The religious revival that began with Samuel continued through the reign of King David and reached its zenith under King Solomon with the construction of the [First] Temple in Jerusalem [ca. Luke 2:8,Shepherds living out in the fields. were The need for a substitutionary sacrifice and shedding of innocent blood to atone for sin is well established in Scripture, beginning in Genesis 3:21, where God made use of animal skins to cover the nakedness and shame of Adam and Eve following their disobedience. [8] In Micah, after the prophecy of the coming Messiah Who In that day will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever, referring to the Kingdom of God and the Lords rule of the Earth, there is this prophecy of the first appearance of the Lord:[9], And you, Migdal Eder [tower of the flock], hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it shall happen and shall come, the first [or beginning] dominion, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.[10]. a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger? To be a sign, it would have to be distinctive, understandable, and unique. So the minimum age for any sacrifice is eight days. When the shepherds heard the spectacular announcement by the multitude of heavenly host praising God, they knew exactly where to go to find the baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, just like the newborn Temple lambs. What was the tower of the flock in the Bible? A passage in the Mishnah (Shekelim 7.4) leads to the conclusion that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices , and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds.. The weather was not cooperating today. An analysis of bones found in an ancient I believe that Jesus was born on Nisan 1, (April 1st) 6 BC. Once the sheeps blood was completely spilled for all of the sins the priest would return to the people and proclaim, It is finished. I live where the altitude is just under 5,000 ft and we dont always have snow in December or else just for a few days. This is the location that showed the entire group how fortunate that we have Habib as our tour guide. PROCLAIMING THE MESSAGE OF YESHUA THE MESSIAH. The priests stood in rows, and in their hands were basins of silver and basins of gold. The events and Holy days of the Old Testament, were a foreshadowing of the earthly life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Talmudic passage (dating from the period of the Second Temple [515 BCE 70 CE]) describes the Temple ritual on the 14th of Nisan. (Genesis 35:521), And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. (Genesis 48:7, KJV). 7 Why are shepherds banned from the temple in the Bible? All other offerings were generally slaughtered by the priests. Yeshua, who was the fulfilment of the foreshadowing of the sacrificial lambs, was also sacrificed during the Passover so it follows that he would have been born around the same season in springtime. Oh yeah, some circulate that the special shepherds were priests. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year-round. Every firstborn male lamb from the area around Bethlehem was considered holy, set aside for sacrifice in Jerusalem. Yeshua the Living Bread was born in the House of Bread. The Bethlehem sheep stayed in the fields at night under the guard of shepherds, rather than being moved into a sheepfold, as was typical. Why is it important that he would be born at this time? When the ewes were ready to deliver, the shepherds moved them inside a manger. The place these special Temple sheep used for delivery of their lambs was the tower of the flock, located close to the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the name of the tower is Migdal Eder. 5 What was the tower of the flock in the Bible? Generations of hereditary shepherds tended the sacred flocks. Why Bethlehem - Christian Broadcasting Network The Bible repeatedly emphasized this facet of Passover, And this day shall be for you a memorial (Exodus 12:14); And Moses said to the people: remember this day in which you come out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Exodus 13:3); You shall remember what Adonai your God did to Pharaoh (Deuteronomy 7:18); that you may remember the day when you come out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life (Deuteronomy 16:3). The name Beit Lechem means House of Bread and Ephrathah fruitful. What were the lambs born in Bethlehem used for? As we have seen many times,bits and pieces from Scripture, taken together, often provide a road map. The first appearance of the Messiah was to be at the tower of the flock. The hill of the daughter of Zion, the daughter of Jerusalem was this a reference to Mary, that long awaited daughter of Eve, whose seed was promised in Genesis 3:15 after the fall of mankind? Indeed, that was a unique sign to these shepherds that this baby was, indeed, the Savior, Christ the Lord, the promised Messiah, as told to them by the angel which appeared to them, and as foretold by the Prophets of Israel. [11] His decree moved Mary and Joseph, at a time close to her delivery date, from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem since Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.[12], [2] The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Book II, Chapter 6 (This 1883 book by Alfred Edersheim is available online, but that makes referencing a page number difficult.). [3] Exodus 12:5, Numbers 28:3, and elsewhere. Ibelieve he was making a statement which, among other things, pointed to a particular place in Bethlehem as the birthplace of Christ. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Their function was to serve in the Temple, even those with certain challenges. Being Christmas season now, mid December, I keep hearing the old saying that December could not have been Christs birthday because the shepherds were out tending their flock in the Bible, implying it was too cold to be around December 25. Edersheim says the sheep watched were for sacrifice. He changes the calendar of our lives. The beginning of the Hebrew year is in springtime on the first day of the month of Nissan. WebSacrifices were stopped after the Temple's destruction because the Torah specifically commands Jews not to offer sacrifices just anywhere; An olah could be made from cattle, sheep, goats, or even birds, depending on the offerer's means. Personally, that date is probably the one day I would not choose to do this due to its pagan roots, but better that his name be lifted up than not, even on December 25. This sacrifice was meant to be sufficient to atone for the sin-debt of all mankind. They were not there when Yeshua was born but around two years later they found him and his parents living in a house. Whether shepherds were tending the flocks in the field with their sheep in December is another issue, which I cant address. At the same time, Mish. Which is correct poinsettia or poinsettia? 2002-2023 My Jewish Learning. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The Hag HaPesach reenacts the events of the 14th of Nisan (the pre-exodus period), and the Hag HaMatzot marks the actual departure from Egypt of the Israelites, which was concluded with the crossing of the Red Sea (exodus period). It was prophesied that he would be a descendant of David, the shepherd king who was also born in Bethlehem around a thousand years prior to Yeshua (for more information see THE BIRTH OF YESHUA ) They saw it at the time of Yeshuas birth and they journeyed from their country to look for him and honour him. This is due to the tradition that there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn, so Jesus was born in the stable behind the inn, where the animals were kept. [8] The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Book II, Chapter 6 (This 1883 book by Alfred Edersheim is available online, but that makes referencing a page number difficult.). And why are these items a sign, given to the shepherds by the angel as they tended their flocks in the field? He said to the high priest, Cast your eyes on the Passover offerings. He took a kidney from each, and 600,000 pairs of kidneys were found there, twice as many as those who departed from Egypt, excluding those who were unclean and those who were on a distant journey, and there was not a single paschal lamb for which more than ten people had not registered; and they called it: The Passover of the dense throngs.. The word in Hebrew means repetition, which means that it was memorized material. One one hand it says that shepherding of small cattle was a decent profession to earn a living. Jesus Birth Traditional vs Actual Site, Jesus Birth The Significance of Migdal Edar, Where Was Herods Temple? Ewes were brought there to give birth to the lambs. . It is also widely known that the word Bethlehem means house of bread. This too may be a referenceto Jesus, as He stated during the Seder (Last Supper) with His Disciples that He is the bread which is broken for each of us (Luke 22:19); and He had previously said that He is the true bread which came down from heaven (John 6:3233) and that He is the bread of life (John 6:35). Jesus was not born behind an inn, in a smelly stable where the donkeys and other animals of travelers were kept. there were shepherds living out in the fields.
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