God’s Word refers to His leaders many times as Shepherds. Observe in the passages below:
Ps. 78:70 “He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; 71 From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. 72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”
Acts 20:28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock among you which the Holy Spirit has made your overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.”
1 Peter 5:1-4 “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock, and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
We have an example of how to shepherd from the Chief Shepherd found in Psalm 23:
Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Jesus taught how important just one sheep is as the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one.
Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”
A hidden jewel regarding the responsibilities of a Shepherd is found in Proverbs 27:23-27
Proverbs 27:23-27 “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does the crown endure to all generations. When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will provide your clothing and the goats the price of a field; You shall have enough goat’s milk for your food, for the food of your household and the nourishment of your maidservants.”
What does it look like for a shepherd to shepherd the flock of God?
A shepherd is to:
- Feed Them So They Grow
John 21:15 “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ 17 He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’”
The feed you feed is the Word of God. To feed them you must TEACH them. Thus, the shepherd is to study to share the Word.
Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”
Ecclesiastes 12:9-11 “9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.”
Use the 3 E’s of speaking: Encourage; Equip/Edify; Empower. - Tend Them
John 21:16 “He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ Again, Jesus said, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’”
Jesus told him, “Shepherd (Poimaine) My sheep.” Same word used in 1 Peter 5:2 - Love Them
1 Thessalonians 2:7 “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
NIV “so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
NLT “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.”
Remember, the time they will need love the most is the time they deserve it the least. - Know Them
You must know their name and their needs.
Proverbs 27:23 “Be diligent to know the state (condition) of your flocks, And attend to your herds;” - Lead Them
Shepherds guide sheep.
Psalm 23:3 “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” - Show Them
1 Peter 5:3 “Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;”
Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.” - Keep Them
A shepherd protects the sheep. They guard the sheep. Part of warning starts with watching and keeping them.
Luke 2:8 “There were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
Luke 2:8 “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.” - Warn Them
Colossians 1:28 “Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.”
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” - Help Them
You must be a most valuable counselor.
Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” - Heal Them
You must help them and heal their hurts by pointing them to the healer of hearts. The shepherd points them to the one that heals and binds the broken hearts.
Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”
Credentials to do so: “4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. 5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” - Care For Them With Tender Loving Care
You need to handle them with care.
1 Thess. 2:7 “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
Opposite of the caring shepherd is the “hireling”
John 10:13 “The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” - Pray For Them
Colossians 1:9 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”
Acts 6:4 “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Luke 22:32 “But I (Jesus) have prayed for you (Peter), that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” - Find Them
Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” - Grow Them
You must grow them so they can grow themselves and grow others.
Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” - Don’t Beat Them
Of all the things that must be done, there is one thing that must NOT be done. Needless to say, I hope, is a shepherd does not beat the sheep.
1 Peter 5:3 “…not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”
Now, what can the sheep do for their shepherd?
Pray for them. From the Date the Word App, you will find 7 prayer requests, which are a prayer request for each day of the week, starting with Monday and concluding on Sunday. The sheep pray for protection, preparation, provision, progression, possibilities, priorities, and the power of God.
Download the Date the Word app to see in greater detail how to pray for your pastor.
An article written by our founder Dwayne Carson
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