Day Six - The Nine Cares Of A Shepherd/The Shepherd (Follow Up Study)

Numbers In The Bible Series:

Day Six - The Nine Cares Of A Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6, [A Psalm of David.] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (1) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (2) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (3) 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. (4) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (5) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (6)

Why would Christ liken Himself to a Shepherd? I've often wondered why He would pick a "role" such as this one. As I researched the role of a shepherd, I noticed that the shepherd's job was to: provide food and water, find them a place to rest, discipline them when needed, protect them against foes, speak to them and give them companionship, directed them in their travels, provide them a peaceful journey, and literally provide them with a worry-free life. The sheep have everything - all they need to do is to follow their shepherd and make more sheep, when you stop to think about it! The sheep never have to hunt their own food or find their own water. The sheep recognize only their shepherd's voice. They do not respond to or follow another shepherd. Isn't that amazing? The sheep are helpless without their shepherd to protect them from going in the wrong direction or from their enemies. I saw that this shepherd's job description had nine areas of care for his sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (Joh 10:14) Do you think it's a coincidence that the Lord Himself used this occupation to describe Himself with us? I surely don't.

The most famous passage in Scriptures dealing with the shepherd is Psalm 23. When I went to it, I saw that it outlines nine areas of care as well! I got on shouting grounds! The number nine is the number for "completeness, finality, and fullness." How complete we are once we are saved! We are made full with the benefits Christ provides for us! Our salvation is final - there is nothing else needed. Praise God that the Shepherd of the Old Testament is also the Gentiles' Shepherd! And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (Joh 10:16) No longer was salvation only for the Jew. Praise God! Salvation is complete - salvation is for all!

The blessing that came with searching out the nine cares of the Shepherd were more than I could take today. My heart was stirred and the tears flowed because of just how much Christ cares for us! Let me share with you just how He cares for you!

Notice that Christ is a personal Saviour. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psa 23:1) (emphasis mine.) We lack nothing because of our position as Christ's sheep. He will provide for every aspect of our lives. All our needs are in His care! He is so personal that even the very hairs on our head are numbered! But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Mat 10:30) He knows us better than anyone. The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, (Psa 94:11a) He is our own personal Shepherd. Our personal Shepherd has nine beautiful ways He shows us He cares for us!

(1) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: Christ provides us with rest. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Mat 11:28) When I was first saved, I felt as though a hundred pounds had been lifted from my shoulders! The burden of sin had been removed and I felt so "free"! After I read this verse for the first time, I was in tears! My Saviour had freed me from this heavy burden and had given me peaceful rest! I can see why David used the word picture of laying down in a green field, can't you? What a beautiful depiction of the rest that Christ provides through salvation!

(2) He leadeth me beside the still waters: Christ refreshes the soul. Each day, our time in the Word provides a time of refreshing. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (Joh 4:14) Notice that the waters were not turbulent or even stirred. These waters were still! The Word of God does not produce confusion or conflict. It provides us with peaceful waters - still waters. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1 Cor 14:33) The devil has managed to cause much confusion through the many versions of the Bible. He has God's children arguing amongst themselves - confused about what the Holy Spirit was "really" communicating. God is not the author of confusion, according to 1 Cor. 14:33, so why would He provide 100 plus versions to confuse us? This is a contradiction, my friend. My Bible says that my Shepherd leads me to still waters. It stands to reason that the devil leads us to turbulent waters since he is the very antithesis of Christ. Christ is the Word of God - the devil will attack the Word to get even with Christ. But our Shepherd promises us that while we are in our blessed King James Bible, we will have still waters - peaceful waters - and no confusion can be found within its pages!

(3) He restoreth my soul: Christ provides reconciliation to the saved. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Heb 2:17) When we are trodden down with the cares of this world, He is able to lead His sheep away from that temptation. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (2 Pet 2:9) Notice this verse says that Christ specifically delivers the "godly" out of temptation. Not only has He reconciled us to the Father by redeeming us, He provides a way to deliver us from temptation! However, if we have succumbed to temptation, He restores us to a right relationship with Him. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 Jo 2:1) Thank You, Lord!

(4) He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The Bible says that Jesus is the Word (John 1:1) - He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). He left us His Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may learn to walk in righteousness as He walked in righteousness. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Tim 3:16) The Shepherd is constantly watching out for us and is ready to help. Everything we need is in the blessed Word of God and provides us with light and direction along the way. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psa 119:105) He is ever watchful in His leading, making sure that we do not stumble. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. (Pro 3:23)

(5) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; The Shepherd is always with us, my friend. There is no need to fear the trials of this life. He promises us that: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb 13:5b) God is not a man that He should lie (Num. 23:19). He says He will never leave me or forsake me. Never! Period! As He protects us from stumbling, He protects us during those difficult trials in life - even the most difficult trial of all, our physical death. There is no need to even fear death because He will be right there with us. 1 Cor. 15:54-55, So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (54) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (55)

A Youth Pastor I once knew, Pastor Mike Ray, told us of a trip he took his teens on to an actual funeral home. The mortician was a born-again Christian who shared how he was always able to tell when the deceased who was brought to him was a Christian. The Christian's countenance never showed fear or dismay, but had a peaceful look. However, the unsaved person's face was not so. Some would even come in with a horrible look of fear! This story impacted me greatly. It proved to me that my Shepherd's promise of walking with me through the valley of the shadow of death was true!

(6) Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The Hebrew word used for rod here is:

H7626

שׁבט

shêbet

Meaning: a scion, that is, (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.)

Our Shepherd not only wants to be our Lord, but He will punish us so that we get back on track. The punishment is not so that we become hard with rebellion against Him. His punishment, according to David, brings comfort. If the shepherd had a sheep that continuously ran away from the herd, he would break one of its legs so it would learn to stay close. When we yield to Christ's will as He trains us, the results bring comfort. We draw nigh to Him. As a result, God promises to draw nigh to us. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (Jam 4:8) When you punish your child for doing wrong, you don't punish him with the intent to cause him to rebel further, do you? Of course not! Your goal is to draw him close to you so you can teach him and mold him into a responsible adult. Christ's goal is to be so close to us that He can teach us and mold us into His image. What a wonderful picture!

(7) Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The staff had a different meaning in this beautiful passage.

H4938

משׁענת

משׁענה

mish‛ênâh mish‛eneth

Meaning: walking stick: - staff

Our Shepherd will direct us in our path. If there's a bump in the road, He will alert us through the preaching. Not only does Christ alert us, but He shows us how to deal with that bump in the road through His Word. The Holy Spirit is right there, teaching us, directing us and providing that comfort. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (Joh 15:26) Just as the shepherd uses a walking stick to help him along the way, we have the ultimate walking stick, the Bible, which our Shepherd uses to help us along our pilgrim's journey! This stick is not one of discipline but more a stick used for assistance. What a blessed picture of the Word of God assisting us!

( 8 ) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Notice that the Shepherd prepares the table while our enemies are right there at the door. He is laying out the table cloth, setting the place matts, putting out the cloth napkins, laying the cutlery just right, putting out the fine china and rightly placing a glass of cold water beside the plate. Jesus is preparing our table while we have struggles with the enemy. He lets us know that despite the turmoil around us, He is in control - nothing bothers Him. He continues to provide for us and He will give us peace. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (Joh 14:27) A good depiction of this was when He stilled the storm at sea. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mar 4:39) What comfort this brings the believer. No matter what is going on around us, the Shepherd is busy preparing a table to sup with us - despite the turmoil. He is always there ready to nourish us and encourage us with His Word.

(9) Thou anointest my head with oil; The oil of the Bible usually refers to the Holy Spirit. The oil here was anointed on the head showing me that the Holy Spirit will reveal to our hearts (our minds) what the Shepherd (the Word) is trying to communicate. I looked up Noah Webster's definition of anointing and the definition in this verse was:

communicate the consolations of the Holy Spirit.

I wondered what "consolations of the Holy Spirit" meant here. Noah defines it as:

Comfort; alleviation of misery, or distress of mind

Does this not totally bless you? The Shepherd alleviates our misery and distresses, my friend!

No wonder David was able to pen, "my cup runneth over" in verse 5! You've been there at some point in your Christian walk where you feel that God has just "over blessed" you, haven't you? David was bragging on his God here - Lord, stop! Stop! I can't take any more blessings! My cup is over flowing - any more and I'll burst!

Lastly, David speaks of how his Shepherd's goodness and mercy will follow him, not only in his walk on this earth, but throughout all eternity. He says that he will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever in verse 6. What another beautiful depiction of eternal security. The Shepherd does not leave His sheep - ever! But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (Joh 10:12) (emphasis mine.) Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd, not a hireling. The devil would love nothing better than to convince you that you can lose your position in Christ after you have been saved. After all, again he is the very antithesis of Christ. Christ won't leave us when that wolf comes attacking. Thank You, Lord, for this blessing today!

My cup runneth over!

Dear God...

The Shepherd guides those in His care.

He leads them along life's way.

He protects us from the enemy,

And He keeps those wolves at bay.

Devotional by Kate Plourde

A Follow Up Study by Kate:

The Shepherd

In yesterday’s devotional, we saw how God uses the medium of speech for His Word to be communicated to His people. Is it any wonder then that the Lord would compare Himself to a shepherd? Many years ago, I did a study on the job of a shepherd in biblical times. This comparison of the shepherd to our Lord is an absolute blessing! I pray you will receive a blessing today.

Did you know that the shepherd speaks to his sheep? The sheep actually recognize their own shepherd’s voice and won’t respond to another shepherd’s voice. (Joh 10:27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: I don’t know about you, but this brings me great comfort. A good part of Christ’s earthly ministry was spent teaching His disciples. They sat at His feet listening to His lessons and parables. He spoke to them and shared with them His Father’s will. (Mar 6:34) And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. Jesus knew they were without a shepherd and He became their Shepherd and taught them. He taught them from the Scriptures. How can the Christian hear Jesus’ voice today? Christ is known as the Word of God, therefore, it is through God’s Word that we can hear His voice! In fact, without the Word in our lives, we will make mistakes. (Mat 22:29) Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. The Word is God’s power in our lives. (Joh 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

The shepherd not only speaks to his sheep, he leads his sheep and he knows each one of them, watching over them day and night. He knows each one of sheep personally – he knows each one of their markings. In fact, shepherds would name their sheep to pass the time. (Joh 10:3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Does this not bring you comfort, dear Christian? Your Shepherd, Jesus Christ, calls you by name! When I was being wooed by the Holy Spirit to be saved, Jesus was saying, “Kate, come to Me”! Praise His Holy Name! After salvation, I instantly heard my Shepherd’s voice as I read the Word! The Word of God lit up like a neon sign and the Shepherd’s message was loud and clear to me. The pages of my Bible were no longer dry reading but they were alive!

Being a shepherd was a very responsible job. The shepherd had to keep count of his sheep and give an account for any that were lost. The owner would demand to be paid for each one that was lost. (Mat 18:12) How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? In today’s mind set, one wonders why so much time would be spent looking for one lost sheep. But when a price is attached to that sheep, one can clearly understand because that lost sheep is of value to the shepherd. Christ paid for each of us with a great price, my friend – with His own life. Our Shepherd gave up His life for each one of us. As the shepherd would bring his sheep in at night, he would count them as they passed by under his hand. Each one was touched by him. Christ touches each one of us through His Word.

The shepherd also anointed his sheep’s heads with oil. The Shepherd in Psalm 23:5 anoints His sheep’s head with oil. (Psa 23:5) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. The oil symbolizes receiving God’s anointing – receiving God’s grace to live the Christian life. The oil was used for medicinal purposes – being placed on a sheep’s head kept the sheep from getting sun stroke. It would also heal the bramble scratches. As Moses anointed the tabernacle (Lev. 8:10-12) and sanctified it, so should the Christian anoint himself (2 Pet. 1:14) to sanctify himself daily to serve the Lord. As we read the Word, we hear God speaking to us. As we apply what we have been taught by the Word, we become more and more set apart from the world.

As the shepherd spoke, he would lead his sheep daily to rest at noon in a quiet pasture and to a safe drinking place in the evening. Our Shepherd leads us to quiet pastures in His Word – we need to make time to graze there and be fed spiritually. We also are led to a safe drinking place in the Word of God. It is in our Bibles that we find everlasting water – we do not thirst when we live by the Word. The Bible is a living Book – bringing conviction and direction for the believer. (Joh 4:14) But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Not only does salvation come from the blessed pages of our Bible but when we hear the Shepherd’s voice, we follow and receive eternal life.

At dusk, when the shepherd can no longer be easily seen by his sheep, he taps the rocks with his staff to assure them he is near. This brought a whole new meaning to me as to why David said that God’s rod and staff comforted him. (Psa 23:4) 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. The shepherd’s staff guides the sheep and his rod, or club, protects them from attacks of wild beasts. The sheep are comforted by the sound of the staff on the rocks – they know the shepherd is near and ready to protect them. When we are in the Word, we are being guided by our Shepherd, the Word of God, Jesus Christ. We can hear His staff hitting the rock because we recognize Him throughout the Bible. When we are in the Word, we are protected from the enemy. We recognize false doctrine when we read it and hear it because we have seen and heard the true Shepherd. It is said that bank tellers are trained to catch counterfeit money by having them handle and touch real money. We will recognize false doctrine because we are hearing and reading true doctrine. The more we are in the Word of God, the easier it will be for us to recognize false gospels and heresy.

The job of a shepherd was considered to be an abomination to Egyptians. (Gen 46:34) That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Since Egypt is considered to be a type of the world, the world will consider Christ to be an abomination. (Joh 1:10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Why? Jesus is an abomination to the world because He exposes their sin. (Joh 7:7) The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Our Shepherd will expose our sin so that we can remove it from our lives.

What a blessed comparison this has been indeed! Our Shepherd speaks to us in His Word. His words guide us, feed us and anoint us to do His work. How beautiful are the words of our Saviour as we read the Bible each day! How can we survive without them?

60 Day Devotional Series: Numbers In The Bible

For more studies that use passages in the Psalms as the springboard: Psalms Series