In his book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”, Phillip Keller talks about how important it is to have a good shepherd. He tells of a sheep ranch in his district with a tenant shepherd who should not have been allowed to keep sheep. His sheep were unloved, not cared for, thin, weak, and riddled with disease. That story made me begin to think of and be grateful for the characteristics of my Shepherd. I remember my mother teaching the attributes of God in her Bible class, but I couldn’t recall how many attributes were taught, so I searched “attributes of God” on the internet. Depending on what theologian or group you ask, there are 5, 7, 14, 17..(etc.) attributes or characteristics of God. I began to laugh at myself. How like man to put a finite number on an infinite God!
What an honor it is to be able to declare proudly, “The Lord, HE is my shepherd!” To list all of His qualities is impossible for He is truly immeasurable. But I can tell you that my Shepherd is good (John 10:11), He is the Creator who willingly lays down his life for the sheep, merciful, grace giving, holy, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, just, loving, righteous, sovereign, and on and on!! He knows his sheep intimately. It is vital for me to hear His voice and follow Him! To say His sheep are to be envied is an understatement. To be a member of His flock is to be diligently cared for, taught, understood, seen, known, loved, disciplined, provided for, fiercely protected, guided, searched for, and forgiven. His gentle care for the sheep is unending. As Phillip Keller said, “It links a lump of common clay to divine destiny - it means a mere mortal becomes the cherished object of divine diligence…to think that God in Christ is deeply concerned about me as a particular person immediately gives great purpose and enormous meaning to my short sojourn upon the planet. And the greater, the wider, the more majestic my concept is of the Christ - the more vital will be my relationship to Him”. No wonder King David began his poem with the boast of “The Lord is my Shepherd!” My Shepherd takes his responsibility seriously.
