The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Bible is chock full of metaphors. God speaks to us this way in order to communicate more holistically than a mere statement and engage our imaginations. He wants us to understand on more than just a mental level, and he brings in the rest of his created world for illustration — things we can see, hear, touch. So for example, instead of saying to us solely, “You are helpless, but I will help you,” he says, “I am your Shepherd. You are my sheep.” Over and over in Scripture we see this particular metaphor returned to again and again. The Lord is my Shepherd. We are the sheep of his pasture.

To the original audience in the ancient world, this expression would have landed immediately. They would not have had to think too hard to come up with concrete images in their minds of what sheep are like as they graze on a hillside. In fact, many of them would have literally seen & heard sheep on a daily basis, even tended to them. But for us, in a mostly urban context in the 21st century, we aren’t as personally familiar with these curious animals.  

What is God trying to get across to us in using this metaphor repeatedly? Think about what sheep are like. They are fairly defenseless creatures, and need to be protected from predators, from dangers like high cliffs or pits, even from themselves. In referencing sheep, the Bible often emphasizes the tendency of sheep to go astray, how they literally wander off on their own and get lost.  Sheep can be very stubborn creatures. But sheep also have a remarkable herd instinct, and will follow the mob in doing some of the stupidest things. Without a proper shepherd, sheep are often helpless. 

So first, we should be humbled by this metaphor. We wander off into sin. We stubbornly refuse help. We follow the wrong crowd. We are vulnerable and desperately need someone stronger than us to lead & guide us.  

And this is the second angle to the sheep metaphor. When God speaks of us as sheep, he also reminds us that we are His sheep. As Christians, we are part of his flock. We are not alone. When Jesus comes, he draws out the metaphor even further. He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Our great shepherd protects us to the bitter end, loving us even in and despite our sheepish-ness, laying down his very life as a lamb for us. And he doesn’t stop there, saying “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Friends it is a good thing to be a sheep, when we are His.

So as we consider our lives as sheep, let’s be humbled, but let’s also be encouraged. And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins.

Father, we confess that we really are like sheep. We are stubborn. We get ourselves into trouble as we wander from your flock, from our community, and most of all from you. We fail to hear your voice, or we don’t follow your voice when we hear it. We follow the wrong shepherds, exchanging your words of life for silly distractions that won’t restore our souls. We confess these things along with our individual sins to you now in the quiet of this moment…

…Now Father, would you give us eyes to see the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world? While we like sheep have gone astray, you laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. What mercy, what grace, what kindness! Empower us now by your Spirit to relish our reality as your sheep that you bought with your own blood. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.