(emphasis mine)
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, KEEPING WATCH over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you GOOD NEWS that will cause GREAT JOY for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Who doesn’t love Good News that will bring Great Joy? We all do! So, what were the shepherds afraid of? They were afraid of the unknown.

What do Jacob, Rachel, and David in the Bible all have in common? They were all shepherds. Jacob and Rachel met as shepherds watering their flocks. (The is the Jacob you hear about when the forefathers of the Israeli nation are mentioned: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). David, who was a King of Israel, took down the Giant Goliath, and led Israel for many years. He is described as a “friend of God”. And it is in his line that the Messiah was promised to come. So the role of a shepherd was well known to the Israelites, and it was a metaphor for God's role in our lives.

Psalm 23 starts out with: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I do not find it a coincidence that God decided to proclaim the birth of his son to humble shepherds. First, he used a humble and poor virgin, Mary, to be the mother to the Son of God, and then he announced the birth of his Son to humble shepherds, via an angel. He is not looking to gain worldly influence of climb the corporate ladder here. And God clearly cared about these shepherds and their faith in him. So much so, that he gave them a put out the ordinary sign to verify it — a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Shepherds, as a bunch, are not very fearful people. They must defend their sheep and protect them. They live out in the open spaces. They do not have locks on their doors. David killed a lion and a bear in defense of his sheep. However, when the angels came they were afraid. I guess I would probably be afraid too. Angels are fierce warriors. But they are also servants of a good God. As the shepherds listened to the angel announcing the birth of the Son of God, I have to think they are wondering, “Why us? We are of no particular standing in society. Why did God choose us to announce the birth of the Messiah to?"

I think Luke points out a very interesting part of the job of a shepherd in this passage: they WATCH OVER their sheep. What is ironic is that the spiritual shepherds of Israel, their leaders - the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law - they were not approached by God. They were skipped over. Why? I believe because they had, by and large, hearts full of corruption. And so the physical shepherds were chosen. God highly values good shepherds. He sees this role as one of upmost importance. This is because they build a relationship of trust with their sheep. They provide for and protect their sheep. And we know God feels this way primarily because one of Jesus' names is The Good Shepherd. “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬)‬‬

It was almost as if God was telling these shepherds: “You take good care of your flocks and that is good. But I want you to meet the One who will take care of and shepherd over you.”

Who is protecting, guiding, and providing for you these days? Do you know the Good Shepherd, and is he leading you in all areas of your life? Will you follow him like a sheep follows a shepherd? Will you let him guide you? He longs to love on you and bless you!
Lord, thank you for being the Good Shepherd. Just as Samuel prayed, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (I Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬). May I get in the habit of continually praying this prayer to you. You have my heart fully and completely. You lead and I will follow!