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CHAPTER
8
CHAPTER
EIGHT
THE
SHEPHERD
The
picture of God being a Shepherd to His people begins
in Genesis and continues throughout the Bible. Let’s
look at a few Old Testament verses:
“Joseph
is a fruitful vine-----his strong arms stayed supple-----because
of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the
Shepherd, the Rock of Israel------”
(Genesis
chapter 49, verses 22, 24).
Hear
us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a
flock---.
(Psalm
80, verse 1).
And,
of course, the most widely known:
The
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes
me lie down in green pastures-----.
(Psalm
23, verses 1-2).
‘The
LORD is my shepherd’. The word LORD written in the Old
Testament in capital letters signifies Jehovah (Yahweh).
When we come to the New Testament, the Shepherd is Jesus.
‘Well, there could be any number of shepherds,’ you
might say. There could indeed; but the Shepherd of the
Old Testament is God; and the Shepherd of the New Testament
is God, there cannot be any number of Gods---not even
two. The Shepherd God of the Old Testament is the Shepherd
God of the New.
THE
GATE
There
is a gate which leads into the sheepfold; the sheep
enter in at the gate and find good pasture. The gate
is then closed to keep the sheep safe from straying
and to stop those which are not sheep, not of the fold,
from entering and causing panic and confusion. Others
may climb over the walls to get into the fold, but these
are strangers who don’t belong, who bring their own
agendas and really don’t care about the welfare of those
already in the fold; like wolves, they come to steal
and to kill. No-one gets into God’s sheepfold except
through the Gate which is Christ:
“I
am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
(John
chapter 10, verse 9).
THE
GOOD SHEPHERD
The
sheep can have good pasture, and they can come in and
go out. They are not to spend their days hemmed in,
constricted and fearful. But what of impostors who are
bent on leading them astray?
“But
they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will
run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s
voice.”
(John
chapter 10, verse 5)
And
what of thieves and wolves who come to steal and to
kill?
“I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd
who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming,
he abandons the sheep and runs away----My sheep listen
to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one
can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all; no-one can snatch them
out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
(John
chapter 10, verses 11-12, 27-30).
The
religious Jews who heard Jesus saying these things were
under no illusions as to the immensity of His claims;
they knew they were not listening to the teachings of
just another good or wise man, and they were outraged:
Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said
to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from
the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
“We
are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews,
“but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to
be God.”
(John
chapter 10, verses 31-33).
He
claimed to save those who came through Him into the
fold; He claimed those who came to Him would never perish,
that He would give them eternal life; He claimed it
was impossible to snatch His sheep from His hand; He
claimed to be one with His Father in heaven---one with
Almighty God. Is it any wonder they picked up stones?
To we who are His sheep, who know His voice---this is
our Jesus.
We
will see more of Jesus as our Good Shepherd in the next
chapter.
“Lord,
Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are
they not enough for Thee?”
But
the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has
wandered away from Me;
And
although the road be rough and steep,
I
go to the desert to find My sheep.”
(Elizabeth
C. Clephane)
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