Our Good Shepherd
God is so good to us in every way….Amen!!?? I just love Jesus, don’t you? I’m so thankful for his grace and mercy!
I think a lot about his gracious attitude toward us, he has every right to be vindictive and harsh toward you and I…right??!! I’m so glad he’s not a vindictive God. He can be any kind of God he wants to be. He is Holy, Righteous, and Just! Someday humanity will stand before him and be judged guilty and those who haven’t believed in or received his name will be condemned to eternal punishment! God is holy and just!
While that’s true, his primary character is Love and Mercy. He takes care of us in every way. Paul writes in the book of Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? It’s God’s kindness that draws us to his heart. I’m so thankful he is kind and truly cares for his creation.
A while back Pastor Jake wrote pointing out how we try to “fix” ourselves with self-help books and techniques. He even pointed out how we followers of Jesus sometimes think Jesus will “fix us” so we can stand on our own and live this Christian life under our own power! Yet the truth is sanctification is the process of becoming more dependent upon Jesus rather than less dependent on him. Every day I need to depend upon Jesus more and more because without him I have no hope!
As I thought about this my mind went to a familiar passage in scripture, a word that’s comforted untold millions since it was penned some 3000 years ago. I’m thinking of Psalm 23 that begins with those very recognizable words, “The Lord is my Shepherd…” As David wrote these words he, from his own life experience, could testify of how a shepherd cares for the sheep in his flock and how the sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd.
As David considered the mercy and care of God, he compared him to a shepherd who exhibits the same mercy and care for his sheep. Without the shepherd’s constant care, the sheep wouldn’t survive. You and I, without God’s constant care for us 24/7, would just not survive.
While meditating about God, David wrote…The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. When you read or hear those words, doesn’t it just sooth your soul and calm your spirit? God is my shepherd. No matter what trouble may assault us, we have a loving Father who’s caring for us.
There’s an interesting phrase David uses in verse 5 of Psalm 23. He says God anoints my head with oil. As an example of God’s care for us, he says God anoints our head. That phrase may not mean much to us if we have no frame of reference when it comes to the care of sheep by a shepherd. But if we understand the purpose of a shepherd anointing his sheep, this is an amazing revelation.
In this psalm, God is the Shepherd we’re His sheep. When verse 5 says “he anoints my head with oil,” David reminds us of what a shepherd does for his sheep. This is different than the anointing David received as king. In that day when someone was made King in Israel they’d pour oil over his head, it would run down his face, through his beard, and drip onto his clothes. This was a symbolic act picturing God’s spirit immersing the one to lead his people in power, authority, and his presence.
The anointing David refers to here in Psalm 23 is in the context of a shepherd daily anointing his sheep. Let’s consider why a shepherd would daily anoint his sheep with olive oil. There are various reasons, but 3 very good reasons are:
First, Bugs. Sheep are particularly susceptible to flies landing on their noses. These flies travel up the sheep’s nose and lay eggs which become worms that can burrow into the animal’s brain. This is a serious irritant that left unchecked will cause the sheep to bang their heads on trees or rocks or the ground to try to get rid of the irritation. The sheep can actually die from constantly banging their heads like this. So, each day the shepherd pours oil on the sheep’s nose, the flies slide off instead of flying inside. The oil creates a barrier to make it harder for the flies to do their nasty work!
I don’t know about you, but I certainly have a lot of daily irritations buzzing around my head, rude actions, bothersome comments, pesky mishaps. Some of those get in my head and cause negative thoughts, angry, fearful, sinful thoughts. If I allow them to burrow deep into my mind, they become part of my life and can destroy me.
But I have a Good Shepherd that He promises if I come to him every day, he’ll anoint my head with oil. I can come back to him many times a day seeking a fresh anointing of his spirit, a loving touch of his hand, a warm manifestation of his presence soothing my mind and my heart! In prayer, I bring the Shepherd all the little irritations and bothersome thoughts that cause me discomfort before they can gain a foothold in my mind.
A second reason a shepherd might anoint his sheep is for Butts, as in butting heads. Sheep will butt heads with one another to gain position and assert authority. Male sheep especially like to butt heads. A shepherd knows his sheep will clash sometimes and he can’t prevent it, so he puts oil or grease on their heads. When they clash, their heads glance off without doing much harm to one another. Our Good Shepherd knows we can’t always avoid disagreements, but praying with and for one another is one way we can keep from harming each other when we butt heads. Our Good Shepherd will anoint our heads with the oil of peace to help us survive the head butting we might do with others.
Bugs, Butts, and now a third reason for the daily anointing: Cuts. Sheep that live outdoors and walk out in open fields will encounter thistles, rocks, sticks, and predators. It’s not a kind, gentle setting. Even the greenest pastures have hazards. So, shepherds check their sheep each day, sometimes morning and evening, to look for wounds that need attention. Adding oil to the wound brings healing.
We live in a dangerous world too. We get wounded, sometimes daily. One of the worst sayings from childhood is “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Well, that’s just not true; words CAN and DO hurt us. They cause wounds that can go much deeper than sticks and stones. Wounds that only the Good Shepherd can heal. Each of us is wounded by all kinds of things. Jesus is attentive to all our wounds physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Daily, honest communication with Jesus is the best way to find healing.
Yes, God is holy, just, and will condemn this lost world to eternal separation someday. But to us who love and follow him he, is the gentle and merciful Good Shepherd who anoints us with his spirit daily as we seek his presence. We must recognize the tender, daily provision our Good Shepherd offers us as His sheep. I am glad he’s not a vindictive God, he could be if he wanted to be! He’s our loving Good Shepherd. Take time this week to spend time with him and let him anoint you with his loving mercy! Let him protect you from the bugs, butts and cuts of life and heal your heart with his love!