Voice of the Shepherd
Read: John 10:1-10 The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (v. 4) Throughout the Old Testament, God referred to his people’s human leaders as “shepherds.” On some occasions God condemned his people for wandering from their shepherds. On other occasions, God condemned his shepherds for misleading his flock. But God affirmed that each […]
The Shepherd’s Delight
Read: Luke 15:1-7 Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (v. 6) When my children were younger, we had a pet hamster. This hamster was never content with her habitat, escaping whenever she could. On one occasion, she disappeared for several days. I considered her lost but then discovered her […]
Harassed and Helpless
Read: Micah 5:1-4; Matthew 9:35-38 He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD. (Micah 5:4) As a 12-year-old I made my first solo train trip. I was traveling home from a visit with friends. I arrived at the train station—a maze of levels, corridors and platforms. I had my ticket […]
Bad Shepherds
Read: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! (v. 1) Sheep are physically vulnerable. They have few natural defenses against parasites and predators. They are prone to wander. Sheep depend on others to lead them, which is why they fall prey to false shepherds. Sheep are so […]
Like Sheep
Read: Isaiah 53:1-6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. (v. 6) In his memoir A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson encounters a man whose sense of direction is hopelessly flawed. When they meet, Bryson points out that the man is miles off course from his intended […]
The Tender Shepherd
Read: Isaiah 40:1-11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms. (v. 11) One of my earliest memories is of my mother singing a lullaby that goes, “Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me, / Bless Thy little lamb tonight.” We tend to “grow out” of that feeling of […]
In the Presence of My Enemies
Read: Psalm 23 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (v. 5) In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller observes that sheep are such anxious and temperamental creatures that if there is a hint of danger, they cannot rest, sleep, or even eat. The presence […]
Rod and Staff
Read: Psalm 23 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (v. 4) In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller notes that shepherds in antiquity carried two tools: a rod and a staff. The staff was a long stick used […]
Don’t Shepherd Us!
Read: 1 Kings 22:1-18 There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD . . . but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil. (v. 8) My first movie experience was Walt Disney’s Pinocchio. Its narrator, Jiminy Cricket, is the puppet’s appointed conscience. Pinocchio is perfectly […]