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“Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever” (Psalm 28:9).
As Jesus is “in the beginning” and the agent for creation, history is His story. Therefore, we should be able to see Jesus in the Bible’s poetry. We see Him as the living redeemer in Job, the lover or bridegroom in Song of Songs, and wisdom itself in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. But, most powerfully we see him as our shepherd in Psalms. David, a humble shepherd himself, uses the imagery of shepherds in this favorite book for many to help us understand the attributes of God in many places as He protects and cares for His sheep, binding up the injured and leading them to green pastures with quiet waters. This all helps us to understand the Savior, who is God, so much better when He declares Himself as the Good Shepherd, who lays His life down for His sheep in John 10 that God said He would be in Ezekiel 34. But this also highlights our role as the sheep. It’s not enough just to know that the Good Shepherd is about His duties. We must listen to His voice, distinguishing His voice from others and trusting in Him alone. But do we? Do you trust in the Shepherd of our souls?
Doug Kashorek
Plattsburgh church of Christ
Plattsburgh, NY