God is a Shepherd

“I want to be a shepherd when I grow up!”

This is not something we hear children say in the West, but in many places in the world, there are still people whose occupation it is to shepherd sheep. It is their responsibility to protect, guide, and watch over their flocks.

There is a powerful spiritual application of those in positions who “shepherd” a faith family congregation, making sure that they are looked after, that their well-being is protected, and that they are guided faithfully. The Bible refers to those who love God as sheep who need a shepherd. God’s children have always been referred to as His sheep and He being their shepherd.

Unfortunately, there was a time in the Old Testament of the Bible where God’s people wanted to be like the other nations around them; they wanted a king. They rejected the guidance of God and asked for a man to rule over them. In the book 2 Samuel 5:2, God gave them a king named Saul to shepherd them.

“Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ (2 Samuel 5:2; NKJV)

Inevitably, Saul and many other men led God’s people astray. God speaks about these types of shepherds in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Yes, they are greedy dogs
Which never have enough.
And they are shepherds
Who cannot understand;
They all look to their own way,
Every one for his own gain,
From his own territory.” (Isaiah 56:11; NKJV)

This is continued in the book of Jeremiah:

“For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered” (Jeremiah 10:21; NKJV)

Despite God’s children rejecting Him, He cared for them:

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” (Jeremiah 23:1; NKJV)

In the book of Jeremiah 50:6, we can hear God’s compassion for His flock:

“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.” (Jeremiah 50:6; NKJV)

But the beautiful thing is God does not forget about His sheep. They will not always be lost.

“For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12; NKJV)

God did appoint a faithful man to shepherd His flock; the king’s name was David. David accepted his role, knowing his place and that God was the true shepherd. David wrote a well-known Psalm which starts with:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1; NKJV)

David knew that with God as his shepherd, he lacked nothing. God spoke of the type of shepherd David would be for his people:

“David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.” (Ezekiel 37:24; NKJV)

God saw in David a servant’s heart, a shepherd who would guide His flock in God’s ways. David sat on a throne that would, in the future, have a king from his family tree who would reign forever. A shepherd who would follow His Father’s commandments perfectly. The good shepherdwhose perfect example made him the good and perfect shepherd…Jesus Christ, our Lord. Luke 1:32 (NKJV) says, “He (Jesus) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”

The book of John tells us that Jesus is the good shepherd:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. … “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:11, 14-16; NKJV)

A good shepherd knows his flock and his flock knows him. It is a relationship based on love and trust. Jesus is calling more people to be a part of God’s flock. So we must ask ourselves, to which flock do we belong in today’s world? Who knows us and knows what’s best for us? Whose voice are we listening to? Who do we seek to guide us day to day? Who is shepherding us? Is it the good shepherd, Jesus, who gave his life so that we may have eternal life? Is your shepherd caring for you and providing spiritual food because you are one of God’s sheep?

Maybe you were part of God’s flock but went astray. God never leaves nor forsakes his children who want to be amongst his sheep and call out to the good shepherd.

“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25; NKJV)

God sent His beloved Son to look after his flock and search for the lost, just like the parable of the Lost Sheep in the book of Luke:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” (Luke 15:4, 6; NKJV)

Now is the time to be found, seeking to be in God’s flock and to follow the one and true shepherd who God will send again. This earth is in desperate need for the Son, who was sacrificed for our sins (The Lamb of God) to return and gather his sheep. The last book of the Bible is the book of Revelation, which tells of that glorious day to come:

“For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17; NKJV)