The Tower of the Flock, Part 3
Uncle Asa’s story
My nephew’s upper lip disappeared under his lower one in a determined pout. What had gotten into him?
Eliezer returned from Migdal Eder with a sullen Tobiah in tow just after sunset. Sighing with satisfaction or possibly relief, Eliezer plopped down next to me by the fire. He stretched out his long legs and leaned back on his elbows. But Tobiah slunk off to the shadows and sat with his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked like a tent with the flap pulled shut.
Keeping my tone light as I stirred the stew that simmered over the fire, I welcomed Eliezer back to our flock. Since I had been appointed head shepherd, I considered my shepherds as much a part of my flock as the sheep were. “Productive day in the stable?”
“All tidy and ready to go. There was an empty bird’s nest in the stone trough, but we moved it and scrubbed everything down.” He let out a satisfied sigh. “All ready for the Passover lambs.”
Resting my palms on the hillside behind me, I leaned back to watch the stars come out. Without looking at Tobiah, I asked Eliezer, “What’s going on with your brother?”
Eliezer shot a quick glance in Tobiah’s direction. Out of one side of his mouth, he said, “Was I ever that young and moody?”
Barely stifling a snort, I decided not to answer. Eliezer had grown into a responsible young man, and he would no doubt make some girl a fine husband soon. But he’d given me plenty of trouble when he first came out to tend the sheep.
“He doesn’t want to be a shepherd. One of his friends, if you can call him that, told him shepherds were stupid and dirty, and boys who were going to Jerusalem to train to be Temple guards couldn’t associate with lowly shepherds.”
Anger flared in my gut. I’d like to give that friend a lesson or two in friendship. “You set him straight, right?”
Eliezer shrugged. “I talked to him about our responsibility, our calling. But he wasn’t impressed. He wants to fight for our people someday, to throw off the oppressors when Messiah comes. All he can think about is the training he would get if he could be a Temple guard.”
Hmph. Tobiah had much to learn.
By the time the stew was ready, night had fallen. The fragrance of cumin, coriander, and onion wafted around me as I scooped a hearty helping into my bowl. The sullen boy stared into his bowl during the meal, using his bread to push the stew around. Fed up with his pouting, the other shepherds ignored him.
I got up, walked around the circle, and sat down by Tobiah. I let him wallow in his misery until I’d sopped up the last of the lentils with my bread. Staring into the dancing flames helped me focus on what a little boy needed to hear, not what I’d like to say to his so-called friend. Then I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and stared at the top of his head till he reluctantly looked up at me. “So I hear you have a friend who thinks shepherds are stupid.”
Setting his bowl down, he turned away from me.
Stay calm. You can deal with his manners another time. “But we are doing what the Lord has called us to do. Obedience to the Lord is not stupid. That is the wisest thing you can do. It is an honor to care for the Passover lambs.”
He drew in on himself just a little more. Maybe that wasn’t what an eight year old boy with dreams of a conquering Messiah needed to hear.
“Your brother says you’re looking forward to Messiah’s coming. Me too. Just think. We’ll be the first to see him.”
He sat up straighter, but he didn’t turn around.
“But you already know that, of course.” I let Tobiah chew on that for a bit.
The ring of faces around the fire turned toward me. The only sounds were the whisper of the breeze, the crackle of the fire, and gentle bleating from the field.
Tobiah inhaled sharply. “What makes you think Messiah would show up in the back of beyond?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle a laugh. “You know, Bethlehem may be nothing but a backwater village, but the Lord has great plans for it. Long ago, even before we were taken to Babylon, the prophet Micah told us that the one who will rule Israel forever will be born right here in Bethlehem. He is going to rise up and shepherd his flock in the Lord’s strength, and his rule will extend to the ends of the earth. He is going to be our peace.”
Tobiah’s eyes were wide in wonder. “Messiah will be born in Bethlehem?”
“And you know what the prophet Isaiah said, don’t you?
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on his shoulders;
And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace
There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
“That is who we are waiting for. Micah said something else that hits even closer to home for us. When we are oppressed, like we are right now, Messiah will come. We will be surrounded, and our oppressors will even strike the judge of Israel, our Messiah, on the cheek. Just where do you think Messiah will declare himself?”
Tobiah shrugged his small shoulders.
I closed my eyes and recited the prophecy.
As for you, Migdal-Eder,
Ophel of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come –
Even the former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
I turned around and looked up the hill toward Bethlehem. It was dark, so the tower wasn’t visible, but I could tell where it was because it blocked out Bethlehem’s glow. “When he declares himself, he will do it from the very tower you scrubbed today on that very hill. We shepherds will be the first ones to recognize him.”
We all shared what our hopes were for Messiah’s coming. We all wanted to be chosen to follow him when the time came to take back the kingdom. We all wanted to defend him when he would be struck on the cheek.
Tobiah put his hand on my arm. “I want to fight with Messiah. How can I be ready to fight with him and protect our people if I’m just a shepherd?”
Standing, I looked back toward Bethlehem. Something was different. Light blazed from the tower. A light that hadn’t been there just moments before. “Eliezer, you didn’t leave a torch in the tower, did you?”
Eliezer stood and squinted. “We didn’t need one. It was daytime. Someone must be in there.”
A burst of dazzling white light, the light of a thousand suns, knocked me to the ground. When I could think and take a gasping breath again, I saw an angel standing in front of us. The fire burning in his eyes made our campfire look like a candle flame.
I slammed my face to the ground and lay there shaking with my eyes screwed shut. Someone screamed. I think it was me.
Do not be afraid.
The beautiful voice sounded like a waterfall, like a chorus. And powerful. Do not be afraid wasn’t an exhortation, it was a command. I couldn’t have been afraid any longer if I’d tried. The angelic visitor filled me with awe. And peace. And excitement, too. Is it possible to be peacefully awestruck? Somehow, I was. The angel seemed awestruck, as well. By what, I couldn’t say. And then his message pierced my soul.
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.
I thrilled to hear his voice again. Dragging my eyes from the dazzling creature, I saw his glory reflected on the faces of all the shepherds gathered around me. The air grew heavy with the perfume of frankincense and myrrh. Had this angel came directly from the throne room of Holy One?
Tears blurred my vision as I lifted my hands in worship of the Most High God when angels filled the sky, stretching to the heavens and blotting out the stars with their brilliance.
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”
We were in the middle of a swirling storm of absolutely pure, powerful praise and adoration. I wondered if we had actually been caught up into the third heaven. If so, I never wanted to leave. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. One moment I was floating on a cloud of worship, and the next I felt only dirt under my back. I lay there stunned, trying to understand what had just happened.
Tobiah shook my shoulder. “Uncle Asa, we need to go. We have to find the baby. The Savior. Christ the Lord.”
To be continued, Mary’s story. . .
-Photo credit Canva Pro
