The Faith of the Shepherds

Today we are going to talk about the faith of the shepherds.

Let’s look at the passage in Luke 1:8-20.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid (terribly frightened).
And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

We see from this passage that the shepherds were terribly frightened when they saw the angel of the Lord and the glory of His splendor. Lest you say, hey, I would not be afraid—how many angels have you seen in the splendor of the glory of heaven. I am sure that it was an awesome sight and sound as well.

The angel is in the process of telling them that Christ the Lord is born in the city of David. There is a sign that it is the Savior—He will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Then a whole multitude of the heavenly host couldn’t wait any longer. They were so excited, they burst forth with praises unto God, because He has finally come. He is finally here on earth. He is bringing peace and good will toward men. The suddenly means that they could not restrain themselves from the announcement any longer. They just had to shout it, HE IS HERE! REJOICE, THE SAVIOR IS HERE!

The shepherds didn’t hesitate in going to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them. They came with haste. They didn’t waste any time. They were going to see the Savior. They believed what they had been told.

After they went to see Jesus, they broadcast it everywhere, glorifying and praising God for all they had SEEN and HEARD, as it was told them. They were really the first evangelists, preaching the good news that a Savior has been born.

What has the Lord been speaking to you and me? What has He told us that we have believed so totally that we have made haste to do it and then to proclaim it everywhere we go? This year I am asking the Lord to help me to be quick to hear what He has to say, quick to obey and quick to proclaim what He tells me to proclaim. It’s time to shout the good news that a Savior has been born, and we need to glorify and praise God for His appearance. Let the world hear that a Savior has been born. Let the world hear us proclaiming it. We will not be shut up any longer by the enemy. It is well past time to tell the world that God is not mad with them. He loves them so much that He sent His Son Jesus to rescue them, to redeem them to the freedom of walking in the blessings that Father has made available for them. Father has opened the way back into the household. The family is complete again. God and sons can be a family.