Remember how his father Jesse’s answered Samuel’s request concerning any other sons after he had seen all the ones available? Sacrificial lambs had to be without spot or blemish, so the shepherds would swaddle or wrap the newborns in cloths so they wouldn’t injure themselves from kicking and thrashing about as newborn lambs have a tendency to do. The law of Moses did not command sacrifical lambs to be wrapped in cloth or laid in a manger. Lambs would no more bee needed to worship our all holy God! He sent His Son to take my place and remove the judgment for my sins. This cave was kept sterile and clean for the arrival of newborn sacrificial Iambs. c 8 * Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.9The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were … Passover usually occurs around the time we Christians celebrate Easter or the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. Luke 2: 10-12 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. That the baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes has two important connotations, and in order to understand all that goes into the meaning of that scripture, we need to start with the meaning of swaddling clothes. Luke 2:6-7. The Project Professors on Linked-In These thoughts are notes used while addressing the congregation at River of Life Church, Doylestown, PA. Over the years, I have learned the value of giving back to God Almighty because He has given me so much through His Son, Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross at Calvary. The Passover Lamb... That first new-born lamb, to protect it from blemish (as it was required to be by the Law), was wrapped in swaddling cloth and placed in a food trough apart from the other sheep. These shepherds were the ones who tended the sheep raised specifically for the sacrifices under the Law of the Old Testament. ga('send', 'pageview');
It changed their lives. In fact, many of the male lambs born around Bethlehem would be used for the Passover.1. God’s attention to such details of His Son’s birth tells me He is very detailed-oriented. Sacrificial lamb numbers ranged, then, between 706 to 770 sacrificial lambs per year plus addditional lambs needed for Passover (Pesach ) and various elective offerings (Shelmim,etc). You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” The message told the shepherds where to find the baby. You’d recognize it by the baby being wrapped tightly in a blanket. First of all, DeYoung uses Alfred Edersheim, a 19th century scholar who relied on late source material for many of his deductions. Merry Christmas to all. B. The cloths were typically ceremonially blessed for the service of God. (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), The swaddling cloths were even more blessed than the regular caves’ cloths. He knows me. Maybe he was even in their cave – but certainly they knew the shepherds … Clearly the most common usage for these lambs born in Bethlehem was this: they were destined to become sacrificial lambs. As a matter of fact – it changed their careers! That first new-born lamb, to protect it from blemish (as it was required to be by the Law), was wrapped in swaddling cloth and placed in a food trough apart … The newborn lamb was immediately wrapped in clean swaddling cloths to protect them and keep them from blemish and danger. Several theories have been set forth as to what these clothes were and what was their purpose. * She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The Levitical shepherds would take the sheep to specific caves used for birthing the sacrificial lambs. Sacrifice was practiced in the temple and pictured on Passover when the blood of spotless lambs over the door protected the people from death The tower of the flock, Migdal Eder, housed the manger where the sacrificial lambs were raised; Swaddling cloths were used to prevent the lambs from hurting … God, sending His Paschal Lamb into the world, had His Son born in a Passover Lamb cave, wrapped in the holy garments set aside for a sacrificial lamb and announced to the Levitical … Additionally, swaddling cloths were used for burial back in the time of Christ. They were now going to be out of the job! (Remember the lamb for sacrifice must be without blemish. American Eagle Group Do you see the significance and attention to detail here? He is my salvation from my sins. These lambs were apparently wrapped in “swaddling cloths” to protect them from injury and also used to wrap the Lord Jesus. Certain caves used for birthing sacrificial lambs were even more holy than others because it was in these caves the Passover Lambs were born. He knows what I need. The newborn lambs were placed in a manger, a clean stone bed, to be examined with swaddling clothes, white linens which would be used to find any blemishes. According to the Gospel of Luke, we are told: They were in Bethlehem when the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first born. Do you see the significance and attention to detail here? And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}); Dedicated to helping others finding the joy and blessings in tithing and offerings., Cheap Domain Names – Full Web Services – Great Customer Service. I learned the shepherds in the field that night were no ordinary shepherds, but they were Levitical shepherds. Over the past month, as I hear the traditional Christmas music played this time of year and observed the hustle and bustle of people, I heard the story of Christ’s birth. Luke 2:12 12 And this is the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. These precious little lambs were under our care, and we were extremely careful to present a worthy sacrifice … It is the very celebration of the Life that gives us life. In fact, he said they were raising lambs that were to be offered as sacrifices in the temple, noting that these lambs needed to be without blemish. Apparently, these were frequently given as thank-offerings by anxious … The detailed plan for His Son’s birth supports the verse where God proclaims His love over me to the point of knowing the number of hairs on my head. This detail can easily be passed over, as parents of newborn children are very familiar with swaddling their infant. The swaddling cloths were even more blessed than the regular caves’ cloths. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon … The angel gives the shepherds a sign with two parts: wrapped in swaddling … He was placed in a dirty manger and like a newborn lamb, wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Passover Lamb sacrifice was necessary to escape the judgment and their sins covered by the blood. This site is dedicated to helping people understand the blessing of offering time. Keep reading for four viewpoints. God’s Son was given to us. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) THE SIGN IN THE ANGEL’S MESSAGE. The entire account of the Messiah’s birth originally comes to us from the Holy Scriptures. The babe's swaddling clothes have been a topic of speculation for over two millennia. As I read over the account in the Bible, I read the passages about the angel announcing Christ’s birth to the shepherds. There is a tradition that the shepherds, who in the hillside were not too far from Jerusalem, provided the “lambs without blemish” for the temple sacrifice at Passover. He meets my every need. Those who were safely in their house where the Passover Lamb was sacrificed and whose door lentils were properly marked with the blood of the lamb (in the form of a cross, mind you) were spared the death of their first-born son as the death angel passed over Egypt. A bruised or broken bone would disqualify it.) The caves were specially cared for to keep them clean and prepared for the birthing process.