Sheep & Shepherd
I’ve always thought of sheep as dumb animals. I did a little bit of research to find that there are characteristics of a sheep that are actually quite smart. So much of their behavior is built in. They flock together for safety and they learn at a very young age to follow the leaders of the flock. They really feel most comfortable in a situation with other sheep because there is a social element. They were built to be who they are. They don’t really think for themselves much – in fact they are very nervous when separated from the flock.
As I researched the sheep, I find it very interesting that the Lord calls His people sheep and He is the Shepherd. Some of the characteristics are excellent examples of how I should move and act as the “sheep of His pasture”. Here in Ezekiel, the Lord is promising restoration of His flock. The previous shepherds have not been protective and haven’t been properly leading the flock. The Lord is here to rescue. Check this out….
23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.[a] I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (Ezekiel 34:21-31 NIV)
The more I study the Word of God, I realize that the Lord has used me to help shepherd only after I’ve learned my role as a sheep under His care. I need the Lord at all times. I need His Protection and His Provision. When I serve as a shepherd, I serve out of understanding of the role of the sheep because I’m still under the provision and care of The Good Shepherd.
I totally understand how David could write so eloquently in Psalm 23 about the Good Shepherd because David served as a shepherd and as a member of God’s flock. I want to follow the Good Shepherd the rest of my days on earth.
Pressing On!
Dwayne