Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
Micah 4:8 “And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
While thinking about the angel’s message to the shepherds, it is very interesting to discover that there is a strong prophetic correlation between the manger scene and the future ministry of Christ on the Cross. It is a correlation that the shepherds would have recognized immediately on that night.
The connection between Luke 2 and the above verse is amazing. Micah 5:2 revealed that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. He would be much more than a man – but He would “be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” He would be God Himself!
Bethlehem was known to be the town where the sheep were raised for the Temple sacrifices. The shepherds were specially trained to identify and protect lambs that would Biblically qualify for sacrifices. They would also know the Scriptures.
In Micah 4:8, there is mention of “tower of the flock,” which – although its location is currently unknown – was believed to have been nearer to Jerusalem than to Bethlehem. It was from this tower that shepherds could watch over the sheep and protect them from harm.
The “tower” – also known as “Migdal Eder” – may have been part of the remains of a fortress in David’s time. Part of it had a stable were sheep giving birth would be taken. After birth, they would be swaddled and laid in a manger – carved out of stone in the ground – not wood.
The sheep would also be evaluated by these temple shepherds to ensure that they qualified to be a sacrifice. The swaddling helped to ensure that they did not harm themselves and remained “without blemish” for sacrifice.
When Jesus was born, Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and then laid Him in the manger. When the shepherds were told by the angels that they would find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and in a manger – they knew exactly where to go.
They also knew what the symbolism meant – that the One laid in the manger would one day be the perfect “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” introduced later by John, according to John 1:29. It also meant that He would be the Final Sacrifice – no other animal or other type of sacrifice would ever be accepted by God after that point.
Since Christ has fulfilled all the Scriptures required for sacrifices, and since He has been offered by God’s perfect plan for our sins – have you accepted His only Sacrifice for sins – or do you plan on paying for them yourself? Because of Jesus payment for sin on the Cross and subsequent resurrection, be aware that “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
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