REFLECTIONS ON THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM: A psalm about revival Part 3
Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord is my Shepherd! What a concept! Hidden in the Hebrew and Greek words, translated as shepherd, is a fabulous collection of functions, characteristics and promises. We've already begun to delve into the revelation that Our Shepherd is a lover of His many sheep, both individually and corporately. His love is personal. His interaction is intimate. He is the ultimate of friends, the most devoted of companions. We've also noted, just briefly that our Shepherd is our provider. We'll expand on this function in future posts. But for a few moments I'd like us to discover other wonderful characteristics about what it means that the Lord is our shepherd.
Our Good Shepherd is a Watchman
The best of ancient shepherds made it their constant focus to search the horizon for any hint of dangerous situations or foes. Similarly, Our Shepherd is always watching out for us. He recognizes what, and who, could be our enemy, and because He goes before us, He acts to disable them before we become the victim to the destruction and deadly devices of Satan. This quality is linked with another role the Great Shepherd performs.
The best of ancient shepherds made it their constant focus to search the horizon for any hint of dangerous situations or foes. Similarly, Our Shepherd is always watching out for us. He recognizes what, and who, could be our enemy, and because He goes before us, He acts to disable them before we become the victim to the destruction and deadly devices of Satan. This quality is linked with another role the Great Shepherd performs.
The Shepherd is a GuardMy shepherd and yours is a guard. He doesn't just oversee His flock, He protects it. Jesus, is therefore, the guardian of the flock. He's your defender. The natural vulnerability of sheep, is a generally acceptable metaphor, for the believer, who is dependent on the Shepherd's constant care. However, this allegory doesn't paint a totally accurate picture of the Born-Again life. Once you're Born Again, you're transformed by the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit. I say this, because whenever we deal with anything allegorical, we must be careful to not forget who we really are, human beings, not just symbolic sheep. As a Christian you become a partaker of His Divine nature or personality. This transformation changes everything. Weakness is replaced by strength. Helplessness is converted to ability, i.e.." I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But, even with these wonderful changes have been wrought in our hearts, God Himself, has not changed in being the Shepherd we can depend upon to fight for us. He will always be our refuge, our fortress, our shield and strength. He is on the lookout to help us recognize enemies so we don't have to live in a state of ignorance.
The Shepherd is a Guide
The natural temperament of sheep is that they require a guide, a leader, who'll show them where to go. They can't be driven by the shepherd. They must be led. So, wherever the shepherd walks, they'll follow, if they trust him or her. (Biblically, both male and female were shepherds.) One resource states that sheep aren't independent travelers. They don't go places by themselves without directions. In fact, they don't know how to go to pasture in the morning, and come home, when the sun goes down. Some references also indicate that they have no sense of direction. But, they need a guide to survive, to find food, and to be safe. This quality of a shepherd is consistent with what the New Testament reveals about the Holy Spirit. The Good Shepherd speaks to the born-again person, through the Spirit, and therefore, the "sheep" or Christian is led to do what the Lord wants. We need Gods continued guidance.
The natural temperament of sheep is that they require a guide, a leader, who'll show them where to go. They can't be driven by the shepherd. They must be led. So, wherever the shepherd walks, they'll follow, if they trust him or her. (Biblically, both male and female were shepherds.) One resource states that sheep aren't independent travelers. They don't go places by themselves without directions. In fact, they don't know how to go to pasture in the morning, and come home, when the sun goes down. Some references also indicate that they have no sense of direction. But, they need a guide to survive, to find food, and to be safe. This quality of a shepherd is consistent with what the New Testament reveals about the Holy Spirit. The Good Shepherd speaks to the born-again person, through the Spirit, and therefore, the "sheep" or Christian is led to do what the Lord wants. We need Gods continued guidance.
The Shepherd is a Physician
I once interviewed a man who was an actual shepherd. I asked him about how he dealt with a sheep when it got sick. To my shock, he said " Well, let me tell you this. There are usually only two types of sheep. A live one and a dead one." Sheep don't handle sickness well. But King David understood differently. His experience with shepherding revealed that a good shepherd was also physician and nurse to sick or lame sheep. There are numerous examples of God's healing care for sick sheep. But significantly, the sheep of God's flock need more than physical remedies. Jesus, our Good Shepherd not only ministers to a sheep's ailing body, but also to the diseases of the heart. We'll examine this expression of the Lord as our Shepherd further in future posts.
I once interviewed a man who was an actual shepherd. I asked him about how he dealt with a sheep when it got sick. To my shock, he said " Well, let me tell you this. There are usually only two types of sheep. A live one and a dead one." Sheep don't handle sickness well. But King David understood differently. His experience with shepherding revealed that a good shepherd was also physician and nurse to sick or lame sheep. There are numerous examples of God's healing care for sick sheep. But significantly, the sheep of God's flock need more than physical remedies. Jesus, our Good Shepherd not only ministers to a sheep's ailing body, but also to the diseases of the heart. We'll examine this expression of the Lord as our Shepherd further in future posts.
Finally, The Shepherd is Our Savior
This is a massive topic and requires more space to address than we have here. But Jesus described the role of a shepherd as one who saves lost sheep. In a lot of ways, the Great Shepherd is involved with search and rescue. You see, in the natural, a lost sheep doesn't get home if the shepherd doesn't rescue it. That's why He tracks those sheep who've wandered away, or those who've become so distracted by the things of this life, especially eating, that they become isolated from the flock. Jesus cares about the lost one. So often we focus on the numbers, when we miss that God looks for the ONE. To understand that the Shepherd is a Savior, we must eventually look at what salvation truly means. That's another message for another time. But it must be addressed.
This is a massive topic and requires more space to address than we have here. But Jesus described the role of a shepherd as one who saves lost sheep. In a lot of ways, the Great Shepherd is involved with search and rescue. You see, in the natural, a lost sheep doesn't get home if the shepherd doesn't rescue it. That's why He tracks those sheep who've wandered away, or those who've become so distracted by the things of this life, especially eating, that they become isolated from the flock. Jesus cares about the lost one. So often we focus on the numbers, when we miss that God looks for the ONE. To understand that the Shepherd is a Savior, we must eventually look at what salvation truly means. That's another message for another time. But it must be addressed.
Will you trust Him to be what the Scriptures reveal He is as a Shepherd? These aren't qualities that He might be. These roles are part of who He already is. We don't have to ask Him to be something or do something that He already is and has already provided. But this is why we need to get a grip on the truths this Psalm presents us with. The question is: Will we do so?
