He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. (Psalm 78:70-71)
In the previous devotion we addressed the fact that David was regarded as God’s servant as opposed to a hireling. As we said, there is an important distinction between the two. When referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, Yeshua clearly defined the difference between those who are servants and those who are not. He said, “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep” (John 10:11-13).
In this vein of thought consider this interesting fact revealed in the Hebrew language. As we shared previously, the Hebrew word translated as servant is עבד eved. It stems from the root עבד avad, which means to “work, tend or serve.” It is the same word that is used in Genesis when God told Adam to “till” or “tend” the garden. In other words, God commissioned Adam to be a servant, not a hireling; someone who would carefully watch over that which had been entrusted to his care — we all know how that turned out. Now, if we were to substitute the letter א alef for the letter ע ayin, the result would be אבד avad which means “to be lost” or “to destroy” (this is the root from which the term Abaddon is derived).
My point is, notice how easily one can go from being a servant of the Most High to one who could become lost, or worse, cause others to become lost. A hireling will flee when he sees the wolf coming and allow the sheep to be destroyed. Adam failed to resist the Adversary and look what became of mankind at large. Therefore, it is very important that we live up to the calling that is placed upon us — we are to be servants of the Most High, not hirelings. Just as He watches over us as a Shepherd watches over His sheep, we are to carefully watch over those He has entrusted to our care; we are to tend and guard everything He has given to us to over see. So when the predators and robbers threaten, we must stand against them, being willing to sacrifice ourselves for the flock.
David was an example of the type person God was looking for when it came to watching over His people. I dare say His standards have not changed. Therefore, let us be diligent to care for and guard all who have been given to us to shepherd. May we be diligent to protect everything He has placed in our hands and preserve those He calls His inheritance.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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