The Lord is my
shepherd …
And I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:1,6
Psalm 23:1,6
I
ponder how a lowly Shepherd could
make dwelling in the house of the Lord
forever… possible; but then it comes to me that without that Shepherd there would never have been the
Lamb. And without the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the
world, there would be no dwelling
with him forever. In I Peter 5:4, the apostle confirmed what that Shepherd accomplished in this regard. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
King David wrote and lived out Psalm 23, in which he declares the eternal Jehovah (Lord) to be his Shepherd. We don’t have a problem understanding what our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd, our Great Shepherd does for us. In fact, thinking about him in those terms is comforting to say the least.
King David wrote and lived out Psalm 23, in which he declares the eternal Jehovah (Lord) to be his Shepherd. We don’t have a problem understanding what our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd, our Great Shepherd does for us. In fact, thinking about him in those terms is comforting to say the least.
But what about the Lamb?
What had to take place with the Lamb?
Perhaps it is because the world takes its bent from how the Jews reacted to the thought of their Messiah coming to the world as a Lamb when they were looking for the Lion out of the Tribe of Judah.
It is then that we go immediately to John’s gospel and listen and watch as he beholds this Shepherd as David of old referred to Christ. John looks and he sees Jesus coming. He must have been overwhelmed, for here was Christ who transcended all thought of higher dignity. John knew exactly who he was. He hesitated to baptize Jesus, stating he was not worthy to unlace his sandals. But John got it right when he said, “Behold the Lamb—this Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Truly the Shepherd became the Lamb the day he went willingly to the Cross to bear the sin of the world; but in all this, he never gave up his lofty position as the Shepherd of our souls. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
If we were to put the gospel in a nutshell and give God the glory for it all, these two verses would accomplish that task. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus (the Lamb), that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21). And if we think there could be nothing better, we read in Revelation 7:17: “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
So you see, God in his omniscience knew before the foundations of the world that we would need a Shepherd who would give his life for the sheep, and that there must be a sacrifice acceptable. Only the Lamb of God would do. It baffles the human mind to grasp the truth that the Shepherd became the Lamb that day in history when as Isaiah declared: “… he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7b).
Praise God for the day the Shepherd became the Lamb!
Perhaps it is because the world takes its bent from how the Jews reacted to the thought of their Messiah coming to the world as a Lamb when they were looking for the Lion out of the Tribe of Judah.
It is then that we go immediately to John’s gospel and listen and watch as he beholds this Shepherd as David of old referred to Christ. John looks and he sees Jesus coming. He must have been overwhelmed, for here was Christ who transcended all thought of higher dignity. John knew exactly who he was. He hesitated to baptize Jesus, stating he was not worthy to unlace his sandals. But John got it right when he said, “Behold the Lamb—this Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Truly the Shepherd became the Lamb the day he went willingly to the Cross to bear the sin of the world; but in all this, he never gave up his lofty position as the Shepherd of our souls. In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
If we were to put the gospel in a nutshell and give God the glory for it all, these two verses would accomplish that task. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus (the Lamb), that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21). And if we think there could be nothing better, we read in Revelation 7:17: “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
So you see, God in his omniscience knew before the foundations of the world that we would need a Shepherd who would give his life for the sheep, and that there must be a sacrifice acceptable. Only the Lamb of God would do. It baffles the human mind to grasp the truth that the Shepherd became the Lamb that day in history when as Isaiah declared: “… he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7b).
Praise God for the day the Shepherd became the Lamb!
Victor
W. Baugh, Sr., Th.D., Ph.D.
Pastor,
St. Luke AME Church
Havana,
AL
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