Sun 27 Sep

The Bible has quite a bit to say concerning shepherds and sheep. Growing up on a mixed farming enterprise in southern NSW I was able to empathise with the shepherds and sheep of biblical times. Sheep require constant care. It is not as though you can lock them in a paddock and forget about them.

You have to check to see if they need feed or water. Do they need shearing, drenching, crutching, wigging? You have to regularly check the fences to make sure they have not strayed, which as Isaiah states, sheep are prone to do. They need care. Is it any wonder that God compares us to sheep!

We get a taste of the care required as we read that popular psalm – “The Shepherd’s Psalm.” In Psalm 23 we have the shepherd who leads, who guides, who provides, and protects. It is little wonder that the writer of Psalm 23 is able to say “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

The role of the shepherd is further explored by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 34. Sadly, there are some shepherds who do not deserve the name “shepherd”. When it came to shepherds, David had a duel role. He was a shepherd boy as well as a shepherd king. 

We look to Jesus as our shepherd who leads, guides, provides and protects. He is the shepherd who gave His life for the sheep who were lost. Are you a sheep who needs to be found? Or, have you been found and now actively seeking to find lost sheep?