sacrifice? Micah 4:8 and Micah 5:2 give some details about this little town just south of Jerusalem.
In Micah 4:8 we read of the 'tower of the flock' or 'watch tower of the flock', or in Hebrew, 'Migdal Edar'. In his book, 'Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah', Alfred Edersheim, a Jewish believer in the late 1800's, Migal Edar was the location where the Messiah was to be revealed. This watchtower stood as a place of protection for the city from approaching enemies, but it was also utilized by shepherds to watch over the specific flocks from which sacrificial Passover lambs were taken.
The shepherds tending these flocks were not your ordinary run of the mill shepherds. They would have been specifically trained by the Rabbis for a holy task. The had to insure that, as much as possible, every lamb was free of any blemish or injury, in order to be used for the Passover sacrifice. Since they were instructed by the Rabbis, they almost certainly knew of those passages in the Targums (Aramaic translations) and the Mishna associating the birth of the Messiah with 'Migdal Edar'. For example, Migdal Edar is translated in one of the Targums as 'The Annointed One of the Flock of Israel.' It is also written in the Mishna that 'He spread his tent beyond Migdal Edar, the place where King Messiah will reveal Himself at the end of days.'
Those shepherds out tending their flocks by night had strong hints of Messiah's advent in the very town where they lived, so that when the angelic host appeared announcing his arrival, they responded immediately and went to worship Him. Folks, we today have ever increasing signs of His soon Second Coming. Are we also prepared to respond? Our readiness to act in faith and worship will show how well we understand the sign of our own times. Let us be awake and be inspired by the expectation of his soon arrival - for, just like those shepherds of Bethlehem, we truly were born for such a time as this!
Let us do as Jesus told us to do, look up for our redemption is close at hand!
Some of this material came from a teaching by George, a Jewish believer living in Israel.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Yours in Christ,
Troy
2 comments:
Troy, thank you for your posts. They are like a beautiful frame around a window looking into a difficult world. May God use you and others to draw people into His home so they, too, may know His refuge.
Wendy
Pastor Troy, I was just talking with Ken Foepple this evening who shared that his beard had turned a lot more gray in the past few years, trying to keep the conversation from going dry said the the lord says that gray hairs are a sign of wisdom. My first thoughts were well Pastor Troy definately has a lot of wisdom. After reading you Christmas post I would have to say that those gray hairs of wisdom are true to God's word. Bless you brother as you shine light into the darkness. Remember that we are with you along with our prayers.
Broadus House.
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