The last two weeks of youth group
we’ve covered the topics of God being the Good Shepherd and the Perfect Lamb,
and it’s been fun to learn more about Him through these biblical analogies!
We started with the analogy of the
Shepherd in Psalm 23[1].
The chapter is a song written by one of the most famous kings of Israel, King
David. David went through some difficult times in his life, especially as he
waited on God to become King. You see, God had proclaimed David to be king and
anointed him with oil by the prophet Samuel as a symbol of this promise, but
for several years David lived and served under King Saul, who was David’s enemy
and tried to kill him many times. David most likely wrote Psalm 23 during a
time in his life when he was on the run from Saul and his armies.
Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my
Shepherd, I shall not want.”
This is an interesting opening
statement to a song. David grew up as a shepherd, so he knew well the “ins and
outs” of taking care of sheep, but to say “I shall not want” is definitely a
bold statement. Generally, we want things! Whether it’s food, water, shelter,
clothing, a new bicycle, video game, or the latest fashion skirt on the market,
we want things a lot. But for little sheepies, as I affectionately call them in
youth group, life isn’t so glamorous. Sheep aren’t that smart, for starters,
and can’t really defend themselves with teeth or claws. They really stand in
need of good pasture, protection, personal hygiene attendants, and leadership.
Sheepies can’t really give themselves hair-cuts after all, and if left to
themselves, they’ll just wander off to some forsaken piece of barren land, and
die. That’s why sheep need an able-bodied shepherd who can protect them from
predators and lead them to good pastures. In this sense, David compares God to
a good shepherd who is fully able and faithful to protect and satisfy all of
his sheepie-like needs.
Being on the run, David definitely
had his own handful of needs. There was one instance in particular when David
and his men were fleeing away from Saul in the valley of one side of a
mountain, while Saul’s army searched for him in the valley on the other side of
the mountain. God distracted King Saul and saved David that day, who later
called the mountain a “Rock of Escape.” You can read about it in 1 Samuel
23:26-28.[2]
This instance, and perhaps others, led David to write this line of his song in
Psalm 23:4-
“Even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You
are with me.”
He also writes in verse 5: “You
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
This is interesting because Saul, at
the advice of his son, ceased hunting David for a brief period of time and
invited him back to his table to partake in a feast. You can read about that in
1 Samuel 18:6-19:7.[3]
David’s comparison of God to a good
Shepherd is not that far off. Jesus actually calls Himself The Good Shepherd twice in John 10:11, 14-15 [4]:
“I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
“I am the good
shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I
know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
You would ask, ‘Why does He repeat
Himself? And what does He mean about laying down his life… for sheep?!’ You
might take a bullet for your best friend, but would you take a bullet for a
large cotton ball with a poopy butt? No! But that’s just the reason why it’s
awesome that God tells us He’s the Good Shepherd. God is willing to die
for dumb, fluffy, messy sheepies, and He did. This is what makes it so
good to be a Christian, to be called a child of God: God earnestly loves,
protects, and satisfies the needs of His people. He made the way for us to have
intimate relationship with Him, so that we might not be afraid of any evil
knowing that He is always with us. God leads, protects, supplies, and disciplines
those who are His because He loves them and works all things for their ultimate
good in Him. There is no greater comfort in the world than to know that your
every want is taken care of by a good, all-powerful God who created and loves
you for you.
The only thing is, you have
to make Him your Shepherd. More on that in our next installment.
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