Monday, April 27, 2015
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd.
A FAITHFUL SHEPHERD IS MY LORD
A prominent Bible theme (in both the Old and New Testaments) is that of "shepherding." Already in Genesis 4 we learn that shepherding was the life vocation of the second son born to Adam and Eve, Abel. Each of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are identified as shepherds.
Since God's people were so very familiar with the work of looking after sheep, providing for them, protecting them, I suppose it was only natural that God would choose to apply this term to the blessed relationship that exists between Himself and His believing children. It's not surprising that prophets like Isaiah (40:11), Jeremiah, (31:10), Ezekiel (34:12) were led in their writings to portray the Lord in this manner and that David (himself a shepherd) pictured the Lord this way in the familiar 23rd Psalm.
From our study of the New Testament Scriptures we are able to see how, when the promised Messiah made His appearance on earth, He made a special point of applying these "shepherd passages" from the Old Testament to Himself. He wanted to make it easy for everyone to recognize Him as the One sent from above to be the loving caretaker of our souls, who would volunteer to give His life for His sheep. The name "shepherd" is certainly a fitting name for Jesus.
The King of Love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His And He is mine forever.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 431:1)
