Bethlehem's Best - The Shepherds Song

Title: “Bethlehem’s Best - The Shepherds Story”

Theme: “The Christmas story from the shepherds

point of view”

Text: “Luke 2: 8 - 20”

I - The Shepherds & their Humble Vocation (8)

A) Nomadic Workmen “Their Many Fields”

B) Needful Watchmen “Their Mandated Flocks”

II - The Shepherds & their Holy Revelation (9/12)

A) Glowing Appearance of this Angel (9)

B) Gratifying Assurance of this Angel (10)

C) Glimmering Acquaintance of this Angel (11)

D) Guiding Assistance of this Angel (12)

III - The Shepherds & their Heavenly Congregation (13/14)

A) Words of Praise & Glory “Heavenly Acclamation”

B) Words of Peace & Goodness “Earthly Anticipation”

IV - The Shepherds & their Hasty Visitation (15/16)

A) Inward Desire that Impassioned Them (15)

B) Onward Destination that Impacted Them (16)

V - The Shepherds & their Heartfelt Proclamation (17/19)

A) Evident Proof “What they saw” (17a)

B) Eager Publication “What they shared” (17b)

C) Enriched People “What they studied” (18)

VI - The Shepherds & their Hearty Glorification (20)

A) Returned Visitation for their Sheep Fold

B) Raised Vocalization for their Supreme Find

Introduction:

In this awesome story we find one of the most stunning events to found in the entire bible. I honestly think that many never even give it a second thought, the events that happened outside the fields of Bethlehem.

On the night that God was going to proclaim the birth of his Son, the Savior of mankind, the Gift of Eternal Life, let us consider whom he chose to be his spokesman. In the fields outside of Bethlehem were various groups of ostracized shepherds.

Society had a distinct distaste for these men due to their occupation. The shepherds were men that had notorious reputations for pilfering and dipping into the coffers as they traveled from place to place.

The night was swiftly falling into place as God had previously planned it ages ago, but much more was needed than just allowing the babe to be born. The Lord would need someone to proclaim the birth of his son, whom would be chosen for this notable and most solemn task? If we were to travel down the road to Cesar’s palace we find many that felt worthy to proclaim the birth of God’s precious son.

In his divine wisdom God did not need famous people to proclaim the birth that was to change the order of the entire world. God did not deem it necessary to use notable media stars such as Larry King, Anderson Cooper, CNN, or Fox News. On this night he would chose Bethlehem’s Best, the shunned shepherds that were abiding in the fields attending to the needs of their flocks; these men would be his spokesman. In a manger within the city of Bethlehem the Lamb of God was about to be birthed, so God sent some shepherds to check upon him, that dear friend is Bethlehem’s Best.

I - The Shepherds & their Humble Vocation (8)

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

In being a shepherd these men had jobs that were menial and not looked upon as prestigious. The shepherds were restricted from partaking in religious ceremony and religious rites. The Jewish law deemed them as unclean men, whereas society labeled them as unfit and always available for distasteful accusations.

A) Nomadic Workmen “Their Many Fields”

The shepherds would travel from place to place with their flocks. In the winter they would travel down to the low places and in the summer they would move back up to the higher locations.

In mentioning this one can easily decipher that Jesus literally wasn’t born on a cold crisp night in late December. The shepherds would not have been in the fields of Bethlehem in winter time but more probable in late summer time or early fall.

The shepherds would daily move their flocks from place to place, so as to feed them. In moving around the various places these nomadic workmen would have to

water and food for their sheep. It was this moving from place to place that helped to make them infamous with the general population. The easy choice would be to blame the shepherds for missing possessions or damaged property. The shepherds were like modern day gypsies, they were despised and distasteful. The truth of the matter was someone had to do this job and many of the bibles most notable characters were shepherds. We can easily name them, Abel, Jacob, Abraham, and of course the most noted of them all was David, who had walked these very mountainous ranges.

B) Needful Watchmen “Their Mandated Flocks”

The shepherds were not only nomadic workmen, they were also needful watchmen. In their journeys it would have fallen upon them to protect their sheep. The nighttime would have found the shepherds literally sleeping right in the sheepfold with their flock.