Shepherds have been on my mind lately. Maybe it’s because we hear about shepherds during the Christmas season more than at any other time of year. Shepherds were men who worked long hours and were totally engrossed in their jobs. I have been studying some of the shepherds in the Bible. I’d like to share a few.
The other day, while reading my Bible, I found myself in the frequently forgotten book of Amos. A couple of scriptures spoke to me as if I had never read them before, about a shepherd, no less.
“Then Amos said to Amaziah, I was no prophet [by profession]! Neither was I a prophet’s son; [but I had my occupation] I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees and a gatherer of sycamore figs. And the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to My people Israel.”
Amos 7:14, 15
Amos was just a regular guy, a shepherd, and one who cared for sycamore trees. It was all he had ever known. He had a job and wasn’t looking for a new one. He had no training in prophesying; it wasn’t the family profession. The Lord caught Amos completely off guard when He approached him about becoming His prophet. Yet when God asked, Amos answered and obeyed.
Luke 2, verses 8-20 tell of some other shepherds who have remained nameless.
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them…
They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
The Lord sent angels to these unknown shepherds, announcing the birth of Jesus. The goodness of God is evident, speaking to these men whom the world didn’t recognize as important people. How blessed these shepherds must have felt, after they overcame the fear. They immediately went to find the baby Jesus. Not only were the shepherds some of the first people to see Jesus, but they also were the first to tell others the good news of their Savior. Their lives were forever changed.
Another shepherd I think of is David. In I Samuel 16, the Lord speaks to the prophet Samuel, telling him it is time to anoint a new king. God tells Samuel to go to the house of a man named Jesse; one of his sons would be the next king. When Samuel laid eyes on Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, he thought surely this was the one to be king.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
I Samuel 16:7
After 7 of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel, he still had not found the son chosen by the Lord. Finally Jesse thought of his youngest son, David, who was a shepherd. When Samuel saw David, the Lord confirmed David was the king He had chosen. Even Jesse could not imagine this son of his was called to be anything more than a simple shepherd.
Moses is another man who was shepherding when God spoke to him. God picked Moses to deliverer His people out of slavery, which was no small job.
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law… then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush… I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people… out of Egypt.”
Exodus 3
God seemed to have a habit of using shepherds to do great things for Him. Maybe shepherding developed good character in these men, or maybe shepherding gave them the solitude to hear God’s voice. One thing for certain, these examples show us the Lord uses ordinary people. God doesn’t always choose people who seem to be most likely. He looks deep within the heart to see the true, hidden person. He knows who He can trust to do His work in the earth.
Each of these shepherds were called for special assignments. Shepherd Amos became a prophet, Shepherd David became king, and Shepherd Moses became Israel’s deliverer. And let’s not forget the shepherds on that starry night who became special witnesses and messengers of their Savior’s arrival.
Like the shepherds, our lives may seem insignificant, but God has a plan for every one. Whether God continues to use us where we are or if He chooses a different assignment, the main thing is to follow His plan.
We can learn from the shepherds. God calls all of us.