The Shepherds Of Bethlehem

Why was the birth of the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) announced to shepherds?

Like most questions, the answer begins by understanding the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law).

The Law of Truth required continual animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle.  Those animals included lambs.

Two lambs were sacrificed every day for a total of 730 lambs in a regular year (Numbers 28:3-4).  On the Sabbath each week two extra lambs were sacrificed adding another 104 lambs most years (Numbers 28:9-11).  This required 834 lambs for the regular days of the year.

During the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzoh) an additional seven lambs were sacrificed on each of the seven days for a total of 49 lambs (Numbers 28:17-24).  On Pentecost (Shavuot) seven more lambs were sacrificed (Numbers 28:26-27).  Seven more lambs were sacrificed on Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) (Numbers 29:1-2).  Another seven lambs were sacrificed on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Numbers 29:7-8).  On each of the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) fourteen lambs were sacrificed for a total of 98 lambs (Numbers 29:12-32). Finally, on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Shemini Atzeret) seven more lambs were sacrificed (Numbers 29:35-36).  This required an additional 175 lambs for the Feasts of Truth (Moedim).

So, all together each regular solar year a total of 1009 lambs were required for these sacrifices.  However, not just any lamb would do.  These lambs had to be without spots (Numbers 28:2-3).  They could not have any kind of blemish (Numbers 28:31).

Once the land of Israel was divided between the tribes, special care had to be taken to ensure that there would always be over a thousand pure and spotless lambs available each year.  Even more care was needed once the Temple was built and the people of Israel were becoming more urbanized.

One thing that helped with this problem was the suburbs of the Levites.

The fields of the suburbs of the Levites could never be sold, so that they would always have a place to keep their flocks and herds (Leviticus 25:32-34). These suburbs were the land for about a kilometer (5/8 mile) outward from the city walls (Numbers 35:2-5). 

The Levites were to be given forty-eight cities with their suburbs in all of the land of Israel (Numbers 35:7-8).  They were given these cities after Joshua led the descendants of Israel in taking possession of the Promised Land (Joshua 21:3-8).  

However, Jerusalem was not available when lots were casts for the cities of the Levites, because the descendants of Israel were not able to capture it (Joshua 15:63).  Nor did they possess Jerusalem during the time of the Judges (Judges 1:21).  It was not until after David became king, that they finally took possession of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:4-7).

Then King David had Jerusalem inhabited by 1,646 men from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh (1 Chronicles 9:3-9).  However, he had 1,760 of the Priests of Truth moved to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 9:10-13).  He also had 212 of Levites moved to Jerusalem to act as porters to help the Priests of Truth and watch the gates of the city (1 Chronicles 9:14-22).  They lived in the houses that were closest to the Tabernacle of David at first and then later the ones that were closest to the Temple (1 Chronicles 9:23-29).  Besides that, many other of the Levites moved into Jerusalem as well (1 Chronicles 9:30-34).

So, Jerusalem had a different status than all other cities, where about the sixty percent of it that was nearest the Temple belonged to the Levites, but people from four other tribes lived in the rest of it for their possession.  

So, Jerusalem was a partial city of the Levites.  Accordingly, the laws concerning the suburbs of the cities of the Levites applied to about sixty percent of Jerusalem.  This gave made the area of the suburb of the Levites around their part of Jerusalem to be about 600 acres (240 hectares).

However, after the united kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms, all the Levites from the northern kingdom of Israel lost all of their cities, which was about three quarters of their cities, and were given more of Jerusalem for a possession until they could regain their cities (2 Chronicles 11:13-15).  Many of the Children of Truth from the other ten tribes of Israel also came and did the same (2 Chronicles 11:16-17).

So, the Levites perhaps came to make up about three quarters of the population.  This would have expanded their suburb around Jerusalem by another 150 acres (60 hectares).

When the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile and rebuilt Jerusalem, there were 1,396 men from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Nehemiah 11:4-8).  However, there were 1,648 men from the Levites (Nehemiah 11:10-19).

So, once again, the Levites made up about sixty percent of the population and their suburb was about 600 acres (240 hectares).

Jerusalem continued to be heavily populated by Levites at the time of the Man of Truth (John 1:19).

So, the suburb of the Levites around it was probably about 600 acres (240 hectares), like it usually was.  Even if they were given the entire suburb of Jerusalem for their flocks and herds, it would have only been about 1,000 acres (400 hectares).

The problem is that this is not enough land to support the flock of sheep needed to produce the 1,009 pure and spotless lambs needed for the sacrifices every year, plus the large herds of cattle and goats needed for other sacrifices.  

Most of the time lambs are born as twins, so the land would have to support over five hundred adult ewes plus some number of rams as well, if only pure and spotless lambs were born into the flock.

In reality, one in four lambs meeting the strict definition of pure and spotless imposed by the Sadducees who ran the Temple at that time would have been a high number.  It was more like one in ten lambs met their requirements.  So, it would have required a flock of over five thousand ewes to produce the needed number of lambs.

However, their suburb could support the pure and spotless lambs with their mothers, until the lambs were weaned.  Then just the lambs would need to be supported.

So, the solution was to have shepherds to raise flocks of sheep outside of the suburb of the Levites, who were specially trained to identify the lambs that met the strict definition of pure and spotless of the Sadducees.

These shepherds inspected the lambs at birth for defects that disqualified them as being pure and spotless.  The lambs that were identified as pure and spotless, along with their mothers, were then transferred to the suburb of the Levites around Jerusalem.

One of the main places for these specially trained shepherds to raise flocks of sheep for supplying pure and spotless lambs was in the eight miles (thirteen kilometers) of fields between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.  This land was especially suited for this purpose.

Bethlehem (Bethlechem) means "house of bread".  In the fields near it, barley is grown (Ruth 1:22).  So, is wheat (Ruth 2:23).  It is also where shepherds like David kept flocks of sheep (1 Samuel 16:4-11).

The sheep ate the stalks of barley and wheat after the harvest, fertilizing the ground as they went.  During the time between planting and harvest of these crops, they were kept in other fields.

These shepherds put their training to use mostly during lambing season, which is around the end of March to the first of April in Israel.  (It is from the end of September to the first of October in Australia due to being south of the equator.)

Normally, their flocks were put in a sheep pen each night after grazing during the day.  This made it easy for the shepherds to defend the flock from wolves and thieves at night.  

When the sheep were in the sheep pen, they would go into the sheep cote to eat.  This was a little booth (sukkah) attached to the sheep pen to protect their food from getting wet when it rains.  Their food, usually straw, was placed in a manger inside the sheep cote.

However, during the lambing season the sheep would step on the new born lambs when crowded together in a sheep pen, killing many of them.  So, the shepherds had to leave the flock out in the fields at night during the lambing season.  This required them to be out with the flock all night to guard the flock from thieves and wolves.

However, during the lambing season, the sheep cote was empty at night, because the sheep were being kept in the field to be watched by the shepherds.

So, the Man of Truth was born in Bethlehem in the place where the sheep are fed and then placed in their feed trough (Luke 2:4-7).  It was most fitting that the Lamb of the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) was born in such a place at the time when the lambs were born (John 1:35)!

So, the shepherds of Bethlehem were told by the Angels of Truth where to find the Man of Truth as soon as he was born (Luke 2:8-14).  Then the shepherds of Bethlehem went to the sheep cote in Bethlehem to be the first to inspect the Lamb for defects, as they had been trained (Luke 2:15-16).  There they found that the Man of Truth was truly the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19).

So, they went out and reported to all that they had found the Pure and Spotless Lamb (Luke 2:17-18).

You too can be like the shepherds of Bethlehem by recognizing the the Man of Truth is the Lamb of the Father of Truth who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)! 

Whoever will put their trust in the Pure and Spotless Lamb, which was raised up on a cross to shed his blood, will have eternal life (John 3:14-16).  The Pure and Spotless Lamb was glorified by the Father of Truth for dying on the cross, so that you could have the eternal life that only comes from knowing Him and His Son (John 17:1-3).  The blood of the Pure and Spotless Lamb was shed to redeem you from your sins (1 Peter 1:18-19)!

The Father of Truth raised the Pure and Spotless Lamb from the dead, so you could put your faith and hope in Him (1 Peter 1:19-21).  The Pure and Spotless Lamb will cause you to never die and will raise your body up from the grave (John 11:25-27). You will live forever with the Pure and Spotless Lamb (Revelation 22:1-4)!

The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will then help you obey the Word of Truth to purify your soul (1 Peter 1:22).  You will be born again as a pure and spotless lamb from the incorruptible seed of the Word of Truth (1 Peter 1:23).  Though your flesh will perish like the grass eaten by the sheep, the Word of Truth put into your spirit will last forever (1 Peter 1:24-25)!

So, come into the House of Truth, where the Pure and Spotless Lamb rules your life, because your believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9)!

Come into the House of Truth!