The Shepherd-King

UV 1047-10,000 The Shepherd-King
He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
Micah 5 v 4

Normally, only a shepherd watches over the sheep. A King has people to watch over him. David was first a shepherd and then anointed King of Israel. He gave up shepherding when he became a king. He was a humble lad when he looked after his father’s sheep but his name spelt majesty and respect when he became king. As king, David fought wars, administered justice, issued decrees and commands. But Jesus is the unique Shepherd-King. He combines the role of Shepherd and King for He watches over us both day and night. As Shepherd, He cuddles us , wraps us around His shoulders and holds us to His bosom.
As the lion-King Jesus fights on our behalf, issues decrees and commands the angels to rush to our aid. He shows mercy on whom He decides to show mercy and executes judgement on whom He decides. As King, His name is majestic. It is higher than any king, conqueror, saint, leader, authority, freedom fighter, constitution maker, hero of any nation and of any time preceding His birth on earth and after His resurrection from death. It spells awe in heaven as on earth, in the spirit world and among flesh and blood human beings. God has ordained that He is the one Shepherd-King under whose banner all of His flock gathers. We hear the voice of our Shepherd-King in the Word and we recognize and understand His purpose and His will. We find our joy, comfort and consolation in the strength of the Lord. His Name symbolizes and means everything we can possibly desire in life.

When we read the name of Jehovah, the Father which means “ I AM WHO I AM” along with the name of Jesus which means “ He saves,” we discover that God saves us through Jesus from the enemy of our souls, from every precarious situation, in every circumstance. Salvation is not a one off event. It is a continuous and growing experience of God’s love, power, majesty and grace. Our faith and hope in Him is the source of our security and not our position, our fame, our resources, our contacts, our physical strength. Left to ourselves, we realize that we are as weak and vulnerable as sheep. Sheep unless they are maimed or injured do most of their walking on their own but they rely on the Shepherd for their sense of direction and safety from predators. Similarly, we should look to Jesus for directions. It requires His higher knowledge and wisdom to help us find the direction in which green pastures lie, the direction in which the still pure springs arise. It requires His higher knowledge as well as His higher stature, power and weapons to warn us of predators and to defend us. As we depend on Him for guidance and leading, He will lead us beside green pastures and still waters. The green pastures are a metaphor to indicate that the Lord will meet all our need. The “ still waters” refer to the living waters of the Word that will not let us thirst again. The sheep feed daily and continually graze on the pastures. Similarly, we need to have a daily filling from the still waters of His presence, His spirit and His Word. We need to continually graze on His green pastures and not wander off like self-willed loner goats. We need to be immersed in the greatness and awesome grace of Jesus. As the wool of the sheep gets coloured by the water in which it is immersed, we too emerge a little greater and a little more graceful. The Shepherd-King does not hesitate to share His greatness provided we celebrate and emulate not just His king-like qualities but also His Shepherd-like qualities. All our other communication is like the pointless bleating of the sheep but our communication and sharing of the greatness of God and the goodness and sufficiency of the gospel of salvation alone will stand and remain as our lasting legacy. This communication of the greatness of God, the majesty of His Name, the sufficiency of His strength and the abundance of His provision for our comprehensive salvation needs to reach the ends of the earth.

Prateep V Philip