My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

In my favorite book, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23, I have learned how deeply the metaphor of the Lord as my Shepherd relates to my life. One very interesting fact is that sheep will not lay down unless all their needs are met. They must be fed, watered and completely free of parasites. A shepherd needs to provide all the needs of the sheep so they feel at peace and safe enough to lie down.

God is willing to provide me with rest if I will allow Him to meet my needs. So many times I run around, frantic, trying to meet my own needs or the needs of others but to no avail. I forget that I am not the shepherd but a sheep in need of a shepherd as well. I need my shepherd’s care in order to rest in Him and only Him.

Sheep need a shepherd to shear them. Sheep have been known to have so much wool that they fall over, can’t move, can’t breathe and can end up dying from having too much wool!

Wool continues to grow without a Shepherd to shear it off.

Sheep that have fallen down and can’t move are called “cast”. This is why David uses the term “cast” in Psalm 43:5.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

In his book, Phillip Keller describes wool as a metaphor for sin. We need Christ to change us, to remove the sin from our lives, and to save us. Once we accept his gift of life, we are free from the weight and guilt of our sin and can live in joy and freedom. However this is an ongoing relationship. I need Christ daily in my life. To look me over, shear what needs to be sheared, anoint what needs healed, and comfort me with his love. He is gentle. He doesn’t force his hand on me. When I don’t allow his loving care each day to teach me, change me and help me resist sin, the wool grows back. I become tired and burdened. Sometimes I fall and can’t get up on my own. Praise the Lord He is always waiting for me to call out to Him. He waits with shears and loving arms ready.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. 1 John 1:9

“He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3

In this familiar psalm, David was referring to shepherds who watched over their sheep in a land where water was scarce and the sun was hot. In order for sheep to have any water, a shepherd in this land would rise very early in the morning, before the sun, and take their sheep into the pastures where they could eat the dew covered grass before the sun would burn it off. The sheep would eat their fill and be satisfied.

I love this metaphor. My Good Shepherd calls me to rise early to meet with Him. To read his word and be deeply satisfied in Him before I face the scorch of the day.

Later in the day, when the dew was evaporated by the sun, a shepherd would take his sheep on a journey to find a stream. Sometimes this would take hours and it was during the hottest part of the day. However just finding a stream was not enough. Sheep will NOT drink from moving water. They are too afraid. No matter how thirsty they are, they will not drink from a clear bubbling stream that is moving. They will stand at the edge, too nervous and scared to drink. The shepherd knows this. He uses his staff to dig a trench, allowing water to rush to the side and create a still pool of water where the sheep can drink easily.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A STRESSFUL DAY WHERE THINGS ARE HARD AND YOU FEEL ANXIOUS, TIRED AND AFRAID? I love this picture of Jesus being with us in a hot dessert after a long day and we can turn to Him and cry out in the worst of times, “Lord! The water is moving too fast! What do I do?!”

He gently calls us to come to Him, wait on Him, read His word, sit with Him, and He will provide a way to restore us. I need to be willing to step aside, close a door and sit with Him a moment and be refreshed.

This is what He is asking me to do in those moments of my day. Stop what I’m doing, stop staring at the rushing water and turn aside to Him. Maybe He will encourage me through a friend, through a Bible verse, maybe a song, or just a moment of silence where He can fill me.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

A shepherd’s rod is used as a weapon. It is a tool to keep sheep safe from mountain lions, snakes, and to examine the wool for sickness and parasites. It is a short blunt stick that can easily be thrown or used as a club against enemies.

The rod is a metaphor for God’s Word. It is a weapon we can use against Satan when we feel his attacks. I have seen that memorizing scripture is the greatest defense against Satan. Memorizing is key. I don’t always have my Bible available to me. How can I fight an enemy with no weapon in my belt? Even Jesus himself used scripture to fight against Satan when he was being tempted. He was teaching us how to use the weapon available to us.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

This verse has always been confusing to me. What is a table? And what does it mean that God prepares it before my enemies? In the desert, shepherds would go ahead of the sheep to prepare a flat area of land on top of a mountain known as a “table”. Shepherds had to go ahead of the sheep to remove obstacles on the path, scout for predators and remove dangerous foliage that could make the sheep sick.

While grazing on this lush “table” of land, the sheep were exposed to enemies such as mountain lions bears, and coyotes. It was a risky journey, but a Shepherd knew the trip to these tablelands was worth it.

My Good Shepherd goes before me. Sometimes I want to turn back out of fear from a path with too many unknowns, but I know He has been before me. He knows the danger ahead, but He also knows the blessing. I will follow Him.

There are so many other thoughts I could write from this treasure of a book, but I won’t spoil the whole thing. It is worth reading and then reading again.