A shepherd tends to and also rear sheep. In nomadic cultures, shepherds take the sheep out for pasture and while on the field, the shepherd ensures the safety of the flock. As long as a sheep stays with the flock, the sheep is safe. In fact Jesus tells us that the Good shepherd is so careful that if one sheep out of a hundred sheep gets missing, the Good Shepherd goes out to search for that sheep (Matthew 18:12-14). David experienced the shepherding love and care of God. He saw God deliver him and provide for him even in the presence of his enemies. David wrote that “the LORD is my shepherd”. Jesus confirms this in John 10:11,14; “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1 KJV) David’s life was full of experiences. For example, through the power of God, he killed a giant only when he was a teen. This heroic act brought him friends and foes. David became a wanderer but God never ceased to take care of him and provide for him. David had not expected that killing Goliath, the enemy of his people, would cause him to be envied by the king who desperately needed Goliath killed. However, God shepherded David and gave him victory. Jesus reminds us that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The thief is the devil and his agenda is to ensure that believers do not enjoy the shepherding love of good. He lures the sheep out of the sheepfold to go astray (Psalm. 119:176). Jesus proclaimed, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14). Jesus has compassion on the crowds he ministered to because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). The metaphor of the church as the sheepfold of God shows us how we are cared for and loved by God. In the past,“you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:25). We do not take lightly the shepherding work of God in our lives. As we follow the leading and guidance of our Shepherd, we are comforted, we are nourished, we are refreshed, we are protected, we are honoured even in the presence of our enemies, we are anointed, we are led through the path of righteousness, and the valley of death doesn’t scare us. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalms 23:6).
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