BrandedSample

BE A SHEEP

Shepherd. Warrior. King. These are the labels David was branded with, but there is one label he held onto more than any other. This label defined David whether he was a shepherd in the fields, victorious in battle, or in the palace as king of Israel. David was a sheep living under the Good Shepherd’s goodness, mercy, and grace throughout his whole life. David writes about his Good Shepherd in Psalm 23.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (Ps. 23:1 NLT).

Jesus also tells us He is our Good Shepherd in John 10. Years before Jesus even walked this earth, David had a deep revelation that if the Lord was his shepherd, he had everything he needed to handle being branded. In the rest of Psalm 23, David compares the actions of a good shepherd to the way the Lord cares so wonderfully for us. Let’s highlight two of these examples:

1. “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength…” (Ps. 23:2-3 NLT). A good shepherd knows how to take care of his flock. The Lord lets us rest in His presence as we walk with Him. Resting brings peace and renewed strength to our souls, and it is the Lord who leads us to that place of rest in His presence.
2. “...Your rod and staff protect and comfort me…” (Ps. 23:4 NLT). Shepherds would use a staff to guide their sheep, pull them out of bushes, or pick them up when they were injured. In the same way, the Lord guides us along the right paths (Ps. 23:3) and rescues us when we are in need. Shepherds would use a rod to defend their sheep from predators, just like the Lord is our protection and defender (Ps. 23:5). The same tool shepherds would use to protect, many would also use to count their sheep. Our Good Shepherd loves us so much that when he is counting His sheep and sees one is lost, He will stop at nothing to go after that one sheep and bring it home.

No matter how you are branded, remaining a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s pasture is all you need for His goodness and unfailing love to pursue you every day of your life (Ps. 23:6).