The Defending Shepherd

Most of us are familiar with the story of the lost sheep in the New Testament. It tells of a shepherd who is missing one sheep and searches until he finds it. Here we learn of the Shepherd's persistence in making sure that not one sheep belonging to Him should be lost.

Working our way back toward Deuteronomy, we read a blessing for those loved by Lord, that they "rest between His shoulders." This is a picture of a sheep being carried on the back of a shepherd. A shepherd might be carrying a sheep in this fashion if it were sick or injured or simply lost.

Jumping to 1 Samuel we see another description of our Shepherd that perhaps goes unnoticed by many. In many ways, the man David is a picture of the future Messiah. He is a shepherd king with a heart after God. In chapter 17 he describes his fearless strength in defending his sheep:

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Vv 34-35

Our Great Shepherd carefully guards us, carries us in all our troubles, and rescues us from our enemies with decisive victory.