STAYING NEAR THE TOWER OF THE FLOCK
Jacob, whom God had named Israel, finally found a place to pitch his tent. The place was called “Migdal-eder,” which means “Tower of the Flock.” It described a hill with a tower where the shepherds could watch over their sheep. Migdal Eder was located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was an area of beautiful pastures and streams where Jacob’s flocks could graze and where he could finally be at rest from his running. Yet, it was also a place of grief and disappointment as he mourned the death of his wife Rachel and heard of the sinful incest of his son, Reuben.
Migdal Eder was not mentioned again in the Scriptures until the prophet Micah, who wrote that it would be the place where the Messiah would be announced (Micah 4:8). And so, the gospel writer Luke reported that it was in the fields “nearby” Bethlehem that the angel appeared announcing the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds keeping watch over their “flocks by night” (Luke 2:8). Migdal Eder, the place where Israel found rest, was ultimately the place where the whole world could find rest. The place where the birth of Jesus Christ was first announced.
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for inviting us to come to You and find rest for our souls. We come again today. Even sleep and safety cannot bring peace and rest to our troubled thoughts. Yet, we find real rest and real peace in You. Watch over us today Lord we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.