Our Holy Shepherd
by: Keller Hufham
February 26, 2025
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Have you ever sat down and questioned why God is so often referred to as a Shepherd and us His sheep? A scripture that is probably most familiar to us all is Psalm 23. David opens with the bold claim “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1).
I recently felt like this scripture had been highlighted for me. Since it is a common verse, I didn’t think much about it, but God has lovingly opened my heart to the depths of what it means to have a Shepherd, a protector, comforter, nurturer, the list goes on and on. David, in this Psalm, is speaking not as a shepherd, though he was one, but as a sheep, one of the flock. He knew from firsthand experience that the life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it, the shepherd.
So who is David referring to? Who is the Lord? What is His character? Does He have adequate credentials to be my shepherd— my manager— my owner?
David, the author of the poem, himself a shepherd and the son of a shepherd, stated explicitly, “The Lord is my shepherd.” He was referring to Jehovah, the God of Israel. His statement was confirmed in the New Testament by Jesus. Jesus, as God incarnate, declared “I am the good shepherd, I know My own and My own know Me” (John 10:14). But who was Jesus? Put simply, Jesus was God, made flesh. Fully man, but also fully God. Jesus Christ demonstrated at Calvary the deep desire of His heart to have man come under His tender care. He took the penalty for our immorality, stating clearly that “we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Thus, in a very real and urgent sense, I truly belong to Him simply because He has bought me at the incredible price of His own laid-down life and shed blood. Therefore, He was entitled to say, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Our view of Jesus is often too small— too human. And because of that, we feel unwilling to allow Him to have authority or control— much less outright ownership of our lives as a shepherd would.
There is a book I came across called “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” (A book by W. Phillip Keller). It interprets some of the shepherding language David describes in Psalm 23. W. Philip Keller shares this insight, “Each shepherd has his own distinctive earmark which he cuts into one of the ears of his sheep. In this way, even at a distance, it is easy to determine to whom the sheep belongs. It was not the most pleasant procedure to catch each ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block, then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife. There was pain for both of us. But from our mutual suffering, an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased. And from then on every sheep that came into my possession would bear my mark.”
For those who recognize the claim of Christ and submit to His ownership, there comes the question of bearing His mark. We have to let go of our mark, our families’ mark, the world’s mark, etc. Jesus made it clear when He stated, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The mark of the cross is that which should identify us with Him forever. The question is— does it? Many seem to hope that by merely admitting that He is their Shepherd somehow they will enjoy the benefits of His care and guidance without paying the price of forfeiting their own silly and foolish way of life. One cannot have it both ways. Either we belong or we don’t. The mark we wear or don’t wear tells of that.
So there remains the moving realization that we have been bought at a price, that we are really not our own, and that He is well within His rights to lay claim upon our lives. If we don’t have confidence in who has claimed us and cares for us, we will lack.
Jesus declares, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Our Shepherd is all we need.
Worship: Good Shepherd
Prayer
Father, thank You for suffering for me. You suffered so I could be claimed by You forever. I ask for a spirit of trust like David who spoke with confidence and conviction, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” You have earned authority and ownership over my life. I give my life to You and the things I so often want to control out of fear that I will lack. Lead me in Your ways. Thank You that I have the Holy Spirit to help me. Open my eyes to the abundance I have in Your presence alone. You are enough for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Study
Ezekiel 34:11-16, Hebrews 13:20-21
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