ODJ: the Good Shepherd
December 1, 2011
The Lord is my shepherd (v.1).
READ: Psalm 23
When I was in secondary school, my parents took our family to Israel. The collision of histories, sights, languages, and beliefs stretched my world. Shepherding is still an important way of life in Israel. It’s common to see a shepherd taking his flock from one place to another. However, unlike the sheep herding I had seen back home (where a farmer on horseback typically drove the sheep forward), there the shepherd walks ahead of the sheep—leading the way. If something dangerous lies ahead, the shepherd faces it first. The sheep don’t have to worry about where they’re going. They simply follow in safety. Emerging from this same culture and practice, the psalmist used this imagery of the shepherd to remind us of what God is like. Psalm 23 (one of the best-known passages of Scripture) reminds us that our concerns and well-being are in the Shepherd’s hands. Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we “have all that [we] need” (v.1). This Good Shepherd leads, renews, and guides us (vv.2-3). Nearly all of the initiative in Psalm 23 is the Shepherd’s, not ours. Most of the responsibility is on the Shepherd, not us. The Shepherd shows the way, and we follow. To be sure, this doesn’t mean that we will avoid all trouble or danger in life. Rather, it means that even on those occasions when we must walk “through the darkest valley,” we have no reason to fear because the Good Shepherd is “close beside [us]” (v.4). I find that a good bit of my anxiety comes from believing that I have to be the shepherd. I don’t. God is the only Shepherd we will ever need.
—Winn Collier
How have you been tempted to move ahead of the Shepherd? Where is the Shepherd inviting you to follow?
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