Title: The Shepherd and the Sheep
Contents
shepherd and sheep
Psalm 23 is the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. The shepherd knows the sheep all too well. I know all those features. We cannot distinguish between sheep when they are gathered, but the shepherd calls his sheep by name and leads them individually. Our Lord, whom we trust and follow, becomes our shepherd. He didn't just know sheep, but came to this earth as a lamb and personally experienced all the pains we suffer in the flesh, so our Lord knows our constitution and remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103). :4) The Lord Himself knows everything about us.
Sheep have several characteristics.
1. Sheep are not clean.
When dirt gets on the body, it remains dirty as it is. Sheep cannot cleanse themselves. The more you try to clean it, the dirtier it gets. When the shepherd washes you, you can become clean. I can immediately understand why the Bible compares the sheep to us as sinners.
When the shepherd looks at him, it hurts even more when he sees the sheep straying from a flock of sheep because of his uncleanness. Because it is a cliff of heaven, and it is a dangerous place to come and go. Is any of the saints here clean? (In God's eyes, they are those who are sick with all their heads, and have nothing from the soles of their feet to their heads. Isaiah 1:5,6)
If a Cushian can change his skin and a leopard can change his spots, then you who are accustomed to evil can also do good (Jeremiah 13:23).
2. Sheep have very poor eyesight.
When converted to human eyesight, it is about minus 10 diopters, so it is difficult to see objects 1-2 meters in front of you.
How much do we judge others by what we see at home, church, work, and what we know, and pursue things that are pleasing to the eye, desirable, and lustful enough to make us wise? The Lord, our shepherd, knows that if we do not open our spiritual eyes, we will still have no choice but to live by our own thoughts.
Not trusting my eyes and not trusting my knowledge is knowing that the root of sin is that my thoughts and my discernment are utterly evil.
3. Sheep are also said to be very stubborn...Even though they have gone down the wrong path, they try to keep moving forward rather than turning around...) Our fleshly stubbornness is great. Once you get caught up in your rightness, you never let it go. This stubbornness makes it impossible to acknowledge the Lord in all things. These fleshly dispositions can only be received by acknowledging the Lord in all things when we know that our thoughts are the root of sin in the Lord.
4. The legs of a sheep are very short compared to the body. It is impossible to escape quickly, but it is rather easy to fall, and once it falls, it is often impossible to get up. It is said that an overturned sheep struggles on all fours and even dies. This is because gas begins to build up and blood circulation stops while struggling with a strong sense of fear. How urgent are we? How often do you fall and fall to death, led by thoughts of theft and robbery? Aren't we thankful to the Lord who knows our constitution? We praise the Lord who intercedes for us at this time too (Romans 8:34)
5. Sheep have no self-defense ability. Sheep also do not find food or water on their own.
6. Sheep cannot find their way by themselves.
If you meditate on the weakness of these sheep, you will find what they need. What is?
Is it green pasture? Is the price affordable? Is this a safe place to prevent wolves from breaking in? What these sheep need is a shepherd. A shepherd is essential for the safety of the sheep. A sheep without a shepherd is unimaginable. Only when the sheep is led by the shepherd, the sheep can rest and enjoy peace in the green pasture. Are the saints being led by a shepherd? Do the saints have a shepherd? You once lost your way like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:25). . Sheep are somehow unable to do anything on their own. But even these sheep have one organ. Excellent hearing. Hearing, the only strength of these sheep, is that they can hear even subtle sounds that humans cannot hear. The sheep do not follow the shepherd, but hear the shepherd's voice and follow him.
Although we have come into Christ, the shepherd of our souls, there are many times when we live by hearing the voice of Satan because we still do not hear the voice of the Lord. If you do not hear the voice of the Lord, you cannot receive the guidance and protection of the Lord because you are still living with your own thoughts.
I believe that God gives various voices to the saints according to God's needs. But the root is the Word of God. When I was meditating on this part, it reminded me of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:27-31) Also, in Hebrews 1:1, it says, ?쏰nce upon a time, the prophets in various parts and in various ways gave to our ancestors. The God who has spoken has spoken to us through his Son at the end of all these days.??If we do not hold onto the Word of God, we cannot hear the voice of the Lord. The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us, teaching and reminding us of the words we hear. If the word God gave us was lacking, He would have promised to give us something else.
All the saints long to hear the voice of the Lord. But the word is not longing.
To receive the guidance of the shepherd, it is possible when we live abundantly in the Word. The Lord who knows our constitution has started doing good in us. I hope this year will be a year in which the eyes of the heart are opened to freely listen to the voice of the shepherd.