"And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." - Luke 2:12 KJV
When the angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to
the shepherds in the fields, he told them they would recognize him by this sign
– they would find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
To explain how this would be a sign, it appears there is a
link to a verse by the prophet Isaiah.
According to Thayer’s Lexicon, the word “crib” is another
word for “manger.”
"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD
hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled
against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel
doth not know, my people doth not consider." - Isaiah 1:2-3 KJV
“Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying
in a manger” - the “master’s crib.”
Another translation, “Even an ox knows its owner, and a
donkey recognizes its master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master. My
people don’t recognize my care for them.”
Israel would not recognize their God had come to bring them
salvation.
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knew him not." - John 1:10 KJV
"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with
you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" - John 14:9 KJV
The word manger is mentioned two more times.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room
for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7 KJV
The King of Glory, the Lord Almighty had come to dwell among
His people, and they did not recognize Him. There was no room for Him even in
an inn. He was born in a stable where the animals were kept.
Yet the shepherds “came with haste” and found Him! The Lord
revealed Himself to the shepherds – the pastors of the sheep.
"He came unto his own, and his own received him
not." - John 1:11 KJV
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
- John 1:12-13
This is how we are born of God:
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call." - Acts 2:38-39
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