“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Luke 2:8
Isn’t it n
ice after a busy day to stretch out on a comfortable bed and get a restful night’s sleep? If you were a shepherd, your days and nights would be quite different. During the day you would spend time leading your sheep to water and food and carefully watching over them. Then at night when the sheep dozed off, you would likely have to stay awake some more, or get another shepherd to handle the night shift.
Night could be a dangerous time for sheep. While they are sleeping, robbers could steal them, or dangerous animals might break into the fold and carry off unsuspecting lambs. It was common for shepherds to stay awake watching the sheep. Loneliness, nasty weather, and dangerous conditions made the night watch a very unpleasant task. Jacob once said about being a shepherd: “The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes” (Genesis 31:40).
Often when the shepherds were able to lie down for a few minutes, they would place some stones in an oblong shape and cover the ground with long grass for a mattress. If there were several shepherds, they would place their beds in a circle. In the center they would build a fire. In the Christmas story it says that: “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8). We know that angels appeared to them and told them that Jesus would be found lying in a manger in Bethlehem. They had more important things to do than just watching their flock. They left their sheep behind and ran to see Jesus.
Night watches were very important for sheep. The flock needed to know they could sleep comfortably because they were in the care of a loving shepherd who stayed awake for them. They placed their trust in the shepherd, and he couldn’t let them down.
Did you ever wonder if God sleeps? What if God dozes off on the job every now and again? Would you feel confident that you would be safe in his care? We place our confidence and trust in God because we are certain that he will never leave us alone or fall asleep on the job. Psalm 121:3,4 tells us: “He who watches over you will not slumber; . . . [he] will neither slumber nor sleep.” As God’s sheep, we can enjoy our days and nights in confidence, knowing that God never lets us out of his sight. What a blessing that is to know and to remember!
My shepherd leads along the way,
Kept by His care I cannot stray;
In tender love, to realms above,
My shepherd leads me home!
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