Shoulder To Shoulder #1321 -- 12-12-22 ---- "There Were Shepherds; . . . and then there were Shepherds"
"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1321 -- 12-12-22
Title: "There Were Shepherds; . . . and then there were Shepherds"
My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Seeker:
Well! . . . . Am I ever embarrassed!!!! Just today it finally hit me -- I never did send my "Shoulders" letter last week!!! What an embarrassment! It was 25 years ago last week that I wrote my very first "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter, sending it to about 50 pastor friends as a means of encouraging them. Earlier that morning I had been reading the various passages of the Christmas narrative, and when I came to the passage in Luke 2 about the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks during the night watch, it hit me like a lightning bolt as to how much alike those shepherds of 2,000+ years ago are to today's shepherds -- pastors, called to "shepherd the flock of God" (I Peter 5:2).
Even though my absentminded oversight throws me a bit behind in my writing plans, and with Christmas eve just a few short days away, I want to pass last week's intended letter on to you today. Since that first writing 25 years ago, I have learned much more about these particular "shepherds", so want to pass along some fresh insights for your consideration.
AND THERE WERE SHEPHERDS:
It occurred to me that, as we have just concluded our look at "ancient paths" about which Jeremiah wrote so powerfully, it was the prophets themselves that often "shepherded" the people from their wanderings away from and then back to God. That was their job. While they were not normally literal shepherds who took care of literal sheep -- though some where -- both prophets, priests, and kings were often described as shepherds. The idea of the shepherd was used to describe leadership in the Old Testament more than any other symbol. It was also used to describe God's personal care over His people. So, it is more than just "convenient" to read the story of the shepherds adjacent to Christ's birth.
There are times when our memories of nostalgic nursery rhymes and invigorating "troubadour tales" cloud the real message trying to emerge from our childlike assumptions. Then we are faced with a dilemma -- do we take a closer look at something we have assumed at the risk of having to change our perceptions, or do we reject this new possibility by refusing to turn loose of our comfortable long held assumptions? I think perhaps today's letter is such an example.
When you and I think of the Hebrew shepherds of Bethlehem fame, we are prone to view them as nomadic, lower class, unkempt, smelly and uneducated people who did the "dirty work" of raising and tending sheep -- something no one else would do. Mike Rowe might describe the work as one of those "dirty jobs" for his TV series. Even when studying the Christmas story, we can easily skim over these men and focus on the far more spectacular angels and the warm and fuzzy manger scene with the Christmas family.
However, these shepherds were critical cogs in the culture that depended so heavily on animal husbandry, products, and economy. They were also strategic even in their religious worship because they raised, cared for, and delivered animals that were prerequisites to religious sacrifice and national repentance.
In order to try to better understand the story of these particular shepherds, and while there is much more to be found in the text, I'd like to point to seven key "word clusters" in Dr. Luke's description of the scene. The rest of the story will have to be saved for another time.
8. And there were shepherds in the same country 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 Savior, 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."
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
I. "AND THERE WERE SHEPHERDS":
Three thoughts capture my heart. First, the Declaration of the shepherds, next, the Description of the shepherds, and finally, the Duties of the shepherds.
A. The Declaration of Shepherds: -- Three simple words declare an undeniable reality -- "and there WERE" shepherds included in the most amazing event of all history -- the introduction and incarnation of Deity into the flawed and broken human scene. Shepherds were there! Shepherds were ---- and ARE ---- indispensable to the incarnation and proclamation of the Redeemer. In God's order of things, the birth of Christ required the presence and work of shepherds. They had dotted the pages of the ancient prophets and kings, and Jesus Himself portrayed Himself in that way (John 10). We will see there significance more clearly momentarily.
In the meantime, are you one of the shepherds? And now we find ourselves having to mess with our traditional assumptions about these guys. It seems they were not the run-of-the-mill shepherds.
B. The Description of the Shepherds: -- It is at this point that there is a serious danger of missing the significance of this entire event, and settling merely for a nostalgic moment characterized by a rather superficial understanding of what actually took place that night on the Judean pastoral hillsides. When I began digging deeper into the story a dozen or so years ago, my personal understanding of the role of these shepherds radically magnified the significance of the event -- and of these particular shepherds. According to both Hebrew tradition, Jewish law, and the message of the Gospel, these men may be far more critical to God's plan of redemption than meets the eye. If Hebrew and extra-biblical descriptions are correct, these were not the main duties of these particular shepherds. We'll get to that momentarily.
More and more scholars are contending that these particular shepherds were the group of the Levitical Priesthood assigned to tending the sheep in The Shepherds' Field where the young male lambs were born, raised, and protected for the weekly sacrifices in the temple. Some 7,000 firstborn male lambs were sacrificed every year in the temple in observance of daily, weekly, annual, one-time sacrifices, and also those special religious holidays.
We'll probably never know with definitive certainty if these particular shepherds were of that Levitical order, but if you take into account all the ramifications of Jesus being born in or near the Shepherds' Field as "the Lamb of God", wrapped in strips of white swaddling cloth for protection, being born in direct proximity to The Field of Boaz, that He was taken eight days later directly to the Temple where He was dedicated as "the firstborn" through the blood sacrifice of circumcision, then the probability greatly intensifies.
C. The Duties of the Shepherds: -- Our image of that incredible night is a group of guys lounging around a warm campfire, chatting, dozing, snacking, keeping a mildly alert eye out for predatory animals and thieves in the night. While those are certainly the duties of shepherds, that's not an adequate picture. A shepherd certainly had an arduous job. He lived, slept, breathed, and sweat sheep. He was responsible for feeding, healing, leading, counting, correcting, protecting, rescuing, and shearing sheep. Their safety, health, and welfare were dependent on the faithfulness and effectiveness of their shepherd.
If, indeed, these men were part of the Levitical Shepherds order, their jobs were far more demanding than the average shepherd. They were responsible for the protection and nurturing of the rams and ewes used specifically to conceive and birth sacrificial lambs. Once a spotless first-born ram had impregnated a spotless ewe, it was discarded back into the flock, and once the ewe had borne her first lamb, she was also discarded in the same way. The ewes were kept in the Shepherds' Field with the flock until they were about to give birth for the first time. As soon as the ewe was showing signs of pregnancy, she was separated from the rest of the flock and at some point was placed in a special birthing pen, usually situated on the first level of "the Shepherds' Tower" within the parameters of The Shepherds' Field. Protected from the elements and the predators, the ewe was placed in a special part of that birthing pen designated only for pregnant ewes.
When the new lamb was born, if it was a female, it was taken to the general flock population. If, however, the newborn was a male, he was immediately wrapped in spotless white linen strips in order for keep it from being injured or dirtied, and kept safe and away from the rest of the entire flock. If the new firstborn male could be maintained pure, spotless, without sickness or injury until it was one year old, it then qualified to be taken to the temple and offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the people.
All of this together -- the special group of shepherds and the stressful expectation and demand for perfection in shepherding -- makes our traditional "sterilized" imagery of the "shepherds keeping watch" appear thoroughly anemic and common. However, if these shepherds were indeed some of the Levitical Shepherds, then the drama of that event explodes with profound implications -- both for the field, the birthing place, the shepherds, and that special Lamb they rushed to see.
II. "IN THE SAME COUNTRY":
It is essential to note that the location of the shepherds was not just in the general vicinity of Bethlehem. When Jo Ann and I made our only trip to Israel in the Fall of 2008, we saw bedouins scattered all across the Judean countryside as we rode from Jerusalem down to Jericho, Masada, and the Dead Sea. It was indeed a sight to behold, and we immediately thought of Bible stories about young David and, of course, Bethlehem and the birth of Christ.
Again, nostalgic though it may be, this is Not the picture described in this story. Two Greek words show us it is different -- αὐτός χώρα (pronounced "ow-tos' kho'-rah"). Together, those words make it clear that the shepherds were in the immediate designated proximity of their assignment. It was a defined space restricted to the specific place it was to be. It does NOT mean they were "somewhere" or "not too far away". It implies a nearby location immediately adjacent to where a special event would take place.
Now, to be sure, IF these shepherds were of the Levitical order inside "The Shepherds' Field", Joseph and Mary would not have been in that same field, but very probably adjacent to it. Obviously Jesus would not have been taken into "the shepherds' tower" to be born, for that was all off limits to everyone except the assigned shepherds. But, we do know that the evidence that Jesus was born either in a nearby cave (often used for protection from the elements and a place to camp) or a primitive wooden structure designed to shelter animals from rain and somehow block some of the wind -- much like what we still see in the rural Mexican or Indian populace here in southern Arizona.
The point is, the incarnation of the Redeemer and the presence of shepherds nearby taking place in the same immediate locale is no accident. That tells us something of the significance of "shepherds" in relation to the Divine Invasion into human affairs. But it also tells us something about the unobstructed access we struggling shepherds have to the Savior of the world. That relationship remains today. God intended that the Reality of Christ to the reality of shepherds was to always exist "in the same country."
III. "KEEPING WATCH OVER THEIR FLOCK":
What else should we expect? That's what shepherds do. Whether they are that special type of Levitical Shepherd who is given the task of specialization, or those of us who shepherd in the world of the mundane, shepherds keep watch over that -- and those -- entrusted to their care. Would we expect them to be off to some social occasion? Or out playing golf or bird hunting? Or choreographing a big show? Or promoting their own persona? Or even parading their own flock of sheep?
φυλάσσω φυλακή ἐπί (pronounced "foo-las'-so foo-lak-ay' ep-ee'" in English) has an intensity built into it. The implication is that this is an isolated "be on guard" night watch with all senses at an alert peak level, scanning the pastures for any unusual or strange activity. It is a combination of the senses -- smelling something, hearing something, and/or seeing something unusual or different. A good shepherd's senses have been trained for such duties. It is a position of diligent protection.
The image of a group of shepherds lazily lounging around a warm campfire drinking coffee is hardly the picture these words project. Rather, it is that of someone who has been given a specified post where he stands alongside the sheep and scans everything around him, looking for anything -- or anyone -- that should not be there. In fact, the first two words, pronounced "foo-las'-so foo-lak-ay', are very similar, as you can see. Both of them indicate the act of guarding. You could almost say the shepherds were "guarding guarding" their flock.
The shepherds were in a preventive posture to keep something from being snatched away. It is anything but lazy lounging in a semi-horizontal position. No, they did what shepherds do ---- they were attentively guarding their flock, making certain that not a single animal was taken.
IV. "BY NIGHT":
As a boy spending summers on the farm with my uncle or my grandfather, I soon understood that they both guarded their respective flocks with fences, ears, and eyes during the day, but it was the sheep shed or barn that guarded and protected them during the time when they were most vulnerable -- at night. Fences can be breached at night without notice.
These two words reveal a short but profoundly significant fact. Sheep are the most vulnerable when they are in the night. And, shepherds are crucial to the welfare and safety of the sheep especially in the night. Good shepherds are not only faithful in keeping watch, but also to be with the sheep during the night seasons of life.
It was no accident that some thirty years after this particular night, the baby born there just six miles away in Jerusalem described Himself as "the Good Shepherd" to a group of Pharisees who had watched and critiqued Him for healing a blind man. These were men who knew all about the Shepherds' Field outside Bethlehem. They knew about the Levitical Shepherds. They knew how they stood guard. They knew the importance of the night watch. All of this had been drilled into their minds for decades as they rose to the rank of Pharisee.
Likewise, these special shepherds also understood just how diligent and wary they must always be in order to protect the special flock. But, they didn't know -- at least, yet -- the special Lamb they were about to unexpectedly encounter.
V. "THEY WERE (EXTREMELY) AFRAID":
Sometimes no less than the best of shepherds become so numbed by the "dailiness of life" that even they are not prepared for the revelation of the supernatural. Their duties become routine, monotonous, mundane, ritualistic. And, if they are not spiritually and mentally prepared and alert, they will react the same way ---- with skepticism, uncertainty, insecurity, hesitancy, unbelief, and even fear.
It's essential for shepherds to keep themselves in the position of immediate expectancy. The words used here indicate in our language an interest combination of reaction -- they reacted in "reverential, alarmed, awe-driven terror". They knew all about angels; they learned that as young boys preparing for bar mitzfa. They knew there occasions when angels had appeared to their ancestors. But, for it to happen to them was a different story. It had never happened before. How do I know this? Because if it had, they would not have reacted in such alarmed terror.
To their credit, though, once the wonderful news that "Jesus is here!" had been announced and was apparently believed, they took the necessary action to get to the place where He was.
VI. "THEY CAME WITH HASTE":
You may have a different "take" on this story, but for me the two most important elements of it all is what the shepherds did in response to that heavenly visitation.
Who really knows the motivation that drove them so quickly to the presence of The Redeemer ---- disbelief? Curiosity? Embarrassed need for redemption from earlier conduct? Unabated joy over fulfilled prophecy? The fear of being one who decided to stay behind to tend the fire? The stubborn commitment to "duty" over "divine visitation"?
Whatever the true reason in the heart, there is the undeniable and desperate need for shepherds to make fast tracks into the presence of the One Who will one day become the Shepherd of their own souls. Whether they were Levitical Shepherds entrusted with sacrificial lambs or ordinary shepherds with ordinary sheep, they did what they should have done -- and would have naturally done. Both Levite and layman knew the story of the Promise. If this is true, then everything in the entire world has just changed! It had to be investigated!
Likely in disbelief -- an "I can't believe this is happening!" moment -- the shepherds headed to that cave or lean-to shed to see if what the angel had told them was actually true. After all, from the day they were old enough to understand, they knew the story of a promised and long-awaited Messiah Who would someday come. The story was part of the fabric of their ancient heritage -- as far back at least as father Abraham. They just didn't think it would happen in their lifetimes. Much like the attitude of many today.
When they got there, they found what they had been promised. Obviously it was an, "I can't believe my eyes!" experience. I've tried to grasp what those shepherds must have experienced, and I just can't get my head around it all. How would you react if you had been one of the shepherds? Just imagine! After centuries with no fulfillment -- and only sly hints or sad disappointments to remind them -- it actually happened. The Promise of the ages had come!
Put yourself there gazing into the feed trough at a tiny newborn baby just minutes old -- or an hour or so at most. What do you do? How do you respond? Do you just say, "Oh, how sweet! How precious!"? Or do you stand speechless with your mind bombarded with millions of exclamatory praises? My guess is that you would have been so overcome with emotion and divine revelation that your legs wouldn't hold you up.
You'd probably fall to your knees -- or on your face -- lacking any strength to stand. You want to bow in worship, -- but you want to behold Him, too. How does one respond in the presence of the One you had heard about all your life and realize that you have now seen Him?
The fact that there is no mention as to whether or not the shepherds actually worshiped the Christ is a reminder of how easy it is to be so preoccupied with the needs back with the sheep or the uniqueness of the surroundings and circumstances that a shepherd can stand in the very presence of Divine Incarnation and fail to worship Him. It's a little like Christmas trees, Jingle Bells, presents, gift cards, and cookie baking.
But, we can safely assume they did worship -- because, . . . .
VII. "WHEN THEY HAD SEEN THIS THEY MADE KNOWN ABROAD . . ." :
Two thoughts grapple for my attention here -- "had seen" and "made known abroad".
1. ". . . Had Seen. . . ": -- Newer translations do not use the word, "this", and rightfully so. "This" implies they saw "something". The Greek language, however, does not focus on "what" the shepherds saw, but rather that what they "saw", they also fully "understood" what they saw.
It's one thing to "see" something, and another to really "see". You can "see", for example, a painting and not have a clue what it is or what it's about. When the shepherds saw Mary, they understood that she was the "virgin" of whom Isaiah had written. When they saw Jesus, they understood that He was the long-awaited Messiah Isaiah had also predicted and described -- that "wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and Prince of peace" who would "save His people from their sins".
They had no doubt that they had not just seen a miracle -- they had seen the Savior of the world. So, no wonder . . .
2. " . . . They made known abroad the saying which was told them
concerning the child." Perhaps the most important thing we read in this story is this great truth ---- they didn't keep it to themselves. Regardless of the many possible dynamics surrounding this entire episode, they came through at the end ---- they told others about Jesus. They didn't tell it just to each other, or to perhaps others in the immediate proximity to the field in which their sheep were bedded down. They told it "abroad".
I've been curious about "what" they told. It says they told what they had been told. No doubt they told others what the angel had told them, but I also expect they got "the whole story" as they listened to everything that Mary and Joseph had also probably related. Then angel had told them, . . .
10. ". . . 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 Savior, 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." (Luke 2:10-12).
No doubt their attention was captured when they heard the angel say, "Savior" and "Christ the Lord", for they knew exactly what that meant. They knew the prophecies. Every Jew, rich or poor, young or old, knew what those words meant. Clearly this was news that could not be kept to one's self. When you have endured life under life's harsh conditions and the oppression of a tyrannical regime, news like that has to be shared.
When "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), the shepherds were so overwhelmed by the reality that they could not keep silent.
It makes one wonder how so many who profess faith in Christ can. Maybe they only "tasted" but never really "feasted".
I can just see the shepherds -- everywhere they went, they told everybody. They kept telling the story, but it was fresh on every occasion. "The angel told us first, and then We talked personally with Mary and Joseph, and they told us what happened to them, and . . . and we saw Him! We actually saw Him!" I mean, the message of the angels alone contained more than enough to keep excited shepherds busy for a year or more "making known abroad", but to have actually be there -- and to have seen Him! what they had seen and heard.
If you had the opportunity to be invited to that little cave or stall on the Judean hillside on the outskirts of tiny Bethlehem, would you go? What if you were young -- a boy shepherd? Would you go?
I cannot let this Christmas season go by without sharing the following story with you that I first heard more than thirty ago (and several times since). It is one of the most touching Christmas stories I have ever read, and is especially meaningful to Jo Ann and me since we have five grand children (Misha, Katia, Seriozha, Roma, and Anya -- all adults now) who are adopted from Russia. All five of them grew up in circumstances that could have put them right in the middle of the following story.
TWO BABIES IN THE MANGER:
In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a
government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
"Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.
"Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.
"The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger.
"Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously.
"For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately--until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.
"Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, 'And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a
gift to give him like everybody else did.
"'But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.
"'So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me." 'So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him -- for always.'
"As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him ---- FOR ALWAYS.
"I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts!"
FINALLY:
I don't know if one of the shepherds might have been a boy or not. It is certainly possible. Artists have usually included one in their paintings. Regardless, they probably didn't know it at the time, but these shepherds were some of the most privileged people in the entire world. Whether they were special Levitical shepherds or typical cultural shepherds makes no matter. God doesn't create classifications and castes. Either way, they got to care for an animal that symbolized the Messiah yet to come and the Savior which did. They were visited by a personal angelic messenger from heaven, interrupting their mundane. They were the very first humans to ever hear the news that Christ had actually been born. There is no biblical record that anyone else knew before the shepherds knew.
They were invited to a personal visitation of the Christ, possibly before anyone else had seen Him, and invited by an angel, no less! They are allowed opportunities to confront their own human weaknesses and frailties, and work through them. Most importantly, they were provided extraordinary opportunities to make this news known to others who had not yet heard.
You and I, on the other hand, learned about it all after the fact. But, the fact that we heard the story received the Savior qualifies us -- no, rather commissions us -- to do what the shepherds did.
This morning in the stupor of my waking moments, I was struck with a most unusual thought:
"A story is not a story unless it is told."
Only the Lord could put a thought like that in someone's head. Think about it for a moment -- a story is not a story until it is either written, spoken, read, or heard. Until then, it is just a thought.
Don't forget to "make known abroad" what you know about Him.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
Copyright December, 2022
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it or copy from it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.
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