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.
Psalm 23:1-3
King David Wrote About Jesus
The Bible often compares Jesus to a shepherd. King David wrote Psalm 23 a thousand years before Jesus birth. Jesus claimed that David wrote about Him:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).”
Moses Wrote About Jesus
Moses, who lived four hundred years before David, also asked God for a successor who would care for the people:
“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly who will go out before them, and who will go in before them, and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so the assembly of the Lord will not be like sheep who do not have a shepherd (Num 27:16-17).”
Ezekiel Wrote About Jesus
Years later, still six hundred years before Jesus, at the time of the Babylonian captivity, God saw how the leaders of Israel treated “His flock,” the children of Israel. At that time, God’s prophet Ezekiel foretold of a coming Shepherd, David’s greater son:
“Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey…. I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David. He shall feed them himself and be their shepherd (Ezekiel 34:21-23).”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
When Jesus came, he fulfilled that prediction as the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11-16):
“When Jesus came out and saw many people, He was moved with compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things (Mk 6:34).”
People Need a Shepherd
And not just any herder, but a Good Shepherd. Shortly after Jesus taught His flock, e.g., fed them spiritually, and taught them to love and respect others. He met their physical needs by feeding the five thousand.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Psalm 23:5
Without Jesus, His sheep get persecuted and scattered. But with Him we can face anything.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
Until Jesus Returns
Peter commanded the leaders of God’s churches to be good under-shepherds until He returns:
“Shepherd the flock of God … take care of them, not by constraint, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly…. And when the chief Shepherd (Jesus) appears, you will receive a crown of glory that will not fade away (1 Pet 5:2-4).”
Our Shepherd for Eternity
When Jesus returns, He will personally Shepherd His believers for eternity. He is the fulfillment of God’s Love.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23:6
