Christ The Shepherd Of Your Soul.

The imagery of a shepherd was used in many of the ancient

writings of the mid-east. The kings of the ancients viewed
themselves as the shepherd of the people. This is not only a Jewish
thought many Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian kings also referred
to themselves as the shepherd of the people. Many of these kings
proved to be cruel shepherds. When the Jesus came during his
earthly ministry he came as the true shepherd, the Jewish people
for centuries had been under the rule of two religious extremes the
Pharisee’s and the Sadducee’s. The Sadducee’s were a group of
priests who were aristocrats who believed in the literal
interpretation of the Torah (Old Testament Bible) they rejected the
belief in the afterlife they were equivalent of today’s liberals. The
Pharisee’s would be equivalent of today’s conservatives. Neither
of these religious groups were meeting the needs of the average
person. Jesus came to offer true religious experience to the average
man.

Psalms 23:1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake.

Jesus came to restore the souls of men. To offer spiritually green

pastures and still waters, a place where people could find peace for
the soul. Our next scripture is a prophecy of what Jesus would do
during his earthly ministry.

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall
gently lead those that are with young.
Jesus the good shepherd, shall feed, gather, carry, and gently lead.
What a beautiful picture of who and what the Lord is. Our next
scripture is a description of the failure of the ‘shepherds of Israel’
(the religious leaders).

Ezekiel 34:1-12 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds;
Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should
not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that
are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed
that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was
broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away,
neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with
cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they
became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were
scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every
high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth,
and none did search or seek after them.
7 ¶ Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a
prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field,
because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search
for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my
flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds;
and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease
from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves
any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they
may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both
search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among
his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will
deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the
cloudy and dark day.

Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds

have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the
mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have
forgotten their restingplace.

The ‘shepherds of Israel’ where not shepherds at all, they were

hirelings. The word ‘pastors’ also means shepherds. Oddly, found
seven times in the First Testament but found only once in the
Second or New Testament.

John 10:1-15 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not
by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them,
and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for
they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not
what things they were which he spake unto them.
 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I
am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the
sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and
fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for
the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of
mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay
down my life for the sheep.

What a wonderful shepherd we have in Christ.

Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he
shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he
shall be their shepherd.

When the book of Ezekiel was written David had long been dead
so it is not speaking of the man David but of the true shepherd
Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and
they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my
judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and
was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as
sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many
things.

Matthew 18:10-14 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little
ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of
them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and
goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not
astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that
one of these little ones should perish.

What a great Shepherd, He is concerned for lease little ones. Learn

of HIM.

Mt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Study of the word of God is so important for us.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails
fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one
shepherd.

Psalms 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and
guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
Heb 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the
dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in
you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

1Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Return, O’ ye of the flock.

Copyright © 2010 J. Wilder & The Wilder Family Trust dated 2/13/04

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any
means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written
permission of the author or estate except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in scholarly or critical articles and reviews. Teaching others encouraged.