1 Samuel 25:2 ~ SHEEP

 

Archaeology and the Bible. Dr. Eliat Mazar was a 3rd generation, University of Jerusalem Professor of Archaeology.  The first woman. And to find David's Palace, she read scriptures and examined the city walls to find David's Palace. 

How would we prove the Heavenly Host showed up to worship and rejoice, announcing the birth of the Messiah?

One of the wonders of Christ's birth is the Shepherd's field.  All the Angelic Host showed up to rejoice and proclaim the Glory of God. 

1 Samuel 25:2

He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats

When we find Samuel's funeral has descriptions useful today.  Samuel proclaimed God's plan and this provides more information.

Jacob was described as an exceedingly rich man because he:

Genesis 30:43

Jacob possessed large flocks, maidservants and menservants, 

and camels and asses

In the case of the rich man Nabal we find statistics:

1 Samuel 25:2

He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats

So how many shepherds were there for 20,000 Sheep? 

We know how many acres there are and how many sheep based on rainfall... what about Shepherds?

Now, we find out about the Shepherds. 

We don't know the number of the Shepherds. 

This explains the social status of the Shepherds.

Shepherding - It depends on this: how profitable has ranching been? Rain again. The New Testament records about 100 to 1. But we can see Bethlehem might fall in the category of 1 to 1000 sheep because Bethlehem doesn't have many hiding places for sheep. 

We know some families have small flocks and the children shepherd. While other Biblical families only Shepherd.

The 1596 A.D. Ottoman Tax Record and Census 

Indicates Bethlehem's population of 1,435 - the 13th largest village. Populations didn't change much until this last century in most of Israel. Vintage Photography of Israel is very interesting

1400 Bethlehem people. Women do Shepherd like Rachael and Leah. Moses's Wife.

1400 people. Aged people. Children. Farmers. An easy terrain.
About 4 to 9 human births a month. Herod would find 40 innocents.

Labor force would be about 500.

Sufficient small farming. And Household chores for gathering, cooking and cleaning.
And then you'd have farmers, lots of Farming in Israel on the terraces of hills.
So guessing... 250 shepherd. Then you'd have day Shepherds and more Night Time Safety from Predators Shepherds. 

The guess would be 150 night time Shepherds looking over a large, easy field. Spread out in military precision with some usual campfires.

Now easier to construct, the Shepherd's field of Bethlehem has been preserved for 2,000 years. 

Scotland

The entire field could hear. 

This does not say:

The Shepherds of Jesse, of the western fork
the Shepherds of Obed, the Shepherds of Boaz, the southeastern stream
the Shepherds of Salmon, the Shepherds of Nahshon, the rocky northern branch
the Shepherds of Amminadab, the Shepherds of Ram, the lower portion near the fork in the stream
the Shepherds of Hezron, the Shepherds of Perez, the upper field
the Shepherds of Judah, 34 the Shepherds of Jacob!

Hear O Israel, The Lord Thy God is ONE!

The Shepherds Heard. The One Voice and the Multitude of Heaven.

We have solid facts.

If we want to know more about the Shepherds - all we have to do is look to the facts.

 Today in Bethlehem, Israel, we know the grazing was 30,000 Hectare Acres. 

                                                                                             48.66 Square Miles

And this land is available and set aside today as the Shepherd's Field.

Then we find the number of sheep is going to be entirely up to the amount of rainfall. 

Isaiah 7 tells us times are good for crops. So in a normal year, the number of sheep per acre is 1.5 sheep. So 20,000 sheep.

Do we know in the Bible this is an acceptable, relevant number of sheep? Yes. There were very large herds of sheep.

Job 42:12

12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

1 Kings 8:63

63 Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Temple of the Lord.

Luke 2:9-20

 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

    and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into Heaven, 

The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Revelation 5:11

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and 

the elders 

the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads

 and 

thousands of thousands

Revelation 7:9

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

Hubble photo

How many 

Sheep?

How many Shepherds?

Psalm 50:10

For every beast of the forest is 

Mine,

    the cattle on a thousand hills.

Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,

    the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for He has founded it upon the seas

    and 

established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

    And who shall stand in His Holy Place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not lift up his soul to what is false

    and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive Blessing from the Lord

    and 

righteousness 

from the God of His salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those 

who seek Him,

    who seek 

the face of the God of Jacob. 

Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of Glory?

    The Lord, strong and mighty,

    the Lord, mighty in battle!

9 Lift up your heads, O gates!

    And lift them up, O ancient doors,

    that 

The King of Glory 

may come in.

10 Who is this King of Glory?

    The Lord of Hosts,

    He is the King of glory! 

Selah

Abba, Father,

Very much a work of the Lord.

When  

Events 

coincide

Giving Thanks

We remember

John Wesley said, “The Work of God 

continues 

His workers go home”

Coinciding

John Wesley never left the Anglican Church

and The Anglican Church

never left

The Roman Catholic Church.

One God,

One Plan

As we think of the Sacrifice

of Jesus Christ

His Love

as 

He Forgave

We realize 

a Thousand Years 

are a Day to You.

And Give You Thanks

for

our

Salvation.

God of Light

You are in all things

You are Light of the world

Light of mankind

Light of Heaven

In all Things, You Create

You have given us Jesus Christ

Holy is

the Highest Name

Above

all others

Your Kingdom come

Your Good Will be done

we pray for more

on earth

just as it is in Heaven.

Give us This Day

Our Daily Bread.

Jesus the Living Bread.

Forgive us our Trespasses

as

we forgive those

who Trespass 

Against us.

Lead us not into temptation

Deliver us from Evil. 

For Thine

is the

Kingdom

and 

the Power

and 

the Glory.

Giving Thanks!!!

For the new grandchild

sometime

in early June!

WORLDWIDE
PEACE

IN

Our

Amen in Jesus Christ 

John 21

Thank you, Jesus, our Lord Christ

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Bless the Lord Jesus

Thank You, Jesus

Jeremiah 17:19-27 ~ Take care for the sake of your lives

Court of the Gentiles to the far right. The gate was open to all people. The People's Gate.

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Thus said the LORD to me: "Go and stand in the People's Gate, by which the kings of Judah enter and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem, 20 and say: 'Hear the Word of the LORD, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates.

21 Thus says the LORD: 
Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. 

22 And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction. 

24 "'But if you listen to me, declares the LORD,
 and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but keep the Sabbath day holy and do no work on it,  25 then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings and princes who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

And this city shall be inhabited forever. 26 And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD. 

27 But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.'"



When you look at the photos of Sabbath rest, the pictures generally look like misty death.

The concept of rest is foreign to us. After all, Jesus said the Sabbath is made for mankind.

We have all encountered being tired and unable to sleep. The other day, I wanted to rest and knew I needed rest. No sleep was occurring.  I pictured a huge umbrella covering me and I thought of His Word lining the umbrella, "And on the 7th Day, God Rested." Suddenly, I felt I had permission to rest. As if I had walked all day with Jesus ministering and we all decided to camp out and rest in the beauty of God's Creation. Suddenly, I felt very peaceful.

I remembered the Garden of Eden. And slept beautifully.



Burdens used to be carrying trade. Making a living. Burdens are still about our living. It's difficult to fuss and worry and not relax. If we are in constant 'go' mode, we are not taking advantage of the Rest God tells us of. The difficulty is we embrace Forging into the Great Upward Sweep of God's Adventure and Doing our Best. Like Abraham. Abraham and Sarah were determined to 'help' bring forth 'God's Plan." God did not ask them for their 'assistance.'

Jesus says His burden is easy, come to Him and rest. 

To believe God is God and we will do what we need to do, letting God worry out all the details. In this capacity, we can do our needed requirements for life's work, but also do this in a relaxed manner. Believing in Jesus - problems will arrive and then go.

Evil wants us to be upset and believe God's Word isn't the People's Gate.

We hold on to Jesus and we will Rest. 

Evil will insist that we do not deserve God's Grace. We are a special 'case.' 

All people fall short. Believers know we hold on to Jesus. God is God.

We believe God's Grace is for us. We are God's Beloved.

We sing songs of Praise.

We tell Father God and we have had Renewal
We have Nourished our Eternal Soul.

A Filled Soul has Joy. The Holy Spirit.

We have Rest and feel Rested - a vacation. Better - Renewal.

A Time to tell God - Thank You.
To Let us Love Father God.

To Appreciate our Jesus as God.

Psalm 95:1

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; 

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 104:33

I will sing to the LORD all my life; 

I will sing praise to my God 

as long as I live.

Psalm 100:1-2

A Psalm for giving thanks. 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 

Serve the Lord with gladness! 

Come into His presence with singing!

Ephesians 5:19

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns 

and spiritual songs,

 singing

 and 

making melody to the Lord with your heart

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise the Lord! 

Praise God in His sanctuary; 

Praise Him in His Mighty Heavens! 

Praise Him for His Mighty Deeds; 

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 

Praise Him with Trumpet sound; 

Praise Him with lute and harp! 

Praise Him with tambourine and dance; 

Praise Him with strings and pipe! 

Praise Him with sounding cymbals; 

Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! 

The Garden of Eden

On earth as it is in Heaven

Abba, Father,

We ask Your blessing upon ourselves, the ones we Love, 

the people 

You have given us. 

These Nations. Peace for all.

We pray for the healing of Edward's eye

and mine. Good Health. Prosperity.

Dwell in us, our loved ones, Father

and in

Jesus Christ

We will finish well with Your Blessing.

For the birth of our first grandchild.

Blessings.

I have been trying to find a rectangle tape shape

to sleep with this around my jaw and mouth

to quit snoring

by the jaw remaining in the awake position

and not blocking the throat and air pipe

and have good oxygen sleep.

(This is so important I texted President Donald Trump)

and I have ordered this tape on Amazon

and we will review

this prayed for device. 

We ask Jesus to always pray with us, increasing the Holy Spirit within us.

And we remember Your Word in our Prayer.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed 

by the renewal of your mind, 

that 

by testing you may discern 

what is the Will of God, 

what is good 

and 

acceptable 

and 

perfect.

Father with Your Help we ask to do this daily and in Your Church,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Finding Your Mercies Renew each day. 

Not just the morning.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, 

and 

uphold me with a willing spirit.

In Christ, we are a new creation. 

(This Post was picked with the prayer

before knowing this blended perfectly

in Jesus Christ.)

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

With Your Willing Word, Father, 

we shall renew our strength; 

mount up with wings like eagles; 

run and not be weary; 

we will walk and not faint.

With Jesus Christ's help, 

we will see Your Willingness does more than we ask or imagine, 

for our loved ones, 

the people You give us, 

our Churches and ministers, 

the Beloved of God. 

New believers.

 Nations 

who trust in You.

We will be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, 

created after the likeness of God 

in true righteousness and holiness. 

Amen to be covered in the Name of Jesus

and Blessed.

And in Jesus - This Hope.

Faith and Love - we will rise up Believing Jesus.

Thank You, Father.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes, The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You, Jesus The Lord

†