Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 (KJV)
The 23rd Psalm is one of the most familiar passages from the Bible. Written by David (according to the NIV Life Application Study Bible, p 845), it portrays we believers as sheep and God as the shepherd. Having grown up near sheep I can relate. I had a great uncle who had multiple flocks of sheep. Each flock was tended by a herder (Shepherd). Plus, there was another ranch nearby that had thousands of sheep also tended by herders. It was the herder’s job to move the sheep to fresh pasture when they had eaten the majority of where they were and to protect them from predators e.g. coyotes and possibly bears if they were in mountainous areas. Terrain was important since sheep in mountainous and rough terrain are more difficult to find. Marker sheep with bells were often used as were black sheep in white herds. If a flock had 1000 sheep, it might have one marker sheep say for every 50 sheep. In the evening the herder would round up the sheep and get them close to where he was spending the night. He could count the belled or black sheep to see if he had all his flock. This method assumes the marker sheep were uniformly distributed throughout the flock. Most herders had dogs for help and often a horse to ride.
The similarities between humans and sheep are obvious. We view God as our leader. If we pay attention to our leader we will be led to a successful life of righteousness. The sheep will find fresh pasture to graze and as long as they don’t stray too far, they will be safe. We sometimes stray from God. Jesus would go looking for those who strayed (Luke 15:3-5, NIV). We can become attached to others who may or may not lead us correctly. I once had a bum lamb that grew to maturity on the ranch. She was the only sheep on the place and became attached to our milk cows. My father would take her to his uncle's once a year to be shorn with the uncle’s other sheep. While waiting to be sheared, she would stand by my father and ignore the other sheep. At home, she even had a favorite milk cow. If she lost sight of that cow, she would become distressed. We sometimes go astray and follow the wrong leader and fall into a group of people that may lead us to the wrong place. If we continue to follow God, we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you ever find yourself following the wrong group of friends that lead you away from God?
- Do you sometimes feel like a lost sheep looking for the right leader and right group? If so, what have you done that has led you back to God?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, always be my leader. If I stray, remind me to return to the flock of believers. Help me be a better person. One that loves you and others. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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