While Shepherds Watched

Excerpted with permission from the All Who Draw Near Bible Study by Lifeway Women. Copyright 2026, Lifeway Press.

To announce the birth of His Son, God sent His heavenly messengers in a triumphant chorus proclaiming His glory. But true to God’s intentionality with detail, not only did the message carry beauty and meaning but so also did the ones who initially received these “glad tidings.” The angels didn’t appear to religious leaders or dignitaries, but instead to an unlikely group for so precious an announcement.

Shepherds. People with this title appear several times in the Bible. Adam and Eve’s son, Abel, watched a flock, as well as each of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob’s wife, Rachel, was called a shepherdess, and Moses spent forty years tending the flocks of his father-in-law before leading an entirely different kind of herd into the wilderness. Perhaps the professional shepherd we think of most readily from Scripture is David. This young herdsman was anointed as king over Israel immediately after coming in from the fields while guarding his flock. All of these are notable figures, and we probably know their stories well. But in Luke 2, the hillside shepherds we briefly meet are unnamed and their stories unknown to us, and yet, God intentionally chose them for perhaps the greatest announcement ever given. God chose the humble to show the message of the Messiah was for everyone.

We don’t know what this group of shepherds was thinking of or talking about that night. I imagine many of their days and nights were mundane, caring for animals notorious for their stupidity. Perhaps on that holy night the shepherds were bored or discouraged. Maybe they felt insignificant as they lay on their backs and looked up at the countless stars, wondering if their existence had any real purpose or meaning.

Maybe you feel like a shepherd on a hill, going about your life dutifully but not sure of your worth. Let God remind you that it’s your faith in Him and faithfulness wherever He has placed you that He calls righteous (Gen 15:6; Matt. 25:21).

The message these herdsmen received that first Christmas night was about the birth of another Shepherd. The Good Shepherd. Jesus came to care for, protect, and guide His people, but no one would have thought that this Good Shepherd would also become the Lamb, laying down His life sacrificially. Jesus came into the world to be both the Caretaker and the Sacrifice, the Priest and the Offering, the King and the Suffering Servant. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

God saw those shepherds on that hillside and chose them specifically. Not for their outstanding qualities or impressive achievements. No, He chose them because He loved them, just like He loves you. And He reminds us in this choice that He is the God who sees us and is looking for us to be faithful, no matter what our assignment in life may be. First John 4:9-10 tells us that “God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” He values our lives and requires our hearts, not our performance.

Where you are currently is not by accident or random choice. God has placed you there. Be faithful. He sees your service and will bless your obedience, even when it seems the only ones who might take notice are a bunch of sheep.