My Shepherd

The Lord Is My Shepherd – I Shall Not Want

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord Is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

JEHOVAH-ROHI, GOD IS SHEPHERD. Genesis 49:24 “.....The Shepherd, The Stone of Israel.” And what does a Shepherd do? He tends the flock: Psalm 100:3 “Know that The Lord He Is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Now, there are two types of shepherds: The Good Shepherd and the bad shepherd. The second is not really a shepherd at all, for he has a heart of stone and the tongue of a snake: he has come to the flock to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8): the masked shepherd is a thief, a murderer and a liar. He listens to his father the devil and infiltrates houses of worship where the worshipers themselves are his target.

The Good Shepherd watches over His flock, tending their needs. “I shall not want” Genesis 22:13-14 tells of Abraham looking up and seeing the ram, whereupon he sacrificed the ram to His God, instead of his son. “And Abraham called the name of that place JEHOVAH-JIREH: as it is said to this day, In the mount of The Lord it shall be seen.” JEHOVAH-JIREH, GOD IS PROVIDER. In 1 John 4:9,10 we are reminded yet again of the great love which God has for us. “In this was manifested (revealed) the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atonement, redemption) for our sins. God provided a Lamb to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Philippians 4:19, a well known, much loved verse among God's people states: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Paul was writing this letter to the church in Philippi, thanking them for the sacrifices of giving to his needs. And that He was reminding them how that God rewards the sacrifices made by His people when we take care of one another' needs ahead of our own. Where there is a need among God's people, God supplies.

You ever watch any of those survival shows? They watch out for themselves first and no one else. Their houses are modified barricades. Their food supplies, water and weapons are for defense and offense, but not sharing. That is not how God's people are supposed to behave or live in this world. We are to treat each other with honor and respect; with love and for the love of God. When we have Christ and The Holy Spirit living in us ( for, as you remember, we are God's temple now), we are filled and refilled with the love of God daily, as we study and pray and worship. God's people take care of each other knowing that God is meeting our needs. Sometimes God even meets our wants, our desires; after all, 'Father knows best'.

Acts 4:32, 34-35 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. .. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” Why? Was this some kind of cult thing? No. Jesus had just recently returned to His heavenly home, where they knew He was preparing places for them all and any who believed in Him.

John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus is coming back to get His people, as soon as the places which He has prepared for us are ready. Those who have died waiting for His return, will not be left behind. Their souls are already in heaven; only their bodies, their empty shells, are buried. Soon, we will all see His return and behold His face. Oh what a glorious day awaits us who wait for Him!

TheLordIsMyShepherd

How many shepherds would sacrifice their lives for that of their sheep? After all, it's just a dumb ole sheep. How much value can you place on a sheep that won't mind it's own business and keeps getting caught or lost or lured away? While some may say 'stupid is as stupid does', The Good Shepherd knows that without His sacrifice all of the flock will die. There is more value in the return of the lost sheep than there is in the loss of any of the sheep at all.

In the story of The Prodigal Son, he had to get himself into a horrible situation before he decided to return home to his dad. When I pray for my unsaved family members and friends, I also pray for the salvation of strangers and enemies. And I ask God, “Whatever it takes, save our sons, our daughters, our sisters, our brothers; our fathers, our mothers; our strangers and our enemies. Whatever it takes, Lord, save them.” So, knowing how strong my relationship with God is, I know that 'whatever it takes' is going to have an effect on not only your life, but mine. Life may get harder to live, as it did for the young man who left home and did not return until he woke up in pig slop one day and decided it would be better for him to return to his father and indenture himself.

But when he turned his back on where he had been, and set his feet in the direction of his father's house, it was not servant-hood that awaited him. His father had been watching daily for the young man's return; until one day he saw his son from a distance and ran to meet him. Covering the son with hugs and kisses, as the young man repented of his sins, the father called for the best clothing to be laid upon him, the family signet placed on his hand, and proper shoes on his feet. A fat calf was prepared to celebrate the young adult's return; a party was thrown in his honor. Not because he had wasted his life and done contrary to what his father had planned for him, but because he had thrown off that life in disgust and humbled his heart, set his feet in the right direction and stayed on course till he was near home, whereupon his father, as previously stated, covered him with love and happiness.

In John 10:11, Jesus tells us that He is The Good Shepherd. “I am The Good Shepherd: The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Which He repeats in vs 14: “I am The Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine (known by them).” When reading John 10, you will discover that this whole chapter is about The Shepherd. He tells us that His sheep know His voice and listen to Him only. The reason not all people listen and follow Jesus is because they are not His sheep, not of His flock. Because we are people, not sheep, the only way we can be of Jesus' flock is to believe that Jesus Christ is who He says He is. Vs 7-9 in John 10: Then said Jesus unto them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am The Door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am The Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

The Lord is my Shepherd.

To criticize and belittle the shepherd is to not know anything about the shepherd's job. Oftentimes, the youngest of the household was sent out to assist and learn from the hired hand tending the flock; whereupon he would eventually take over the care of them himself. Though young, the boy would quickly learn to guard the flock from predators. Lead them near water to drink, but not into water, where they would drown.

Guide them over the rocky mountainous areas searching for food. If the lowlands were inhabited, the people living there were either in towns or farming communities, rendering the lands around them fields of grains and produce. This sent the flocks formerly feeding there into the mountains and high hills to feed off those lands there. But up in these areas lives another type of animal: the predator. Wolves, bears, eagles, and mountain lions. While thieves would occasionally steal away one or more sheep, sometimes whole flocks, they themselves did not live in the mountains. Where would they hide that the shepherd could not find them out?

But to guard the flock from the predators, the shepherd would have to be wise in the ways of the wild and able to fend off they who would kill, steal, and destroy his flock. I think he may have power-napped his way across the mountainous areas, tending and guarding his sheep. If the shepherd worked alone, he could have taken care of a small flock of sheep and gotten enough sleep to be watchful. But in bigger flocks, there would have been more than one sheepherder; many watchers, but only one head sheepmaster. The larger the flock, the more shepherds are needed to keep the sheep in good condition until market time, allowing each to take watches day and night, thereby giving the others the opportunity to get some really good rest.

Were the shepherd to sleep when he should have been watching over the flock, that would be the ideal time for any predator to make their move and steal away with one or more sheep or small lambs. The good shepherd put his sheep first. The bad shepherd put himself first. The good shepherd defends the flock. The bad shepherd leaves the flock to fend for itself. The good shepherd knows his stuff and what to do in times of danger. The bad shepherd knows nothing and in times of danger looks away or runs away, leaving the flock to be ravaged by either predators or nature itself.

To be considered a good shepherd, one who could keep the flock intact, secure, groomed and sheared, fed and watered, rescued and nurtured, that shepherd would need to meet major requirements. Willingness to serve instead of be served. As stated before, it would be the youngest of a household who would be sent out to learn the trade. Sometimes the child of a wealthy family would be sent, as in David's case. Remember your Bible stories? He was in the fields tending sheep most of his young life, before he was anointed by Samuel to be king; before he brought supplies to this brothers who were at war with the Philistines; before he fought and defeated Goliath, a giant of a man who was the champion of the Philistines; before he became King of Israel. Before anything he did after that time, David was a sheepherder, a good shepherd.

Using only a slingshot and his bare hands, perhaps he even had a small blade, he was able to ward off bears and lions who attacked his flock, and overcome the predators by himself. Therefore a good shepherd needs courage, wisdom, strength, might. He needs to think on his feet and be able to act quickly, while his body is in motion. The good shepherd needs compassion to be able to guard his flock from dangers. His heart must be in his work, for his work is his life. Without the sheep to care for, the shepherd has no way of life; but he must be able to love his work.

Sheepherders also use staffs, sturdy walking sticks, to help them climb the mountains. This tool could also be used as a weapon. And if the top of it were crooked, like a candy cane, then the staff would become a tool for rescue and comfort when dealing with the flock. The curved part of the staff would be gently lowered across the sheep's neck, or around its leg, and used to draw it back to the flock, a place of safety. Used as a weapon, the heavy rod would come smashing down on any would-be sheep stealers. 

The rod the shepherd uses would have been made from a young tree, a small sapling, the base of the tree being the head of the rod. It is a weapon shaped like a baseball bat, but used to fight off wolves and such. With the strength of one defending that which he loves, the shepherd could have struck with enough force to kill the enemy with one blow. That's how sturdy the rod is. It was used only for protection, to protect the sheep in his flock, not harm them. 

A shepherd's hands must be strong and gentle. Strong enough to break a lion's neck and gentle enough to calm and soothe the scared sheep. Tender enough to be able to tend their wounds, if any had been inflicted. Hands gentle enough to remove burrs from their wool and keep them healthy. His hands needed to be able to help, if needed, bring new lambs into the flock. He needed to have steady hands to shear the heavy wool off his sheep, which grew thicker with each shearing. The sheep who was gently sheared would have no cuts or scrapes from the trimming on their body. Their wool would be removed efficiently and carefully, but also quickly. The sheep being sheared would need to be impelled to lay still, perhaps by hindering the legs from moving. Though shearing can be done by one person, it usually requires at least two. And both need to have steady and gentle hands.  

The good shepherd would need to be able to speak to his sheep, get them used to his voice, so they would not run away as he approached. Sheep really are not as dumb as most sources would have people believe they are. Though they do have what is referred to as a 'herd mentality', sheep are known to be clever and retain memory. They know not only the voice of their shepherd, they know his face. For the shepherd spends many hours, both day and night, with his sheep. They become accustomed to their shepherd and will not willingly or knowingly follow another shepherd.

Because the good shepherd is willing to fight for his sheep, it must be inferred that he is willing to die for his sheep, too. For should even the best shepherd lose the fight against the perpetrator who attacks his sheep, then the sheep would be lost, too. But the good shepherd, knowing this, is prepared to fight anyway. Our Good Shepherd had a plan when He laid down His life for His sheep. Actually, His Father had a plan. And it was not a backup plan, it was the real deal.

Going back to John 10, we read in verse 18: “No man takes it (life) from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.” God had commanded His only begotten Son to lay down His life for His people AND to take His life back after He had laid it down. Being an obedient Son to His Father's commands, Jesus suffered Himself to be nailed to the cross, to die a horrible torturous death in our place, knowing in the back of his mind, even while His body was racked with pain, that He was being obedient to His Father. And that His obedience was essential in having God's will for His life fulfilled.

God says that obedience is better than sacrifice. Jesus in His obedience became the sacrifice for the sins of the world; ALL the sins ever committed by every person who ever lived. All these sins were laid across his back, one stripe at a time. With each crack of the whip, The Good Shepherd's back was torn to smithereens, the wounds going so deep, the muscles and deep tissue were exposed, causing His back to wrack with pain. The Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep.

Only to take it back up again after He defeated death, hell and the grave. For it was to hell He had been sent, having the sins of all laid upon Him. And it was hell Christ overcame, for He walked out holding the key to it in His hand. He overcame death by taking back His life. He overcame the grave by having the stone rolled away and walking out of it, pure and perfect. Unrecognizable for a brief moment by those who saw Him after He rose from the dead, it was when He spoke that they knew this was their Shepherd, this was Jesus.

Do you know this Shepherd's voice? I do. I am of His flock, for I believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and that He died in my place; that He rose from the dead and is preparing a place for me in His Father's house. I believe that God's Holy Spirit, The Good Shepherd's assistant, is helping me share this message and many others, with boldness and wisdom; with fearlessness and compassion. I know that God is real, time is short and I must be about my Father's business, too.

TheLordIsMyShepherd, JEHOVAH-ROHI, that is His Name. And He truly IS my Shepherd.  Choose Jesus to be your Shepherd, too. Repent and be baptized today, for the kingdom of God is near.