Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Luke 2:7
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.
Luke 2:8-12
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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.
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.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
For most of my life I have
wondered just what swaddling clothes were. No one seemed to know. It was just a part of the lovely
Christmas story that seemed to be taken for granted. I thought it might be some
crude diaper because all babies do what all babies do! At other times I was
convinced swaddling clothes referred to some kind of blanket. In the play/movie
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, one of the Herndon kids called them “wadded
up clothes.” In any case the word “swaddle” did not seem to be a noun but an
adjective. Swaddle was something a mother did to or for her baby and not just a
thing. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary gives us some insight.
SWADDLING BAND
A long, narrow strip of cloth used to wrap a newborn baby.
To swaddle a child was to wrap an infant in strips of cloth, much like narrow
bandages. This was believed to ensure the correct early development of the
limbs. Thus, swaddling was a mark of parental love and care, while the need for
swaddling symbolized the humble, dependent position of the newborn child.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright ©
1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
In all the crowd of strangers
in Bethlehem how would the startled
shepherds recognize the newborn Savior? The angel of the Lord gave two clues to
the baby’s true identity. First, he would be tightly wrapped
in strips of cloth. This was a common practice of new mothers who loved their
children. Second, he would be lying in a manger. Mary and Joseph provided what
they could for their son and his first cradle may have been a feeding trough
carved into a block of limestone for such is the scene under the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem. But Mary had torn strips of cloth either hastily or
ahead of time and wrapped her baby snuggly. It was an act of mother love.
Away In a Manger
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.
Dear Jesus, swaddle me today and restrict my movements in
love. Let me rest in Thee, dependent upon Thee for all my care. AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment