Category: Christian Living

  • Lessons in obedience

    What the shepherds tell us

    Merry Christmas. Okay, perhaps not yet, but I was reading the Advent story in Luke’s gospel when something struck me afresh. It’s a very familiar passage. Perhaps too familiar, as we can skim over it easily without thinking. The shepherds give us a lesson in obedience here.

    And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 

    And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

    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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:8-20 ESV

    Old ground, right? An angel appears and proclaims the event, and the heavenly host (the armies of God) rejoice. The shepherds choose obedience. They go to see and tell others what they saw. The others wonder, and the shepherds return home.

    What didn’t happen? The people of Bethlehem wondered, but there is no indication they believed. They didn’t go see for themselves. Perhaps a few believed, but it makes me wonder. If someone told me God appeared just down the block, I’d certainly be inclined to go take a look, if for no other reason than curiosity or to prove them foolish.

    The shepherds were obedient. They believed, and they worshipped.

    God didn’t hold them accountable for not producing results. Our task is obedience; God produces the transformation in others’ hearts.

    There was joy and worship in simply knowing and being obedient. They don’t seem to have worried about what others thought or believed. They did what God asked and praised His name.

    Obedience to the Lord and praise are their own rewards. They are opportunities and gifts for believers alone.

    Perhaps there is a lesson here for us. If we walk in obedience and praise God, there are blessings. The Scripture is full of promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

    Let’s strive to follow the Lord and give him glory.

    God’s richest blessings,

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I was struck afresh reading the familiar Christmas story in Luke 2: the shepherds heard the angel’s news, believed it, and went in obedience, even though what happened next wasn’t up to them. Their example reminds me that our part is simply to walk in obedience and give God the glory, and to trust Him with the results in other people’s hearts.

    TAKEAWAY

    The shepherds responded to the angel’s message with immediate obedience, going to Bethlehem without hesitation or proof.

    The people of Bethlehem “wondered” but there’s no indication they believed; the shepherds weren’t responsible for that outcome, only for their own obedience.

    There was joy and worship simply in knowing and obeying, without the shepherds worrying about how others would receive it.

    IMAGE NOTES

    Today’s image is: Shepherd & flock, Sinai (matpc 09668), American Colony/Matson Photo Service, between 1898 and 1946. No known restrictions on publication. Library of Congress Colorized 2026

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  • The Rainbow’s True Meaning

    God’s Covenant Promise

    A piece of rainbow obsidian

    This gorgeous stone is a piece of rainbow obsidian, a type of volcanic glass. It comes in a wide range of colors and patterns. I suspect it was a piece my father had in his lapidary stuff, but I don’t recall for sure. 

    If you are churched at all, you are familiar with the story of the flood during the days of Noah, as God’s righteous judgment on a sin-filled world. You will know the sign of His covenant.

    I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13 ESV

    We see the rainbow and remember God’s promise. Yet do we understand what the rainbow actually symbolizes and the depth of that promise?

    The Hebrew word for rainbow is קֶשֶׁת (Qeshet). This term also means a war bow, reflecting the connection between the rainbow and God’s promise after the flood.

    In ancient times, a covenant was typically a solemn agreement between two parties, with the consequences for breaking it clearly laid out. If one party made the covenant alone, the consequences were still laid out.

    In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham. It seems strange to us, with figures walking between the remains of bloody carcasses while Abraham slept. The people of the day would clearly have understood that God alone was making the covenant and was alone responsible for keeping it. If he failed, the consequences for Himself would have been grave.

    So it is with the Noahic Covenant. The rainbow, really a Qeshet, a war bow, is pointed, curved side up. The ancient Hebrews would have understood the symbolism of a bow with an arrow pointed straight up at the heart of God. If he broke the covenant, his very heart was to be pierced.

    Only God made the covenant and put up the symbol. Only God is responsible for keeping it. We can see the Qeshet bow and remember God’s promises.

    God is faithful to keep His promises. When He promises to redeem by faith and hold us fast against everything, it is better than money in the bank. He will not fail us.

    Hold fast to your faith no matter what comes. God has us in his hands.

    Be blessed today,

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I explore what the rainbow really meant to the ancient Hebrews, a Qeshet, a war bow pointed at the heart of God Himself, and how the Noahic Covenant shows that God alone is responsible for keeping His promises to us. God is faithful to keep His promises, so hold fast to your faith no matter what comes, knowing God has us in his hands.

     

    TAKEAWAY

    The Hebrew word for rainbow, Qeshet, also means “war bow,” tying the sign directly to God’s covenant after the flood. 

    Ancient covenants normally bound two parties, yet God made both the Abrahamic and Noahic covenants alone and bore the risk alone. 

    The bow’s upward curve symbolized that if God ever broke His promise, the consequences would fall on His own heart, not ours.

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