THE SHEPHERD
What is a shepherd? A shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. A good shepherd will give his life for the sheep that he is caring for. A shepherd is the leader of the flock of sheep.A shepherd is not only responsible for watching sheep. He is responsible for the health, well being and prosperity of the entire flock. He feeds them, protects them from danger, and tends to their needs. He knows each sheep and his nature, and corrects their behavior, not just for that sheep's benefit, but for the benefit of the whole flock. A shepherd will count each of his sheep several times a day, look for those who have wandered from the safety and protection of the herd and will sacrifice his own safety fir their protection.
Jesus declared that He is our Shepherd and demonstrated it by giving His life for us. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Through His willing sacrifice the Lord made salvation possible for all who come to Him in faith (John 3:16). In proclaiming that He is the good shepherd, Jesus speaks of “laying down” His life for His sheep (John 10:15, 17-18).
Like sheep, we too need a Shepherd. Men are spiritually blind and lost in their sin. This is why Jesus spoke of the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-6). He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us. He searches for us when we’re lost, to save us and to show us the way to
eternal life (Luke 19:10). We tend to be like sheep, consumed with worry and fear, following after one another. By not following or listening to the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), we can be easily led astray by others to our own destruction. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, warns those who do not believe and listen to Him: “I did tell you, but you do not believe . . . you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:25-28).
Who is your shepherd? What is your shepherd? These two questions I ask; not for you to tell me, not to condemn anyone, but to encourage you to really think about this study. To encourage you to think about your relationship with the Lord Jesus
Psalm 23
The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures,He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.Amen.
1. The Lord is my Shepherd; (That’s a Relationship!)
This is a great statement made by a great man of God. If you recall David was anointed to be king over Israel but then what did he do? He went back to being a shepherd. I can imagine David sitting there with the flock at evening contemplating the goodness and greatness of God and coming up with this Psalm. Imagine David sitting there and seeing how great God is by watching the flock that were in his care and thinking of how God watches over all of His sheep.
I shall not want. (That’s Supply!)
God is our provider if we follow His commandments. What more could we actually
need if God who is the great Creator of all things seen and unseen? David took care of his sheep providing them all that they needed.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: (That’s Rest!)
Lying down in green pastures means that the sheep have eaten their fill. Sheep will not lie down to rest until they are full. God expects us to eat until we are full of His Word then we will lie down for our rest.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.(That’s Refreshment!)
Sheep do not like raging waters. They are fearful of falling in and being swept away in the current. Wool also absorbs lots of water and that would also help to cause them to drown if they fell in water. Sheep also don't like stagnated water that is old and smelly. They like fresh water that runs gently and that's how God wants us to be also. He wants to give us fresh water daily and for us to trust in Him to bring us to this fresh water.
3. He restoreth my soul: (That’s Healing!) he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness (That’s Guidance!) for his name's sake.(That’s Purpose!)
He restores me in that He uplifts me when I am down. He encourages me to keep going where he leads for the paths that He leads me to are righteous. He will never lead anyone down the wrong path. God is a good God not an evil one like some would have you to think. God cares for us deeply in that ( But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Even when we were not following the good shepherd the shepherd still sought us out.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,(That is Testing!) I will fear no evil: (That’s Protestion!) for thou art with me;(That’s Faithfulness!) thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.(That’s Discipline!)
The shepherd leads his sheep to where the grazing is good and at times he will have to lead them through some dark valleys where there are many enemies of the sheep. Wolves, lions and bears inhabited a lot of the wilderness in the time of David watching over the flock and there were times that some of these predators would attack the sheep. The sheep trusted the shepherd
that even though there were predators out there that he would take care of them. The rod was for protecting the sheep from predators and also to push the sheep back into the flock if they were to wander. The staff is curved on the end so that if a sheep was to wander the shepherd would hook the staff around the neck of the sheep and lead it back into the flock.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:(That’s Hope!) thou anointest my head with oil; (That’s Consecration!) my cup Runneth over.(That's Abundance!)
While the sheep would graze where the shepherd led them the enemy would be camped all about the flock seeking a way to get in to cause destruction. Wolves, lions and bears were all around and imagine how they would look at the sheep their mouths watering then they would see the shepherd and how fear would come upon them. The devil knows who we are in the Lord. He seeks a way to get to us to devour us but then his eyes would turn to our shepherd and he would think if only I could get them away form the flock I could destroy them. It is true that if a sheep is wandering alone that satan will destroy it. There is safety as long as you stay within the flock and not wander about on your own.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: (That's Blessing!) and I will dwell in the house of the Lord (That's Security!) for ever.(That's Eternity!)
Goodness and mercy follow the Lord’s sheep wherever they go. Doesn't it seem like we are looking for goodness and mercy to go before us at times? Or sometimes we will look back trying to see the goodness and mercy behind us? When we look back we are taking our eyes off the shepherd. We are looking from where we came instead of where we are going. Where is it we are going? (and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.)
There are many many shepherds out there in the world that would want us to follow them. Drugs can be your shepherd. Alcohol can be your shepherd. Jealousy, envy, stubbornness, idolatry, pride are all shepherds. There is only one good Shepherd and His name is Jesus Christ. I urge everyone to read and study this and really look inside their own hearts and make sure that Jesus
