The Lord is My Shepherd

Aaron Leatherdale - Rapper
Follow Aaron on Twitter: aleatherdale
Website & personal blog: aaronleatherdale.org
Aaron grew up in Prince George, BC, Canada and moved to IHOP in May 2007. His passion and desire is to serve the Lord through prayer and fasting and to preach the love of Christ to the nations of the earth.

 

Lately I've been meditating on Psalm 23 - reflecting on the leadership of Jesus through the different seasons of my life. Looking back on my years as a Christian I'm amazed by the Lord's invisible hand guiding and directing me.

In Psalm 23 David uses the analogy of shepherding to convey powerful truths about Jesus and how he leads us. Until recently I was totally unfamiliar with shepherds and sheep so most of the meaning in the passage was lost to me. Lately, though, I've been studying and chatting with friends who are familiar with shepherding in Israel.

When you understand the context of the passage it's easy to see why David uses it to display the Lord's care for us – plus David was a shepherd and lived in a culture where everyone was very familiar with that occupation. Shepherding in ancient Israel hasn't really changed much in 3000 years.

So I'd like to share a few thoughts about Psalm 23 and hopefully shed some light into the first 2 verses of the chapter.

Verse 1 – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

David opens the passage by declaring that the Lord is the Shepherd. This verse has become very personal to me over time as I have prayed and sang this phrase. David makes it personal – the Lord is MY Shepherd. In John 10 it says that the Good Shepherd (Jesus) knows His sheep and He calls each one by name. In the Middle East a shepherd would often be responsible for hundreds of sheep and he was familiar with each and every one. He knew the exact condition of the flock and the exact number of sheep under his care.

Being a shepherd was a thankless job. Sheep are so dumb that the shepherd literally had to guard them day and night. Most animals have some sort of defense against predators. But sheep have nothing to protect themselves. They have no camouflage, they don't emit any offensive smells, they can't make loud noises, they don't have teeth nor can they run fast. They are just bumbling creatures with legs like spindles. Sheep are social animals and if they are separated from the flock it can be a very stressful situation for a sheep. Although they have good sight, hearing and smell, sheep are easily disoriented and confused. They have even been known to get lost trying to find their way to the sheepfold even though it is in plain sight. What a perfect example of a Christian's need to submit to the leadership of the Good Shepherd. Without His constant care we would be devoured, side-tracked and hopelessly lost.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. Isaiah 53:6

The sheep are helpless without the shepherd. In time the sheep learn to recognize the shepherd's voice and trust him. Without the protection and watchfulness of a shepherd, the sheep would be devoured by wolves or some other predator. David knew first-hand what it was like to protect his sheep when he put his life on the line and rescued them from the mouths of wolves and bears.

Verse 2 – He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Israel has a dry and arid climate and “green pastures” are often in short supply. The job of a shepherd usually involved traveling to various locations and sometimes it was a 3 day journey to find a green pasture for grazing. Jesus does promise to bring us to green pastures, but we might find ourselves in a desert wilderness before we get there. Green pastures speak of being satisfied. Sheep generally only lie down when they are sleeping or when they are full of food or chewing cud.

Sheep are easily frightened. A fast-flowing river can scare a sheep so a shepherd would create a dam on the bank of a river or stream where the water would be perfectly still so the sheep could drink.

A quick look at ancient shepherding gives us insight into David's words in Psalm 23. Without the perfect, unceasing leadership of Jesus we, like sheep, would be led astray. How desperately we need the Good Shepherd!

You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. Psalm 119:5,6

© 2011 Aaron Leatherdale