The Powerful Shepherd

The Powerful Shepherd

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).

The Old Testament has some remarkable illustrations of Jesus the Saviour. Adam’s deep sleep reminds us of Christ loving the Church and how He gave Himself for her. Isaac on Mount Moriah reminds us of Christ’s complete obedience and devotion to the Father’s will. Joseph reminds us of the rejection of Jesus by His brethren, and His subsequent suffering and glory. And the Passover lamb reminds us of Jesus as the Lamb of God and the perfection of His sacrifice. All these beautiful pictures are passive in character. It was God who caused Adam’s sleep; Abraham, who took Isaac; Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph; the families in Egypt sacrificed the Passover lamb. But there is one person who presents the Lord Jesus in all the power of the Good Shepherd coming to save His sheep: David.

In 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel came to Bethlehem to anoint a new king to replace Saul, David wasn’t even present. Why? Because he was keeping his father’s sheep. Psalm 78:70-72 recalls how God called him from the sheepfolds. In 1 Samuel 17, before we get to the end of the story of David and Goliath, we are told David fed his father’s sheep in Bethlehem (verse 15). In verse 20 we learn that he left those sheep with a keeper. Eliab, David’s oldest brother, tries to belittle David (verse 28) by asking with whom David had left the few sheep in the wilderness. When Saul points out to David that he had never been a soldier, David recalls how he had saved his sheep from the lion and the bear. These verses present David as one who had the heart of a loving and fearless shepherd, a shepherd who was prepared to lay down his life for his father’s sheep. David is an illustration of the Good Shepherd.

When David went down into the Valley of Elah, there was no hesitation or caution in meeting Goliath. It is a picture of power. He ran quickly toward the giant and killed him with a single stone and without a sword in his hand. David is a vivid Old Testament illustration of the power of the Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd who said, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).

Now there is one flock and one all-powerful Shepherd – the powerful Good Shepherd Who loved us and died for us, the powerful Great Shepherd Who rose again and lives for us in heaven now, and the powerful Chief Shepherd Who will come for us and ultimately reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Before David came to the throne of Israel, his followers owned him as their lord and their king. The Spirit came on Amasai to declare,

“We are yours, O David; We are on your side …” (1 Chronicles 12:18)

Now we have a fresh opportunity each day to worship, follow and serve our all-powerful Saviour:

“Lord we are Thine: Thy claims we own, Ourselves to Thee we’d wholly give.” (J. G. Deck)