Psalm 23 says the Lord is my Shepherd, but does that mean I am like a sheep? Read how the Lord responds to those of us who can’t seem to get it right.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1, NKJV
Despite loving and seeking to serve God for most of my life, at times I have sort-term memory loss when it comes to remembering His many-faceted, words-defying character. Also, sometimes it escapes my cluttered mind that God is the anchor of my soul in the storms of life…as cheesy as that sounds. (Think of the terrified apostles on the stormy sea and Jesus walking toward them telling them to ‘chill’.)
God’s Many Names
So… recently, I worked back through a Bible study by Kay Arthur entitled, Lord I Want to Know You. Within those pages, Arthur leads the reader throughout Scripture showing when God revealed a new characteristic of Himself to His people, Israel. With each one, a need they had was met and a new name for God was given to them.
I had done this study years ago, when I was gobbling up one Bible study after another, barely taking time for any root to develop. However, the many constellations surrounding my life have been colliding crazily and I needed a fresh reminder of the nature of my awe-inspiring Father. Many of the names of God spoke to my heart, but God as my Shepherd loomed large.
Psalm 23…
Psalm 23 has been dear to me for too many decades to count. I think I may have first memorized it in Vacation Bible School, if that tells you anything! (Don’t ever think kids aren’t taking something home in their hearts from VBS, moms!) When I suffer from insomnia, when anxiety is high or faith is low, my heart and mind often run to Psalm 23.
Being a shepherd himself, I understand David referring to God as a Shepherd. David could relate; it was his own lifestyle. He hung out on dusty mountainsides with smelly sheep all day every day. But that was then, this is now. How can a shepherd analogy work for today? Living today in the technological 21st century – can we truly be considered a bunch of dumb, sheep?…
A Flock of Sheep…
Uh…afraid so. At least that’s what Scripture declares.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the LORD has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6, ESV
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
I Peter 2:25, ESV
Without a shepherd, sheep inevitably are aimless. They will munch themselves off of a cliff and will gladly eat or drink things that harm them. It’s just their basic nature. That sounds like a lot of people I know. Wait – it sounds like me!
The late journalist, scientist, and shepherd Phillip Keller wrote in, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm:
It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.
Yet, despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us.
The Tender Shepherd…
Often in Scripture, God refers to His people as sheep and He as their Shepherd. I believe it’s probably an analogy worth investigating, don’t you?
After strongly chastising the priests/shepherds of Israel for allowing the people/sheep to be scattered, God had a message of hope for the flock:
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.
Ezekial 34:11-12, NKJV
I can envision this word picture; can you? Whether physically or metaphorically, are there cloudy and dark days when your spirit feels pummeled? Do you long for your Lord to seek you out to comfort you? Sister, He IS!
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:11, ESV
He will tend. He will gather in His arms. He will carry them. He will gently lead. My spirit is moved by the Shepherd’s tenderness. I wonder why we so often lose sight of this picture of God, this aspect of His character when He is on every page of Scripture!
The Good Shepherd…
In Luke 15:4-6, Jesus talked about leaving the 99 sheep and going after the ONE sheep that was lost. Then, what did He do? Berate the sheep? Beat it? NO! He placed it on His shoulders, carried it home, called His friends together and rejoiced!
If you were the one sheep who wandered off, the Good Shepherd would come after you.
Why? You may ask; He has others, others who don’t stray or who are less trouble.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:11-16, ESV
Precious sister, He knows you inside out. The good Shepherd knew we were sheep when He called us and knew the characteristics of sheep. He knew we were sheep when He laid down His life for us so that we could experience LIFE. Jesus would never abandon us. It’s against His nature.
He is the Good Shepherd.
All of us are a mess!
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Our Good Shepherd would never abandon us, knowing that we are sheep. It’s interesting how God choose to compare us to sheep. We must lean on His wisdom because we don’t have any of our own.
I have always loved the sheep analogy — especially since we farm. We have cows, goats and chickens — no sheep — but I still get it. I appreciate your wise words!
Thank you so much, Amy! I really appreciate your perspective since your family farms. I, too, appreciate the sheep analogy in that I believe it helps keep us humble.