Thinking of shepherds today. Of course, one of my favorite shepherds, not that I know many, is David of the Bible. Reading so many of his Psalms we get to see how his life as a shepherd pours out of his very pores, so to speak. So I get it that he got it why You would choose him to be king and shepherd over Your chosen people.
When David was hauled up from the back side of the wilderness, away from tending the family flock only to see a family confab in progress--the line up of older brothers with dashed hopes and a puzzled father, all gawking at him.
"Uh-oh', what am I being blamed for now? What is going on?!" he may well have wondered.
The "baby" of the family being anointed?! Anointed to be King?! David himself likely couldn't believe it when Samuel poured the anointing oil on his head. You can just see the gears turning in the father and brothers' minds, "Huh!? Samuel, you sure you got this right?"
Father, You sure have a wonderful sense of humor.
Nevertheless, David, perhaps largely unbeknownst to his family, had honed his skills in well-rounded ways such as: archery and sling shot target practice; killing wild beasts bare-handed (I wonder if his macho brothers could do that), a protector of sheep. Add in his self-taught lyre and harp lessons; his open-air science lab discoveries, gazing at the moon and stars by night, observing the sun's shadow play by day; then an all-encompassing, superior knowledge of the character of sheep and their needs; how to provide food, water, shelter.
Then there was the low-down on all the nooks and crannies in the hills and dales which put him in good stead when King Saul, and later his own son Absalom, made him a fugitive but where he had first sheltered his sheep from storms and predators.
A protector. A provider.
What a home-schooled education that was! Self-taught to a great degree, no doubt. Hands-on experience. Obviously, he could read and write to boot.
Astounding summation yet his family hadn't thought much of him, almost as if he was an afterthought or not a member of their family--certainly not a significant one.
I have a gut feeling he must have been somewhat wild, not so 'civilized' for 'polite society' with his outdoor ways. Maybe they insultingly asked him if he was born on a raft or in a barn. After all, when we read of his public kick-off exploit of conquering Goliath and of his many successful raids into the Philistine camps and war victories...well, even You, Father God, commented that he was too "bloody" to build Your house, the Temple (1 Chronicles 28:3).
Yet the quality of a good shepherd was instilled in David and You recognized this and had every confidence in him. He must have been an amazing shepherd. He had a lot to be proud of and rightly so. That's why, when I read Psalm 28:8 and 9 where David, in turn, beseeches You, His Heavenly Father, to be Israel's shepherd, I see he "got it". He got why You had called him to be king over His people, yet he knew his own deficiencies and knew he needed You to take over.
"The LORD is the strength of His people...be their shepherd and carry them forever" (vs 8 & 9 NIV).
David was wise to turn to You Father, to seek Your shepherding-of-human beings skills, working in tandem with You. He knew to Whom to turn. It was a huge task and responsibility You gave him.
When we are given work for You, here in our day, may we too be encouraged to turn to You. May it be our first instinct to do so. May we turn to You to be our strength, our fortress our salvation and look to You and Your Word for sustenance and to be our shepherd; forever. Carry us, Father.
David must often have carried injured sheep and/or lambs upon his shoulders. You too, our Good Shepherd, carry us forever. You gave Your very life for us, Your "sheep". We can't live without You.
We give You humble, grateful thanks in the precious Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lead on and may we follow, wagging our tails behind us.
Amen.
~ERC March 2020 (originally) - Blogged April 2020~
Prayer based on Psalm 28
Sing, Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us along with by4Him
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