Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Shepards at the birth of Jesus.

Trolling is in the eye of the beholder.

And, no, I don't live under a bridge.

No two ways about it, Christ was born to save us.

Are you not suing your question to proselytize for your Lord and Savior?

At the time it occurred to me that the Bible does us humans no favors when it refers to us as sheep, you know?

Thanks for reading my ramblings and all the very best to you all this Christmas Season.

Dwayne

PS;
I got a ram the next year - in the big timber at about 80yds.

I need my beauty sleep good folks, off to dreamland.

May the Good Lord take a likin' to you.

IZH27;
Good evening to you sir, I hope the weather's behaving for you and that all who matter in your world are well.

When we were on the farm we had a couple lambs one year. One ate some leaves, bloated and died, then shortly after, the other one ran headlong into the stall and died.

Back in the early '90's we had a pretty decent herd of California Bighorns and I took up chasing them in hopes of catching up with a legal 3/4 curl ram.

Though most folks hunted them in the open hillsides, I quickly learned how to hunt them in the big old growth Doug Fir timber.

One time I recall distinctly now was that I saw a lamb from the spring and was able to keep it's mother behind a big Fir as I crept towards it. I was about 20' or a wee bit less from the lamb, who was frozen in fear and looking at it's mother for a cue, but she didn't see me.

As I cleared the Doug Fir, the old lady saw me and locked up too, looking slightly over her shoulder to what I took to be the lead ewe of the little herd I was in the middle of.

Finally the lead ewe bolted, then the mother and finally the lamb.

Mighty poor survival skills really I thought then and still do.

At the time it occurred to me that the Bible does us humans no favors when it refers to us as sheep, you know?

Thanks for reading my ramblings and all the very best to you all this Christmas Season.

Dwayne

PS;
I got a ram the next year - in the big timber at about 80yds.

??, I don't understand.

No two ways about it, Christ was born to save us.

Are you not using your question to proselytize for your Lord and Savior?

Using...not suing...Spell check doesn't catch it when your misspelling results in a valid word.

By Linda Littlefield
Guest columnist

On the night of our Savior’s (Baby Jesus) birth, there were shepherds watchingtheir flock. And Angels appeared to them announcing that a child was born. They revealed, “this shall be a sign to you. You will see a baby lying in a manger wrapped in “swaddling clothes”.

These shepherds were extraordinary shepherds. They were called “Levitical Shepherds”. They had been chosen and trained to attend the flock of sheep that were to be used as sacrificial lambs in the Temple. Sacrificial lambs had to be “spotless and without blemish.” They required special treatment and observing. According to the laws of the time, the sheep that were used for the offerings had to be a one-year-old male sheep that had been outside for 365 days (one year). When they were ready, they were taken to Jerusalem to be sacrificed on the Sabbath in the Temple.

When the mother ewe was preparing to give birth, she was taken to a special birth place, or to the only cave designated, to give birth to the sacrificial Iambs. This cave was kept sterile and clean for the arrival of newborn sacrificial Iambs. The newborn lamb was immediately wrapped in clean swaddling cloths to protect them and keep them from blemish and danger. Swaddling clothes described in the Bible consisted of a cloth tied together by bandage-like strips. When the declaration was made to these Levitical Shepherds that watched their sheep in a special field full of sacrificial lambs, they apparently knew exactly where to go to discover that Baby. There were apparently many places that held mangers, but they comprehended immediately where to go to find the babe… to their cave, where their sacrificial lambs were born and wrapped in “swaddling clothes.”

Throughout our years we have heard, seen or listened to the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem. They traveled to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus had declared that each person should travel to their town of origin to register in a census. Bethlehem was Joseph’s family village. This was proclaimed to insure that all citizens were correctly paying their taxes.

We know that when they arrived, the small town’s population had expanded significantly because of all those who had come to register. They could find no place to stay and Mary went into labor. They found a person who gave permission for them to stay where animals were sometimes housed. We understand that this was actually a cave and not a little barn type dwelling. As the Baby Jesus was born, it is reported that He was wrapped in “swaddling clothes” and laid in a manger (or feeding trough for the animals).

And these extraordinary Shepherds came immediately to the place where their sacrificial lambs were born to worship our Sacrificial Lamb.

As we enjoy beautiful lights and sounds and gifts this special time of the year. Let us not forget the miraculous beginnings of a Babe] who was called Jesus or Immanuel (God with us). He became our Sacrificial Lamb and is now our Shepherd.

Shepherds deemed so lowly and shifty their testimony wasn’t admissible in court.

wabigoon;
Good evening to you my friend, I hope the weather is behaving down your way and you and your fine family are well.

If I recall correctly, at that time the shepherds and fisherman were considered the lowest class in a somewhat caste like society.

Proper accepted protocol for the announcement of the birth of a king or royalty would be to other royalty first, then descending levels of society got the news as it trickled down.

The biblical tradition of the shepherds being first to know then put the entire society upside down and lent credibility to the claim that this was truly for "all people" and not just the rich and privileged.

Something like that I'd imagine anyways sir.

All the best to you all this Christmas Season.

Dwayne