February 21
A pastor recently likened his sheep to dumb animals who needed a shepherd with a rod to smack them on the butt occasionally to keep them in line because they were too stupid take care of themselves. Wow! That would be tyrant actually thinks that was why Jesus referred to his followers as sheep. If you’ve ever been the victim of such poor bible exposition, please note, Jesus used that metaphor because sheep are the most faithful animals on the planet. They hear and recognize the voice of their shepherd, even in the midst of several shepherds who are calling them. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”Only the wolf is afraid of losing God’s sheep. Only the wolf works in secret, in the shadow of darkness.
Psalm 23 reads,
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lied down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.(emphasis mine)
What does verse 4 tell us is the purpose of the rod and the staff? They are meant to comfort the sheep, not control them. It was the shepherd’s job to beat off any wolf, lion, or bear that attempted to snatch away any sheep. The staff was to be used for protecting the sheep not beating them into submission. God’s word is the staff meant to be used by today’s shepherds to ward off any wolves, lions, or bears. When they use it on their own sheep, they simply end up with less sheep. And the wolves keep howling. Now go tell someone what great things God has done for you.
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