Luk 2:1  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
Luk 2:2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
Luk 2:3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Luk 2:4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
Luk 2:5  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luk 2:6  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
Luk 2:7  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.
Luk 2:8  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luk 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luk 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luk 2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Bethlehem:  

Bethlehem means the house of bread.  Its in Bethlehem the bread will come that will fill the house so there can be meat in the house for the people to eat... 

Interestingly the modern name for Bethlehem Beit-Lahm means “house of flesh”.  Jesus said my flesh is meat indeed.  Malachi 3 says bring the tithe into the storehouse that there can be meat in my house for the people to eat.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the house of bread.  He was placed in a manger, which is a feeding station for animals.  He was placed in a feeding trough because he is the true bread from heaven.  His body broken and raised up incorruptible is the food in the storehouse that can feed people with eternal life.

Migdal Eder: Tower of the Flock: Watch Tower of the Flock

There wasn’t only a field where these shepherds were.  There was also a tower near Bethlehem known as Migdal Eder, which means the tower of the flock or watch-tower of the flock.  

Its the place where rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.  Its where David was anointed to be king by Samuel.  

Originally when Benjamin was born rachel named him Ben Oni, which translated means son of my sorrow.  Rachel was dying and was saying the birth of this child prophesy’s of the one who will come and deliver me from the pangs of this death.  She named the child son of my sorrow as a prophecy of the one who would be born into the earth, and would carry her griefs and carry her sorrows upon himself, and crush the head of the serpent.  Isaiah 53 prophesying of Jesus says he will be a man of sorrows.  He will be intimately acquainted with our sorrows and through him being bruised by the serpent he will crush the serpents head. 

Jacob then immediately after names the child Benjamin, which is to say son of my right hand.  The apostle Paul says Jesus ascended to the right hand of God and led captivity captive.  Jesus is seated at the right hand of God having overcome the death in the world, reigning over it by the power of an indestructible life.  

The scriptures prophesied that the messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and that he would be revealed from Migdal Eder.  

Mic 4:8  And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 

The tower was constructed as a place for watching over the sheep.  On the ground floor, there was a room designated for the delivery of the newborn lambs.  Now these were not just ordinary lambs, they were special lambs for the passover sacrifice, so the lambs had to be without spot and blemish.  

The Shepherds were also not ordinary shepherds.  They where what’s called priestly shepherds.  They took special care to the lambs from the time they were delivered until the time of Passover so they would be without spot and blemish.  

When sheep are born they can get to thrashing around and they can get scrapes and bruises.  These priestly shepherds would give special attention to the delivery of these lambs, they would swaddle them upon birth to keep them from thrashing around and getting spots and blemishes.  And they would care for the lambs to keep them from any spot or blemish until the time of passover.  

Listen these shepherds would have been like David meditating on the law of the Lord day and night.  They were very aware of the prophecy that the messiah would be seen from the tower of the flock.  When the angel appeared and told the shepherds they would find a baby, the savior of the world swaddled and laying in the manger, they knew the angel was talking about the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.  Just as the lambs that were used for the Passover were swaddled, Jesus was swaddled at birth.  He is the true spotless lamb who came to take away the death that sin was serving the world.  

 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men

The angels sees God incarnated into human flesh.  They  see God Himself born into the earth as a human being.  They see the place God finds His rest is mankind; that mankind is where Gods heart is; mankind is the place God calls home.  And they say Glory to God in the highest, goodwill towards men.  

Goodwill means to think favorably of someone.  You know when someone has a sparkle in their eye as they talk about someone.  The angels are saying God feels so happy at the thought of mankind that He has a longing in His heart to be with them.  If God has drawn near to man it can only mean one thing, God misses mankind.  He misses their presence.  He misses them so much when they aren’t near, that He has drawn near to them to join Himself to them.  And that is good tidings of great joy to all people.  

Peace on earth

The Greek word for peace means to join together.  Or to be joined together.  Or to be set at one with someone.  In God becoming a man, and putting on a body that was perishable and able to take our death into itself.  He joined Himself to us in our death, that He might accomplish our warfare, that He might wage the ultimate warfare against the death that was warring against us, by consuming it to the uttermost in the body of Jesus’ resurrection.  

Where sin was abounding, causing death to reign over us, God was made manifest in the flesh so the grace that comes from His life could superabound over the death that was reigning over us.  As the apostle Paul says where sin did abound causing death to reign over us, grace did much more abound.  As Isaiah says though our sin was as red as crimson God made it as white as snow.  

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah says a child will be born, and this child will be God Himself manifested in human flesh.  He will be with mankind as their Prince of peace.  He is with us to accomplish our warfare by joining Himself together with us in our death, so He can bruise the death that is bruising us with the light of His life.  He will be a wonderful counselor to us.  He is with us to comfort us from our affliction.  He will testify to our hearts of what He has done to war against death in the resurrection of Jesus.  God Himself is with us as Everlasting Father.  He’s with us to serve us with His life free from our works.  He’s with us to pick us up out of the miry clay where the thief left us for dead, and fill us with the wine of His life, and make a place for us in His house, where He sits us at his table and prepares a feast full of life for us.  

Government upon his shoulders:  

The reason a government exists is to establish a certain kind of life for the people to partake of.   Should a government be established properly it would be there for the purpose of serving the people with a quality life.  

God hasn’t left it to us to establish a government that can serve us with a righteous life.  He’s not interested in us being left sweating from our brow trying to bring forth a righteous life by getting the right mix of carnal ordinances and proper legislation.  What He wants is to serve us with His life, and we simply live and move and have our being within the life He already provides for us.  

God has taken it upon Himself to establish a government to provide us with a righteous life.  He has established the government that can serve us with righteousness upon the shoulders of His indestructible life.  He’s built a government where the only law that is needed to serve people with righteousness is the word of His life.