Bible in One Year Devotional Text: Micah 4-7 Key Themes and Prophecies: -Restoration Beyond Exile (4:1-8) -The Messiah in Bethlehem (5:2-5) -A courtroom for Justice (6:1-7:7) -Who is Like Yahweh? (7:18-20) Timeless Truth: - Shepherd-like Leadership: What swaddling clothes mean to shepherds For the Levitical shepherds in Bethlehem, the sight of swaddling clothes was a significant sign 1. Levitical Role: Shepherds were tasked to make sure that lambs were unblemished, so they could be offered in the temple. 2. The Purpose of Swaddling: To prevent newborn lambs from injuring themselves. 3. The Sign: When the angels announced the birth of the Messiah the "sign" wasn't just the baby itself, but the fact that he was wrapped in these specific cloths. It indicated to the shepherds that, like the lambs they raised, this child was born to die (a sacrificial purpose) and must remain "blemish-free."