The Responsibilities Of Both Sheep And Shepherd

Danny and I have always said that when we study for Sunday School or youth group lessons, we're really studying for ourselves. The teens just get to listen in on what we've learned and glean something from it. That could not be more true than with our Summer Celebration lessons we're working on for our Psalm 23 study.

Think about this ... the Bible was written by ordinary men, writing what God told them to write, each in their own language. They used phrases and word pictures that the people of their time would understand to explain the things of God. Fishermen used fishing analogies, doctors used physical metaphors, and the tax collector talked about money. They used what they knew to share what God wanted them to share.

Think about a medical guide - you and I can’t write a chapter about brain surgery because we don’t understand that terminology. We’d get laughed at! But we each have something that we could write a story about it because we know that topic, understand the language, have experienced it and done it and love it.


That’s why David starts the 23rd Psalm with words he understands: sheep!

And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 1 Samuel 17:13-20


David himself is a shepherd, the son of a shepherd, later to be known as the Shepherd King of Israel. He knows what’s necessary to take care of sheep, keep them safe, and keep them fed. When his father sends him to the battlefront to bring food to his brothers, David makes sure that there is another keeper for the sheep. He understands all too well that sheep are notorious for wandering, making poor decisions, and getting into predicaments. Sound like anyone you know...?


And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 1 Samuel 17:34-37


Can you imagine? Saul is asking David his qualifications for fighting the giant Goliath in single-handed, man-to-man combat, and David talks about his adventures as a shepherd. But look at what those experiences were - fighting a lion and a bear to protect his flock. Do you want to go up against lions and bears? Did Saul? Probably not. But this 17-year-old shepherd was willing to fight whatever came along to make sure his sheep and his family’s livelihood were safe.


So when David wrote the 23rd Psalm, he had the wisdom to compare his experiences as a shepherd of sheep to Jesus’ shepherding of us. He was comparing the wandering, silly sheep he kept together and safe every day to believers in the Lord trying to live their lives on their own. 


I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:11-16


Neither us nor the sheep will get anywhere without a shepherd - we’ll end up in a ditch somewhere and can’t get ourselves out. But when we surrender to the Shepherd, listen for His voice, and allow Him to lead, guide, and protect, we’ll always end up in the perfect pasture at the end of the day.


How do we do that? We have to know what Jesus’ voice sounds like. When the Secret Service and Treasury Department are training to seize counterfeit money, they don’t look at all the different fake bills that are out there. They study what real currency looks like, and they study it so meticulously and in so much detail that if something fake comes through, they’ll notice it immediately.


The same goes for the voice of our Shepherd. The sheep have heard his voice so many times, and they’ve been kept safe so many times, that they’ll go wherever He says without question. We have to know Jesus’ voice from reading the Bible so much, and listening to His response to our prayers so much, and hearing preaching and singing about who He is so much that when something that’s NOT His voice comes through, we reject it immediately.


Jesus Himself said He was the Good Shepherd, and He has the very best planned for your life. He may have to poke you with a stick occasionally or pull you back with the crook of His staff to keep you safe, but it’s always for your good and His glory. David had it right, and God blessed him for it. He'll do the same for us when we're listening for the voice of the Lord and following Him in obedience.

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