FAILED SHEPHERDS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.”

“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for His flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.”

Zechariah 10:2-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

From the very beginning, God has shown a desire to have His people led and cared for. Over and over again, we see how He appointed leaders who were given the responsibility of shepherding the Israelites.

There was only one problem.

None of those shepherds were able to do the job properly and many of them down right failed God’s people and Him in the process, something that garnered God’s anger as we continue to look at the opening verses of Zechariah 10:

“The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.”

“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for His flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle.”  Zechariah 10:2-3

You see, the shepherds were supposed to lead the Israelites away from danger and peril just as a shepherd protects his flock but as we see, that wasn’t happening. The people of God were drawn into worshiping pagan gods and idols, listening to diviners who spoke falsehood through their visions and dreams. These wicked messengers were doing nothing but leading the Israelites down the path of God’s judgment. Death and ruin were in their future, all because the shepherds had not done their jobs.

And so God railed against these failed shepherds, His anger burning against them. We see where He promised punishment because of their ineptitude in caring for His flock, a flock that He deeply loved and cared for.

Well, it ends there, right?

At least in Zechariah it does but God wasn’t finished, not by a long shot. For as we see in this passage from the Gospel of John, God had a new Shepherd (capital “s”) in mind for His people, a Shepherd who would never fail.

“I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own 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. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

“I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep. 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.” John 10:11-16

Of course, these are the words of Jesus, God’s only Son who He sent to be the good Shepherd of His people. Note the following promises associated with the good Shepherd:

1. He would lay down His life for His sheep.

“The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

“I am the good Shepherd…and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

A true shepherd would do anything for their flock, even putting themselves at risk to save a sheep.

Jesus was the perfect Shepherd and as we know having just observed Easter, He in fact laid down His life for the sheep, whether they were in His flock or not. More on that in a few.

Compare and contrast that to a mere hired hand who cared more for himself than the sheep. He was really only in it for the pay so when any peril would come, he would flee and leave the sheep to fend for themselves.

Aren’t you glad that God chose to not leave us in the hands of a hired hand?

2. He has a special relationship with His sheep.

“I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father.”

Think about the close intimate relationship Jesus had with God, His Father. He is saying here that His relationship with His sheep is just as close, that He knows His sheep like He knows His Father.

What a comfort it is in knowing we are loved and cared for like that!

3. He is the Shepherd for all sheep, even sheep who are not currently in His flock.

“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.”

Here, Jesus is talking about those who have chosen to not be a part of His flock, the non-believers who roam astray and unprotected. Note that Jesus, the good Shepherd, is not turning away from these sheep. No, He sees it as His responsibility to bring those sheep into the fold as well.

In other words, He is always seeking to receive new sheep into His flock, sheep who will listen to His voice just as the other sheep have. Ultimately, the good Shepherd Jesus hopes and prays that there will only be one flock someday under one Shepherd, Him.

Given all this, if you are a Christian today, give thanks for being in the flock of the good Shepherd and the care He brings.

If you’re not yet received Jesus as your Savior, know the gate to the sheep pen is wide open for you to enter in. All you need to do is commit yourself to the care of the good Shepherd who has already laid down His life to save you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com