O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, the tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed. (Psalm 74:1-2)
As we continue to glean from the opening lines of this psalm, it is important to point out that, in questioning God, Asaph acknowledged that we are the sheep of His pasture. That means, of course, that He is our Shepherd. As it is written elsewhere in Scripture, “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). David and Asaph referred to God as the Shepherd of Israel, David famously saying, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). This being so, Asaph’s question is essentially this: How is allowing Your people to be subjected to danger and destruction compatible with Your role as Israel’s Shepherd? Does not the shepherd protect the flock from such peril?
Though a shepherd may be forced to strike his sheep to force them onto the right path, he doesn’t remain angry with them. Yet, a prolonged exile as Israel was bound to endure seemed as if the Good Shepherd had abandoned them to be persecuted and perish at the hands of predator nations. However, that is merely the way it seemed. The reality is this: throughout His Word, He has promised never to sleep or slumber when it comes to the welfare of His people. Furthermore, to those sheep who have been scattered, He has promised to personally attend to them and regather them into the fold. As He said through the prophet, “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered … and I will bring them out from the peoples and … bring them to their own land” (Ezekiel 34:11-13).
The ultimate fulfillment of this and other such promises is realized in the Messiah who is the personification of the Good Shepherd. As He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep … I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own … and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:11, 14-15). In Messiah, we see the heart of God and the love He has for His people. He has not abandoned us, nor will He. Rather than leaving them to be lost and ravished, He will leave the ninety-nine to go search for that one lost and wandering sheep and return them to the fold. And why? Because He remembers His congregation and those who He has purchased.
All of us have, at one time or another, felt lost, abandoned and on our own. But I would argue that, in most cases, it was because we decided to stray from the path our Shepherd had chosen for us and strike out on our own. As it is written, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Thankfully, though, He doesn’t give up on us; the Good Shepherd searches high and low until He recovers those who belong to Him. So today, let us all take a moment to say, “Thank You” to our Redeemer for His kindness, compassion and mercy toward us, His little, stubborn lambs.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments