When I was a child our church published “THE ORBIT.” ‘The Orbit’ was a great name for a paper coming from a Houston church in the early 1970s—the space race was the biggest news of the ’60s and ’70s and our city was its home. One of the best features of the Orbit was a short letter from our pastor, Brother John. He always closed his column with the phrase “The Shepherd loves his sheep” and then his signature. It was a great line, a nice double meaning: Jesus loves us, but so does our pastor, the “under-shepherd.”
David had been a shepherd. He knew the way a shepherd loves sheep. And he knew God loved him: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in need.”
The 23rd Psalm is one of the most popular passages in world literature. Less well-known—obscure even—is a similar passage in Revelation, a sort of “New 23rd Psalm.” Look how similar this is to David’s Psalm:
“The One seated on the throne will shelter them;
They will no longer hunger, they will no longer thirst;
The sun will no longer strike them, nor will any heat.
For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them;
He will guide them to springs of living waters,
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” Revelation 7:15-17.
How many similarities can you find between the actions of this shepherd and the shepherd of Psalm 23? He provides shelter, food and water, guidance, and wipes away tears (similar to “He restores my soul”). But there is one key difference: the Revelation shepherd is in Heaven. So—even in Heaven God will wipe our tears, feed us, shelter us, and protect us. And our shepherd (because we remain sheep) will be the Lamb: “The Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them.”
Is that an oxymoron? Praise the Lamb who is our Shepherd. You are so loved!
ΑΩ
Household Words: 