My Shepherd

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most well-known of the psalms, but familiarity sometimes keeps us from thinking deeply about these few short verses. So, I thought it would be good to take some time to slow down and think about the simple truth that for the saved in Christ, the Lord truly is our Shepherd.

            You may know that this psalm is one of the many “Psalms of David,” and that the famous king of Israel had also been a shepherd in his youth. You may also know that, though a sinner like you and I, David was singled out by God as a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)

I wonder if this was because David understood the heart of God—the heart of our Shepherd? He knew what it was to risk his life to protect his sheep. He knew what it was to patiently retrieve the wandering ones and guide them back to the green pastures. He knew what it was to be ever-present with his sheep, and to watch over them, ever ready to spring into motion on their behalf at a moment’s notice.

So what is this Shepherd of ours like? Here are just two of the passages that tell us about Him.

The Compassionate Shepherd Both Matthew 9:36 and Mark 6:34 describe Jesus having compassion on the multitudes “as sheep having no shepherd.” The same way a shepherd-hearted man would look out on a scattered group of defenseless sheep and have pity on them, so Jesus saw the lost, ignorant, wandering flock of people and had compassion on them. He saw their need and took time to teach them.

The Good Shepherd This passage from John 10 is probably the one that comes to mind when you think of Jesus as Shepherd:

“I am the good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.” (vv.11-15)

There is more to that passage, and it’s definitely worth looking up to read the whole thing, but for now, let’s consider the aspects of the character of God listed just in these verses:

·       Goodness (the good Shepherd)

·       Sacrifice (giving His life for the sheep)

·       Defense and protection of His sheep

·       Care for His sheep (vs. the hireling)

·       Knowledge—He knows His sheep by name

·      “Knowable” by His sheep (“and am known of Mine”)

·       Devoted (even unto death)

All this and more, dear Reader, is the true, unchanging character of your Shepherd and mine. Wherever we go, whatever we are doing, the Shepherd is never far away. He is always there, compassionate, loving, but willing to wield the shepherd’s rod and staff for our correction as well as our defense.

What a blessing to be able to say with David, “The Lord is my Shepherd”!

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)