The Bible and the ancient world continually compared leaders to shepherd and the their followers to a shepherd and his sheep. Why? Because this was something that most people would see in their daily lives. When people wanted a visual of leadership, they would think of a shepherd and his sheep.
This teaches us something very profound about human existence. First, we are people who need a shepherd. We come into this world needing guidance and leadership. We do not know where we came from, how we got here, what to do while we are here, or where we are going. We need guidance and help.
Second, we often to tend to look to the wrong shepherd. While people and things can give us help in this world, they cannot really serve as the shepherd. They make mistakes. They are limited. Yet we keep looking for that shepherd. We look for it in our parents, our family, our spouse, our children, our church, our business, our nation, our political group, or whatever else. These things become the leading force in our lives, our shepherd.
Third, some of this is self-conscious but much of it is not. How do we decide who will be our shepherd? We often just do what everybody else is doing. We move forward with the herd. We go where the herd leads us. This can be helpful sometime, but it also limits us and can lead us in a completely wrong direction. We are like sheep, so we need a shepherd.
The psalmist had no problem recognizing his sheep-like nature. He knew He needed guidance and leadership. He knew he needed a help and a refuge in times of trouble. And where did he find it? “The Lord is my shepherd.”
This meant that in spite of the trials of life, which are evident in this Psalm, He had a reference point that gave Him an unfailing hope. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” That’s the confident expression of hope that we can have when we have the Lord God as our shepherd. He is the right shepherd. He is the one who will lead us.
One amazing thing about this is that a man came into this world who claimed to be that type of shepherd. He claimed to be God Himself. “I and the Father are one.” He said. He made this claim on the heels of saying, “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10). Now, if anyone else claimed this, it would seem crazy or dangerous. Yet, in Jesus, who had such an exalted character that even His enemies admitted it, it does not seem crazy or dangerous. It seems right. And those are really the only two options. He was either crazy or right. He certainly wasn’t the former, so He must be the latter. He is the good shepherd. From now on, we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He is the shepherd that we must follow to find the way of true blessedness in this life and a life that is everlasting and defeats death.
So, who are you following today? What is the driving force of your life? Who is your shepherd? Have you even thought about it? If you have said “yes” to this shepherd, can you renew your resolution? “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”