REFLECTIONS ON THE 23rd PSALM: Part 2 A psalm about revival
Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
If anyone understood the Lord, as shepherd, it was King David. David, as was the custom in that time, was the youngest boy, and therefore, watched over the flocks of his father, Jesse. Being learned, in the skills of a shepherd, David came to realize that God cared for His sheep, in the fullest way, almost like a good human shepherd might do. Much is written about how the Lord shepherds us. In fact, the Bible is jam-packed with powerful revelations about this vital aspect of His nature and functions. Nevertheless, even though these verses are quoted and loved by millions, few people grasp the depths of this powerful song because there is a massive illiteracy pertaining to the ancient languages and cultures expressed in its original form. But understand this. We don't need to be asking the Lord to be our Shepherd. We don't even need to ask Him to do all the things He's promised. He is already our Shepherd, and we need to change our thinking processes and allow our hearts to believe what He says in His word about Himself, as My Shepherd. Yet, because we are ignorant to this expression of HIs character, we fail in faith, and miss out on the wonders He has already done.
Biblically speaking there are numerous categories of shepherds, both godly, and ungodly. What's more, the nomadic life of the ancient peoples and cultures, marked by their dependence on agriculture and climate, demanded that they develop the vocation of shepherding. To this day, this age old vocation paints us a partial picture of what it means to have the Lord as my shepherd.
Before Jesus walked on this earth, and was identified as the Good Shepherd, Chief Shepherd, Great Shepherd, and the Promised Shepherd, Old Testament references named God as the Shepherd of Israel. Additionally, there are also numerous mentions of ungodly shepherds, though for now, we're just looking at the Lord my Shepherd.
The Hebrew and Greek words rendered as shepherd, are as beautiful as a priceless diamond. They depict a multifaceted image of an individual, and a vocation, that would be impossible to act out, if we didn't have the Lord's example. Of course, the ministry of pastor, is directly connected with this temperament and service. But for now, let's look at our Lord's quality of character as our personal shepherd.
The idea of God being a shepherd, indicates that He owns a very, very large flock of sheep. As a believer, you're one of His own. In contrast, the genuine concept of a shepherd doesn't portray a cold, or inaccessible leader, as has often times become the standard for ministry leadership. That unfeeling figure of pastor most likely developed out of Greek or Hellenistic ideas that prizes control over servant leadership. In contrast, in the ancient languages, however, Shepherd is notably rendered as someone who is a companion, a special friend, an associate. These words depict someone who keeps loving company with the sheep. Good shepherds, moreover, specifically the human vocation, always had an intimate relationship with each member of the herd.
The ancient languages also describe a shepherd as one who tends a flock, causing the sheep to graze in pastures, and feeding each sheep no matter what the season of year produced. And, it can't be ignored that a shepherd is also a manager or leader. But, shepherds had many tasks, and one of the most important was, provider.
Our Good Shepherd is continually aware of any need His sheep might have. Hence, David wrote that as the Lord was his personal shepherd, God would provide for all his needs. There is no lack or want to those who follow Him. Feeding the sheep, whether it be natural or spiritual food is, therefore, one of the most essential of duties that God performs as Shepherd. We'll look at this further in future posts.
Lately, the Lord as being My Shepherd, or Leader, has deeply impacted my walk with Him. You see, Jesus is known as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end. He is the One who is, who was, and is to come. Having said that, the idea of the Lord leading us, or going before us, is tremendously comforting. Think of it for a minute. Like the shepherds of the Middle East, who walk in front of the flock to prepare for it's needs, so The Lord our Shepherd has already gone before us. Therefore, He has already been in our future, making a way for us in advance. My friends, don't limit God to being only in your present. He is omnipresent, and, moreover, is already in your futures, with arms wide open to carry you and walk with you into your calling and destiny. This, my friend, is because He loves us thoroughly and constantly.
The Lord as our Shepherd, is also our lover. He is intimately knowledgeable of each of His sheep and calls them by name. Dear one, He knows your name because his love is individualized and personal. Ancient shepherds loved their sheep, and might occasionally give each sheep a name, simply because the shepherd liked them. History records that some sheep were even given pet names because of incidents connected with them. In a similar way, the Lord loves and knows us well. An example of this "knowing" is demonstrated by human shepherds who would count their sheep each evening as they entered the fold. However, it's been observed that sometimes a loving shepherd no longer bothered to count, because the shepherd is able to feel the absence of anyone of the sheep. If even one sheep is missing, the shepherd is so attuned to the flock that he or she will intuitively feel that one of the sheep is missing from the entire group. A story is told about one particular shepherd from Lebanon who was asked if he always counted his flock each night. He said no. He was then asked how he knew if all his sheep were present. His reply was as follows. "If you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring me any sheep and only let me put hands on its face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not." God our Good Shepherd knows us even better.
As we draw closer to the night hour before the Lord returns, lost, wandering and missing sheep will be counted, noted and sought. The Good Shepherd is watching over us all, and most of all, He has not forgotten or abandoned you.
In the next installment of this reflection, I want us to look at the other functions of shepherds and compare those with how our Great Shepherd interacts with us. If we can get a grasp on these amazing principles, faith will begin to arise, and revival will find a place to germinate and sprout. I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am sharing this with you, because this material has been life changing to me.
