"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." [1] This is the first verse of what is perhaps the most well-known Psalm; Psalm 23. Like many believers, I read at least one Psalm every day along with my other Bible reading. As I studied this Psalm a few days ago, a few connections were made in my mind that I had never thought of before.
"The Lord is my shepherd..." This implies that the writer of the Psalm was a sheep. This seems a bit unusual, doesn't it? For a human being to call himself a sheep? Another familiar verse, Isaiah 53:6, says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. . ." The natural question which this verse produces is, in what ways are we like sheep?
I have spent some time observing sheep on a friend's farm, and it is pretty easy to see why the Lord would compare us to sheep. Though I will not claim to know much about sheep, I have noticed that they are animals of rather silly behavior. They follow whoever leads first, which often gets them into trouble. Once they are in trouble, they are helpless to get themselves out, and if they try to, they typically get into far worse danger. Only a shepherd would be able to rescue the sheep from wild animals, thorns, clefts, or whatever other danger the foolish, stubborn, weak, mischievous sheep might get themselves into.
Those characteristics are not very flattering to be compared to, are they? Yet they are so true of every one of us.
Something that struck me as I read Psalm 23 is that this word, "sheep", is one of few that is used to describe both Jews and Gentiles. But even more amazingly, God-become-flesh, Jesus Christ, became Man even to the extent that He was likened to a sheep.
When I say that Christ became like a sheep, I do not mean that He took on our sinful "sheeply" characteristics of following after other men, getting ourselves into all kinds of trouble, etc. He became like a sheep in the noblest, most beautiful, self-sacrificial, and amazing way.
Isaiah 53:6b-7 says, "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." This prophecy is fulfilled in each of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus' trial and crucifixion.
Matthew wrote in his account, "Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, 'Are You the king of the Jews?' Jesus said to him, 'It is as you say.' And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly." (Matthew 27:11-14. Emphasis mine.)
Jesus became like a sheep in His meekness, in His humility, and in His suffering. He became our perfect sacrifice to take away our sins, for we can do nothing to save ourselves. Yet despite His becoming like a lamb, the Lord is our Shepherd.
The Apostle Peter described Jesus this way: "'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (I Peter 2:22-25. Emphasis mine.)
The Lamb became our Shepherd. Jesus called Himself our Shepherd, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:11, 14-16)
What does the good shepherd do? Besides laying down His life for the sheep, He blesses His sheep with good things, as found in Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
The good shepherd protects His sheep from evil; from the power and temptations of the devil. He gives His sheep everything they need to stand against the devil and to follow and live for their Shepherd. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10. See also Ephesians 1:11-14; 2:1-10; 6:10-20)
The good shepherd uses even the painful things that His sheep go through - trials, temptations, chastisement, etc. - for their good. The Apostle Paul writes, "And not only that, but we also glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:3-5. See also Romans 8:28-29; Philippians 1:6)
The good shepherd gives eternal life to His sheep, and nothing can take away that eternal life. 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. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:27-30)
As we continue to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I hope we will remember that God Incarnate became like a sheep and a lamb; that He laid down His life for us as the perfect Lamb, because He is our Shepherd.
[1] All Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version.
"The Lord is my shepherd..." This implies that the writer of the Psalm was a sheep. This seems a bit unusual, doesn't it? For a human being to call himself a sheep? Another familiar verse, Isaiah 53:6, says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. . ." The natural question which this verse produces is, in what ways are we like sheep?
I have spent some time observing sheep on a friend's farm, and it is pretty easy to see why the Lord would compare us to sheep. Though I will not claim to know much about sheep, I have noticed that they are animals of rather silly behavior. They follow whoever leads first, which often gets them into trouble. Once they are in trouble, they are helpless to get themselves out, and if they try to, they typically get into far worse danger. Only a shepherd would be able to rescue the sheep from wild animals, thorns, clefts, or whatever other danger the foolish, stubborn, weak, mischievous sheep might get themselves into.
Those characteristics are not very flattering to be compared to, are they? Yet they are so true of every one of us.
Something that struck me as I read Psalm 23 is that this word, "sheep", is one of few that is used to describe both Jews and Gentiles. But even more amazingly, God-become-flesh, Jesus Christ, became Man even to the extent that He was likened to a sheep.
When I say that Christ became like a sheep, I do not mean that He took on our sinful "sheeply" characteristics of following after other men, getting ourselves into all kinds of trouble, etc. He became like a sheep in the noblest, most beautiful, self-sacrificial, and amazing way.
Isaiah 53:6b-7 says, "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." This prophecy is fulfilled in each of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus' trial and crucifixion.
Matthew wrote in his account, "Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, 'Are You the king of the Jews?' Jesus said to him, 'It is as you say.' And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly." (Matthew 27:11-14. Emphasis mine.)
Jesus became like a sheep in His meekness, in His humility, and in His suffering. He became our perfect sacrifice to take away our sins, for we can do nothing to save ourselves. Yet despite His becoming like a lamb, the Lord is our Shepherd.
The Apostle Peter described Jesus this way: "'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (I Peter 2:22-25. Emphasis mine.)
The Lamb became our Shepherd. Jesus called Himself our Shepherd, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:11, 14-16)
What does the good shepherd do? Besides laying down His life for the sheep, He blesses His sheep with good things, as found in Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
The good shepherd protects His sheep from evil; from the power and temptations of the devil. He gives His sheep everything they need to stand against the devil and to follow and live for their Shepherd. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10. See also Ephesians 1:11-14; 2:1-10; 6:10-20)
The good shepherd uses even the painful things that His sheep go through - trials, temptations, chastisement, etc. - for their good. The Apostle Paul writes, "And not only that, but we also glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:3-5. See also Romans 8:28-29; Philippians 1:6)
The good shepherd gives eternal life to His sheep, and nothing can take away that eternal life. 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. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:27-30)
As we continue to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I hope we will remember that God Incarnate became like a sheep and a lamb; that He laid down His life for us as the perfect Lamb, because He is our Shepherd.
[1] All Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version.
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