The Lord...is my shepherd.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”David became a shepherd and use to watch his father’s flock on the hills surrounding Bethlehem. He knew what it meant to take responsibility for helpless sheep that were always getting into trouble. David knew without doubt that God was his Shepherd.  Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.” The shepherd is the source of the flocks’ contentment; they know his voice and they follow him.

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters.” Shepherds, raising sheep in the dry-arid region surrounding Bethlehem, would have had to work hard to find and prepare fields for their flocks. Brush needed clearing, rocks removed and soil prepared for the sowing of seed. The shepherd knew just the right time to throw out seed; as  spring rains  transformed the hillsides into lush green feeding grounds. A healthy animal was one that did not have to run around in search of food but could lazily graze in one lush pasture with plenty of opportunities to rest.

Good, clean water is essential for all life. The shepherd would have searched out the best places to get water. He would lead his flock past stagnant pools of still water, infested with a multitude of parasites and onto a known source of clean fresh water. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  Jesus Christ went on to explain to the woman “Whoever drinks of this water (from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

“He restores my soul; He leads in me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” We are all like sheep and have gone astray. All people are born into sin, original sin, and need to be restored back to health. As we walk through life we ultimately make bad choices that lead to painful consequences. We all have a need for Christ to redeem us by paying this debt. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who genuinely cares for His sheep. He knows what we have been through, what we are going through and desires to lead us, if we will only follow, back into fellowship with God. 

The shepherd knows when it’s time for the flock to move on and he knows the way. He carefully watches out for ever present danger and he will not abandon the flock when the lion or bear comes to attack. Truly the entire earth was blessed as the Savior is born to the world. God promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through his seed and it’s for His name’s sake that we can trace Jesus Christ’s lineage back to King David through Abraham’s son Judah. 

“Yea, 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.” As the shepherd moved his flock to new pastures he would eventually have to lead his sheep through some very dark and dangerous valleys as he started climbing to higher elevations. It’s in these valleys that the shepherd would stay even closer to his sheep, always on constant alert for danger. This is true in our own lives; that we are never closer to God then when we travel through dark valleys of pain, grief and suffering. What a comfort it is to see the Good Shepherd’s staff, knowing that He is ready to catch us when we stumble and fall. Likewise the shepherd’s rod, symbol of His authority (the rod of His Word) is always a comfort to the flock.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” Our Good Shepherd, just before His death made a New Covenant with us in His blood. He promised us eternal life and commanded us to remember His sacrifice every time that we sat down to eat and fellowship. Then He gave us the Holy Spirit (oil) as a seal and promise of His return for us.  

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever”