Psalm 23:1-6
A Psalm of David
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Matthew 2:6
The Shepherd of His People
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
John 10:1-21
The Shepherd and His Flock
1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
King David wrote about the the LORD being his Shepherd...It is one of the most popular of the Psalms...His Shepherd was and is our Shepherd, the Good Shepherd...And I think the Psalm gets even more fascinating for me, when when we read about the Good Shepherd by St. John...Believers know the Good Shepherd is actually Jesus...In fact, when David writes about the Good Shepherd, he is right saying that I shall not want...But as most people know, who live on earth, it is so easy to want and desire things...The Good Shepherd teaches us that the treasures on earth are only temporary...He is always teaching us about the eternities, and His Father...He teaches us goodness and love...
David teaches us that the Good Shepherd will keep us peaceful in this life, if we follow Him...We will not be treated like the hired hand, who will leave the sheep...The hired hand is not the Good Shepherd...The Good Shepherd will watch over us, protect us, and lead us beside the still waters...If the Good Shepherd is completely in our hearts -when we take that final walk down the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear nothing...He will guide us down the narrow road of righteousness, for His namesake...We will grow tired, weary, and at times become exhausted, but it is by His rod and His staff that will give us His great comfort...He came to earth to give us life in the full, so our cups would overflow...
Our Good Shepherd laid down His life for us, only to have the authority to take it up again...And He will return...On on that day that He returns -God will gather His sheep in the person of His Messiah...The Messiah will be and is the Good Shepherd...On judgment day, we can be sure that goodness and also love will follow us all those days, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever...