Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Today we look at another name of God, Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my shepherd.
Scripture
Psalms 23:1
The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
Devotional
Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord my shepherd.
From “Around the Mediterranean with My Bible”: “Shepherding does not change much in Palestine, where wild beasts may descend still upon unsuspecting sheep and suddenly destroy them. The Palestine shepherd lives night and day with his animals. He establishes a degree of intimacy with them that is touching to observe. He calls them all by name and they, knowing his voice and hearing him only, heed. He protects the sheep from thieves and preying animals who would devour them at night, by sleeping in the often makeshift sheepfold and they, sensing his watchfulness, ‘fear no evil.’ He provides pasture and water even in the wilderness and the presence of enemies and they, casting all their anxiety on him, are fed. There is a singular communion between shepherd and his sheep which, after one has visited Palestine and observed it, makes the symbol of the Good Shepherd peculiarly apt and the Twenty-third Psalm strangely moving.”
If you’ve ever had an opportunity to watch a shepherd at work, you understand just what a meaningful title Jehovah-Rohi is.
Provides food and water
Cares for us
Protects us from the enemy of our souls
When we deserve nothing, He puts a banquet in front of us
He never sleeps
He never tires
He keeps vigilance like no other because He is Jehovah and He is Rohi, the Good Shepherd
Writers of the Old Testament called Him Jehovah-Rohi, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, Rohi.
Explains His love and care
Explains another aspect of God’s great character
Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my Shepherd
Today, think of the way God asks as your shepherd
Provider
Protector
Guide
Spend some time today worshiping Him as Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord, my Shepherd.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
What was Jesus trying to tell Peter when He ask three times if he loved Him? Did you remember His command each time as well?
Scripture
John 21:15-19
Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these other things?
Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.
Jesus: Take care of My lambs.
Jesus asked him a second time . . .
Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me?
Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You must surely know that I love You.
Jesus: Shepherd My sheep.
(for the third time) Simon, son of John, do you love Me?
Peter was hurt because He asked him the same question a third time, “Do you love Me?”
Simon Peter: Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.
Jesus: Look after My sheep. I tell you the truth: when you were younger, you would dress yourself and go wherever you pleased; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and take you to a place you do not want to go.
Jesus said all this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After this conversation, Jesus said,
Jesus: Follow Me!
Devotional
A lot has been said about why Jesus asked Peter three times whether he loved Him
Three different words to describe love
Like something like you like ice cream or a good movie
Love like brotherly love
Unconditional agape, god-like love
Peter denied Jesus three times so Jesus asked Peter three times for each denial
Peter needed to reach deep into His core to get past the flippant answer we all give to questions most of the time
How are you? Fine
How was your vacation? Great
What can I do for you? Just looking
Do you love me? Of course I do
What we often forget is the command Jesus gave Peter that goes along with his declaration
Take care of my sheep
Shepherd my sheep
Look after my sheep
Do the hard work of keeping these fledgling followers encouraged during hard times
Teach them My ways when the world is trying to drive them another way
Give them help when they’re caught in the storms of life
Be their shepherd
Jesus is telling Peter the same way James tells us in his letter
Faith without works is dead
Works do not save you
But faith without works is not the faith Jesus wants of His followers, either
Just ask Peter
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We can learn a lot from shepherds. Stick around and I’ll tell you about the one I met in Germany.
Scripture
John 10:1-5
Jesus: I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger.
Devotional
While living in Germany, we lived above some vineyards but also had some pretty good pasture land in the back of the house above those vineyards even though we lived in the suburbs of Wurzburg. A few times during our stay there, we had a shepherd visit those fields.
Weather beaten and aged
Two dogs to help care for the sheep
Carried everything he needed on his back and herded the sheep to open fields around the countryside ‘
Build makeshift pens at night with poles and rope
Laid his lean to across the entrance
Dogs were an important tool for the shepherd
Protected the sheep
Kept enemy away
Kept sheep herded into a common area
Listened to every command
Obeyed immediately
Sheep recognized the shepherd’s voice, too
Called and they would gather around him
Knew it was time to move on
Time to bed down
Time of safety or time of danger
Animals seem to learn so much faster than people sometimes
Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd
After watching that shepherd in Germany a few times I learned a lot about how shepherds interact with their sheep
Not always gentle, but always loving and with their best interests in mind
Not always the easiest path, but the path that will get them to the best pastures in the end
Not always the way that seems best to the sheep and He has to push and pull them sometimes with those dogs nipping at their heels until they sometimes bleed, but always taking the best care of them
They hear his voice and follow wherever he leads them
We could learn a lot from those sheep and the good shepherd
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 25:41-46 Jesus: At that He will turn to those on His left hand. King: Get away from Me, you despised people whom My Father has cursed. Claim your inheritance—the pits of flaming hell where the devil and his minions suffer. For I was starving, and you left Me with no food. When I was dry and thirsty, you left Me to struggle with nothing to drink. When I was alone as a stranger, you turned away from Me. When I was pitifully naked, you left Me unclothed. When I was sick, you gave Me no care. When I was in prison, you did not comfort Me. Unrighteous: Master, when did we see You hungry and thirsty? When did we see You friendless or homeless or excluded? When did we see You without clothes? When did we see You sick or in jail? When did we see You in distress and fail to respond? King: I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother hungry or cold, when you saw a sister weak and without friends, when you saw the least of these and ignored their suffering, so you ignored Me.
So these, the goats, will go off to everlasting punishment. But the beloved, the sheep (the righteous), will go into everlasting life.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Wow! Harsh words from the Master. Eternal punishment for those who fail to show compassion to those around them. What are we supposed to do with that? Does Jesus expect us to give up everything to feed the hungry? Does He want us to sell our homes or open the doors to every hobo that walks down the road? Does Jesus want us to spend all our free time at the prison talking to inmates? Will He list us as part of the herd of goats if we don’t?
I have to tell you, I think we have gotten pretty hard-hearted and dispassionate in our country in some respects. Oh, we pour billions of dollars into disaster relief when catastrophes happen like the tsunami in Japan or the earthquakes in Pakistan or the hurricanes in Gulf of Mexico. We find it easy to throw money at problems and ease our conscience and say we are compassionate and care for people. But do we?
I think one of the problems in our society comes from the fact that a small percentage of evil people figured out how to take advantage of compassionate people and make a pretty extravagant living from it. Seven figure salaries from charitable organizations or journalists with hidden cameras following the panhandler on the street corner change from his rags into his khaki pants and polo shirt before climbing into his new Cadillac and driving to the golf course and on to his half million dollar house.
The few crooks that make it into the news sour us against those that legitimately need our help. But then we look at the taxes that come out of our paycheck and think, “Isn’t that what the government is supposed to do? Don’t they have programs to help the down and out? Haven’t I paid enough?” So we pass them by thinking we’ve done our part in the supporting the social programs the government lays out for all those who should receive help. Surely, the government will take care of anyone that needs help. All they need to do is apply and if they don’t get help, they probably don’t deserve it, right?
Well, I have a question for you. When is the last time you sat down at one of the tables in a homeless shelter and listened to the story of one of the mothers there? How did she happen to end up on the street with her two or three children? Or the guy with the Masters Degree in economics? What happened to him that caused him to live on the street under a bridge? Or the veteran that should be able to get help through the Veterans Affairs for the nightmares that plague his sleep and make it impossible for him to function during the day? When is the last time actually talked to one of them? Would that make a difference in how you feel about “those” people?
Yes, there are some crooks out in the world who would take advantage of us. Yes, there are some people who make a living by deceiving others and weaving sad-song stories to get handouts so they don’t have to work and pay taxes. Yes, our government is creating a welfare society in which we are quickly relying on the government instead of ourselves for support. But the vast majority of those in real need are not among that number. And I really think God’s Spirit in us can help us sort those out if we truly listen to Him. He can help us discern the sheep from the goats, even among that crowd.
So if we can have compassion for the animals the humane society shows on their commercials with “Amazing Grace” playing in the background, can’t we begin to have some compassion for the people around us that need a little lift in their world? The price for walking by could be pretty high. Remember Jesus’ words, “whenever you saw a brother hungry or cold, when you saw a sister weak and without friends, when you saw the least of these and ignored their suffering, so you ignored Me.”
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus: When the Son of Man comes in all His majesty accompanied by throngs of heavenly messengers, His throne will be wondrous. All the nations will assemble before Him, and He will judge them, distinguishing them from one another as a shepherd isolates the sheep from the goats. He will put some, the sheep, at His right hand and some, the goats, at His left. Then the King will say to those to His right, King: Come here, you beloved, you people whom My Father has blessed. Claim your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of creation. You shall be richly rewarded, for when I was hungry, you fed Me. And when I was thirsty, you gave Me something to drink. I was alone as a stranger, and you welcomed Me into your homes and into your lives. I was naked, and you gave Me clothes to wear; I was sick, and you tended to My needs; I was in prison, and you comforted Me.
Even then the righteous will not have achieved perfect understanding and will not recall these things. Righteous: Master, when did we find You hungry and give You food? When did we find You thirsty and slake Your thirst? When did we find You a stranger and welcome You in, or find You naked and clothe You? When did we find You sick and nurse You to health? When did we visit You when You were in prison? King: I tell you this: whenever you saw a brother or sister hungry or cold, whatever you did to the least of these, so you did to Me.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
We probably hear lots of sermons about judgment day and the separation of the sheep from the goats, the obedient from the disobedient, the good from the evil. Well, maybe we don’t hear many sermons about that any more, but we probably should. However, if you’ve been in the church very long and if you’ve read your Bible much at all, you know a judgment day is coming on which we will be held account for the lives we live in this present age.
Rewards and punishments will be meted out for every individual based on two things. The lives we lived, that is the good and bad we did to others. And second, whether we accepted Jesus as Lord of our life during our life now. If we accept Him as Lord, the sinful acts are forgiven and not remembered by God. That’s a pretty interesting twist to God’s omniscience. God chooses to forget our sins and never remember them again when we ask repentantly for His forgiveness. But that’s a different sermon for a different time.
What I really want us to see today in the words Jesus spoke is this sentence in the middle of His discourse. “Even then the righteous will not have achieved perfect understanding and will not recall these things.” That’s a pretty interesting thing for Jesus to say at the judgment, don’t you think?
I always pictured the judgment as this long line of people walking up to Jesus, sitting on His throne. Next to Him is this gigantic jumbo-screen, like you see in a basketball court, large enough for everyone in line to see. And as you stand there, your whole life plays out in front of you. Everything you did shows up on that screen. Everything! I mean everything! But for those whose sins have been forgiven, washed away by the cleansing power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, when those sinful acts start to play, instead of the act showing on the screen, there is this splash of blood red that covers the screen. Words scroll across the screen in big bold letters that read, “This portion of Richard’s life (or insert your name if you’re a child of God) is forgotten, covered by My blood.”
The video of your life continues. The whole of your life plays out. And as a child of God, saved by His grace, every sin committed shows up with that same crimson cover, “This portion of Richard’s life is forgotten, covered by My blood.” But the other interesting thing about that video for the righteous, is that I think we will see things we never realized happened. Words of encouragement we gave that we don’t remember. Acts of kindness we performed that slipped our mind. Giving gifts without any reason other than giving with the thought sharing God’s love at a particular moment in time, but never remembering the reason or the moment, or even the person we gave the gift.
I think for those who live under the direction of God’s Spirit in them, we will see dozens, hundreds of acts performed through our life that just happen every day because we feel compelled to do the right thing and that right thing serves God and others in ways we do not understand. At the judgment we will see how our lives impacted the world for good or evil. It will all be made clear. Until then, when God prompts you to do something, just do it. You’ll be surprised the joy it will bring to you and others when you do. Who knows, you might really be the star on a jumbo-screen one day.
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 18:10-14 Jesus: Make sure that you do not look down on the little ones, on those who are further behind you on the path of righteousness. For I tell you: they are watched over by those most beloved messengers who are always in the company of My Father in heaven. The Son of Man has come to save all those who are lost. A shepherd in charge of 100 sheep notices that one of his sheep has gone astray. What do you think he should do? Should the shepherd leave the flock on the hills unguarded to search for the lost sheep? God’s shepherd goes to look for that one lost sheep, and when he finds her, he is happier about her return than he is about the 99 who stayed put. Your Father in heaven does not want a single one of the tripped, waylaid, stumbling little ones to be lost.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
When I read Jesus’ words today, a familiar quote came to mind. “Christians are the only Army that shoot their wounded.” That’s not really true. We’re not the only ones. If you’ve worked in the big corporate world, you know that as soon as you’re wounded you’re left behind to die. Nurses will tell you their profession shoots their wounded and eat their young. Or how about politics? One false move there,…well, maybe not. We seem to thrive on dirt these days and no one seems to care when our politicians falter.
What is it about us that sometimes causes us to forget about that one lost sheep out there that so desperately needs our help? Why don’t we seek out that single tripped, waylaid, stumbling little one and bring them back to the fold? Instead, we seem to leave them in the cold to fend for themselves and maybe they will come back, or better yet, we pray they will get back, but in another church.
What is it that causes us to shy away from those within our own ranks when they falter?
I think there are probably several things that we could mention. First, we often don’t know what to say. It’s easy for us to pull out the 4 Spiritual Laws or the Road to Redemption or any number of pamphlets and hawk them to complete strangers, but when our brothers and sisters fall within our community, it’s not so easy to wrap our arms around them and use those same words. Inside, we sometimes think they feel harsh or cold. They are not. We sometimes forget we need to share the good news inside our house just as much as we do outside. Because those inside the house grew up with us, we become familiar with them, they are close friends, we forget all of us are sinners and must be saved through God’s grace.
Second, I think sometimes we think, like leprosy, their fall to temptation is contagious. We’re afraid if we get too close, we might end up doing the same things, falling into the same traps. So we shy away not knowing that God will protect us from the evil one when we ask Him and keep our eyes focused on Him instead of the world’s treasures.
Third, I think sometimes we don’t want to spend the time and energy it takes to bring someone back into the fold. Remember Jesus illustration about the lost sheep? That takes tremendous effort to go out into the dark where bandits, wild animals, stumbling blocks, cliffs, rivers, mountains, and all sorts of other things you can begin to name get in the way of finding and helping that lost sheep. We know it will take effort and sometimes we’re just plain too lazy to put out the effort needed to go out and help that lost one.
Fourth, I think we sometimes take sides and push one side away. We forget that both the victim and the perpetrator are souls Jesus died to redeem. Is it easy to love them both? Not always, but Jesus did. And if we are going to be like Him, we must love both side, forgive both side, restore both sides. Sometimes that’s really hard to do in small churches and large churches. But that’s the message Jesus gives us.
Fifth, I think sometimes we look at the fallen and say to ourselves, I’m worse than he is. We look inside our own heart and find that we are not where we should be in our relationship with God. We find we too have fallen, but perhaps not in such a public, outward display as the one who others have pushed aside. We are far from God, but our pride keeps us from falling on our face before Him and begging for His forgiveness and getting our relationship right with Him so that we can then help others to come to Him.
I know there are more than these five reasons why we are timid in reconciling and restoring our fallen Christian brothers and sisters. My prayer is that we will soon throw off the label the outside world has given us. As I said at the first, we really are not the only organization that shoots its wounded, but shouldn’t the church, of all places, be the place to find restoration and hope when we fail. Pray that God will make you and your church a place of redemption and restoration for all.
Remember Jesus forgave those Roman soldiers who flogged Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, crucified Him, and pierced His side with a spear. Can’t we help our brothers and sisters find their way back to Him?
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 10:16-17 Jesus: Listen: I am sending you out to be sheep among wolves. You must be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. You must be careful. You must be discerning. You must be on your guard. There will be men who try to hand you over to their town councils and have you flogged in their synagogues.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Guess what? Some things never change. There are men (and women) out there who try to hand real Christians over to criminal and civil courts to have you bankrupted, embarrassed, imprisoned, and beaten and killed if they could. Even in our churches. The world is against us. Guess which religion is persecuted more than any other around the world. Guess which religion has more martyrs than any other every day in our civilized, modern, politically correct world.
Jesus told His disciples both then and through the ages they would be like sheep among wolves. Have you ever seen the aftermath of a pack of wolves against a stray sheep or goat or even a cow? It’s not a very pretty sight. There’s not much left when they get through with it. And when they attack, they start with the softer parts of the sheep so it doesn’t die quickly. The battle isn’t long, but it’s not over nearly as quickly as the sheep would like it to be in that losing battle.
So, Jesus warns us. Watch out. Be careful. Be discerning. Be on your guard. Be shrewd in dealing with the people who hear the message. Many will hate you because you tell the truth. The message cuts to the heart of every person…without exception. Because God’s word is sharper than a two-edged sword. It exposes the sin people think they have hidden so deep inside them no one can see it. But when you share the message that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, God’s word exposes sin. And people will hate you for it. They will try to destroy you because you carried the message that laid them bare.
Some of the terms Jesus used reminds us of those Roman soldiers that stood all around those disciples. The country stayed flooded with soldiers because this place always caused problems for the empire. They refused to honor the gods. They refused to bow to the emperor. They always talked about God as their King. Their loyalties were certainly focused on something other than the good of Rome. Other nations revolted, but none had such deep devotion to a single entity like this nation. So warriors were always present. Jesus used those terms to prepare His disciples for the onslaught they would face.
But in the middle of His description, He gives one little phrase we sometimes miss when we picture those valiant Roman warriors, “be…as innocent as doves.” Doves have held a place in many nations’ hearts as a symbol of peace and life and harmony and innocence for millenia. It was a dove that brought back the olive branch to Noah that marked the end of the flood and the beginning of a new covenant of peace between God and man, marked by His bow in the sky.
Doves were often used in sealing covenants as we remember with God and Abraham when God gave Abraham the task to bless all nations. When God gave Moses the instructions for sacrifices, doves often became the substitute for larger animals for those who couldn’t afford large animals. Blood still needed to be shed, but God also didn’t want to extend or exacerbate poverty and perhaps make a person’s situation worse by requiring sacrifices out of the reach of the most poverty stricken in the land. Doves were abundant and cheap. If that’s all you could afford, doves could be offered as sacrifices. Mary and Joseph brought doves to sacrifice for Jesus after His birth.
So as we share the message, acting as God’s soldiers in a battle between good and evil, obedience and disobedience, we must have those characteristics we like to emphasize: boldness; shrewdness; careful; discerning; on our guard. But we must also be innocent, peaceful, in harmony with God and His will. We must remember whose message we carry and He means it to do. The message, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” But the message is one of love, mercy, grace, hope. The message comes to the lost to show them the way to everylasting life.
Jesus sent His disciples and He sends us to a world He knows will try to swallow us up because of the message we carry. But the people we reach need hope. And they only find that hope in one place. That one place isn’t a place at all, but a person, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the living God, Incarnate. In our innocence, others will see Him instead of us. In our peace, others will find Him. In our reflection of His righteousness, others will find hope for their own cleansing. All we need to do is share the message. “Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Ezekiel 34:1-24 1 The word of the Eternal came to me with a message for Israel’s leaders. Eternal One: 2 Son of man, preach against Israel’s shepherds! Speak directly to the shepherds and tell them this is what the Eternal Lord has to say: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel whose only concern is to protect and nourish themselves! Isn’t a shepherd’s job to look after the sheep? 3 Yet you exploit them in every way. You devour their fat, make soft clothes and blankets out of their wool, and slaughter the best sheep for your table. Meanwhile you don’t take care of the sheep at all. 4 You have not sought to nurse the weak. You have not gone out to tend to the sick. You have not bandaged the injured. You don’t bring back the strays or look for the lost. You have led them with neglect, ruled them with harshness, shepherded them with cruelty! 5 They had no real shepherd, so they have scattered; the entire flock was prey for wild beasts. 6 My sheep drifted aimlessly through all the mountains and up and down every hill. My flock was scattered all over the world, scattered like the stars in the night sky, and not a single shepherd went looking for them.” 7 Now pay attention, shepherds, to My word: 8 As surely as I, the Eternal Lord, live, because My sheep are without a shepherd, because they have become prey for all the wild beasts to feed upon, because my shepherds have not gone in search of My sheep but have only looked out for themselves and not watched after and cared for My flock; 9 I encourage you, shepherds, to listen to the word of the Eternal. 10-11 Those self-centered shepherds are My enemies! As far as I am concerned, they are no longer shepherds. They will not help themselves to My sheep any longer. I will recover My flock from those corrupt shepherds. I will snatch My sheep from their mouths! My sheep will no longer provide milk, clothing, or meat to them. I will personally go out searching for My sheep. I will find them wherever they are, and I will look after them. 12 In the same way one shepherd seeks after, cares for, and watches over his scattered flock, so will I be the guardian of My sheep. I will be their Rescuer! No matter where they have scattered, I will go to find them. I will bring them back from the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13-14 I will call them out from the nations, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them in the high mountain pastures and meadows of Israel. I will feed them on good pastures; they will graze on the mountain heights of Israel. They will lie down to rest on this good ground, and they will feed on succulent grasses in bountiful pastures on the slopes of Israel’s sanctuary mountains. 15 I Myself will watch over My sheep and feed My flock. Whenever they are tired, I will lead them to rest on the cool mountain grass. 16 When they are lost, I will seek them and bring back every last stray. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. However, I will destroy the fat and powerful. I will feed them a healthy portion of judgment. 17 As for you, My flock, this is what the Eternal Lord has to say: “Watch carefully! I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and male goats.” 18 Are you not satisfied grazing in blooming pastures, feasting off rich mountain lands? Do you have to trample all of the pastures with your feet? Are you not satisfied drinking out of clear mountain streams? Do you have to muddy all of the mountain streams with your feet? 19 Why should the rest of My flock have to graze on trampled pastures and drink from muddied streams because of your careless feet? 20 So this is what the Eternal Lord has to say to them: “Watch carefully! I will personally judge between the fat sheep and the skinny sheep.” 21 Because you fat sheep bully the weak, push them around, and threaten them with your horns until you scatter them to distant mountains, 22 I will step in and save them. I will rescue them, and they will no longer be hunted and hassled. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will designate one shepherd over the entire flock: My faithful servant, David. He will watch over them and care for them. He will be their shepherd. 24 I, the Eternal, will be their God; and My faithful servant, David, will be their prince.
I, the Eternal One, have spoken.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
You can learn much from the metaphor you just heard. The shepherds didn’t do their job and I expelled them. So if you are in a leadership position, remember that I hold you responsible for leading My sheep well. Care for them and nurture them as I command. If you are one of My sheep, remember that you are not privileged and should not take advantage of the blessings I give you. Just because I take care of you doesn’t mean you should trample on others. Remember that I created all humankind. Don’t muddy the water or trample the grass for those that come behind you. Take care to preserve the message of My salvation and share your blessings with those needy around you. Finally, remember there is only one shepherd. Me. I came in the flesh to be your shepherd and care for you. You need look nowhere else to find guidance for your life than to Me.
