Date of message: 06 March 2004 Issue
130
Subject: The Lord Is My Good Shepherd
Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
We are very accustomed with pictures and movies of a modern day sheep farm; of the large hectares of rolling fields and good grazing grounds and we see hundreds and even thousands of sheep grazing on those fields. And so when we read the parable that Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 15: 4 – 6, many of us could not understand the lesson that He was trying to convey across to His Jewish listeners.
4. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5. And when he found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
Because of stereotyping in my mind, I used to think that the shepherd in the parable Jesus told was heartless since he left behind the ninety-nine sheep out in the wilderness just to go in search of that one lost sheep. Would not the other ninety-nine also get lost? Would not the shepherd be wasting his time and effort? Where would he keep his sheep out there in the open? All these questions raced through my mind when I read that parable.
Praise the Lord the scales over my mind were removed when we visited Israel in February 2002 and we saw one of the caves where the shepherds would have spent the night with their sheep. Contrary to what we had been taught, a typical shepherd in the Middle-East (during the time of the bible as well as in modern times) only looked after about fifteen sheep. And so, in the parable, there would have been about seven shepherds looking after those hundred sheep and so when that shepherd left his ninety-nine sheep to look after the lost sheep, he entrusted the whole flock to his under-shepherds (the other six).
The shepherd is usually the owner of the sheep and to assist him, he has hirelings to help him manage the flock. Ten of Jacob’s twelve sons were shepherds and Joseph was sent to look for his brothers when they plotted to get rid of him. Obviously Reuben, the oldest son, was the head shepherd entrusted with the responsibility by his father. The same applied to Jesse’s family. He had seven sons who were all shepherds before they grew up and some of them joined the army of King Saul. David, the youngest son, later went on and became the King of Israel after Saul was killed in battle.
Looking after just fifteen sheep is no small task especially when it is time for them to lie down to rest. The shepherd would take hold of each sheep and groom it from lice and ticks which usually harness themselves around the moist nose area. Each evening he would cause the sheep to lie down and he would physically remove these ticks or else the sheep would become so irritable that they would start to bite one another.
After the ticks had been removed, he would apply olive oil over the wool and the whole nose area. In the process, the wool is enhanced in quality and the nose would be preserved and refreshed. And throughout this process, the shepherd would be communicating with his sheep assuring and reaffirming them. David probably sang the psalms over his sheep.
Jesus taught us in John 10:4, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” He grooms us each day by reminding us of His forgiveness of our sins and we his sheep should pick up from our blessed positions of having the righteousness of God in Christ and cease from our ‘squabbles’ with one another. The Lord also anoints us with His Holy Spirit refreshing and empowering us to face our daily challenges.
The sheep hears the voice of the shepherd and recognize it because of his tender love for them. While he grooms, he would sing to them and the bonding is established. Our Lord comforts and establishes us with His Holy Spirit and through our daily walk with Him we learn to recognize His promptings.
The Lord wants to be your Good Shepherd as well. Allow Him to be so and experience His love and care for you in your own personal life. If you have not received Him into your heart, I encourage you to do so without further delay. Invite Jesus into your heart and He will immediately come into your life and make it His throne.
It is not a difficult thing to do; all that is needed is that you believe and receive Him and immediately you will join the ranks of being children of God the Father. Our Lord Jesus died for us so that we can have His eternal life as an exchange. Because He died and took away our punishment, we need not be punished for our sin; otherwise that would tantamount to a double jeopardy. Our Father is a Righteous God and He will honor His Covenant with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus loves you so much that He already demonstrated His love for you on the cross. He died that we may have life in abundance. Pray this simple prayer to invite Jesus into your heart and immediately you will experience His peace coming your way.
Our Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me so much that You sent Jesus Your only Beloved Son, to die for all our sin and to be raised from the dead so that we can be forgiven of all our sin and now we are set free.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into my heart and for giving me the Holy Spirit to be my Friend and my Guide. Thank you that the Holy Spirit is with me constantly reminding me of my very special position as a child of God the Father. Thank you that as Your child, I can now start enjoying all Your blessings for my life - Divine Healing, Divine Health and Divine Life in You. Thank you also for the wonderful gifts that the Holy Spirit brings along with Him and for imparting those gifts into my life.
Thank you Lord Jesus for all that You had accomplished for us on the cross thus satisfying the judicial righteousness of the Father. Because You were raised from the dead, I am now eternally forgiven of all my sin, greatly blessed among all men, a highly favored child of God, deeply loved by the Father and completely protected in the Lord and in the most precious name of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha’ Mashiah, I pray. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, welcome to the Family of the Father (and it is a very large universal family). It is important that you are not alone facing your personal challenges but that you can obtain good help wherever you are. Why not take the time to find your own local Christian family (local church) and worship the Father together? You will be greatly encouraged when you meet together to worship the Father, for fellowship and for the study of the Word of Christ.
Start receiving the blessings of the Father as you walk with Him in faith. It is your inheritance in Christ and He wants you to start enjoying these blessings right now; you do not need to wait until you reach heaven and there is more from where they come from.
And, my friend, continue to exercise the gift of praying in tongues and with the usage, more gifts of the Holy Spirit will be imparted to you.
The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace. Numbers 6: 24–26
Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,
Andrew L W Lee

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