March 21, 2007

Step 3: . We made a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God.

Scripture reading for today: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

Anyone interested in hiring a good shepherd? Today we aspire to be actors, lawyers, financial planners, doctors, computer gurus, mechanics, rock stars…pretty much anything but a shepherd. But back in the day, way back when the scriptures were being crafted, to be a shepherd was a pretty big deal. It was also a big deal to be shepherd-less.

Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Numbers 27:15 NIV
Would you agree that if Moses says his people need a shepherd then he is implying that his people are like sheep? Sheep receive more attention in the bible than any other animal. By 3000 B.C. sheep were domesticated – probably before cattle. They were important in every area of an Israelite’s life – civic, religious and domestic. Abel, one of the sons of Adam, was the first recorded shepherd (Gen. 4:2). Shepherd’s had such an arduous task of sheep-herding that any decent shepherd knew every individual sheep by name. A shepherd -much like a parent of the very young – couldn’t leave those critters alone for a second without fear of them wandering off and getting lost.

Sheep are always led, never driven. (This will be a very important point to remember.) Sheep are gregarious – we would call them extroverts! They do not like to be alone. A happy sheep requires a minimum of four other sheep to hang with. That’s what the experts say. (How do they know this?) Another thing about sheep - they are easily led – even astray. They will follow whoever is at the front of the pack – to their own peril! That’s why sheep need a good shepherd to keep them from danger. They also are defenseless when it comes to their natural habitat predators. Scientists believe that sheep intuitively know that their only safety comes in staying together. Shepherds are often the only line of defense between a sheep and another animal looking for a tasty meal.

A good shepherd cares deeply for the herd. Shepherds have several tools that assist them in effective shepherding: a sling (think David and Goliath), a rod (a stick about 30 inches long with a knob on one end), a flute (to play for amusement and to calm the sheep), and a staff (a walking cane with a crook on the end.) I’ve never been a shepherd, but I’m told that a shepherd sometimes uses the crook to hoist lost sheep out of gullies and such. For certain, the shepherd’s job was always to get the sheep safely home – often in spite of themselves.
God himself is compared to a shepherd:

But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert. Psalm 78:52 NIV

And just in case we miss that comparison, we, His people, are like sheep:
Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 NIV

Thought for today:
“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” Habakkuk 2:4 NLT

Thought for tomorrow: When one decides to turn their life and will over to the care and control of God, it just may be the single most important decision they ever make. It’s a decision made in humility – recognizing one’s need for a shepherd. So I ask you: are you in need of a good shepherd?

March 21
Teresa McBean