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At the close of Lesson 1 we were looking at Ezekiel 34:12. Let s take a look at this passage again. Just to see the contrast of the failures of the shepherds of Israel (their priests who were failing on so many accounts) let s notice the early verses of chapter 34. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, Thus says the Lord God, Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? (Ezekiel 34:1-2). If you continue reading through the verses that follow you will see just how displeased God is with these shepherds. They weren t doing what they were supposed to and the sheep were suffering! Now then, move on to verse 11 For thus says the LORD GOD, Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. You have looked at our Savior, our Shepherd our Good Shepherd. Having seen just a small example of the bad shepherds be reminded that the Lord is our Good Shepherd and thank Him for that. Don t just take my word for it that He is your Good Shepherd, look at what the Word of God says. Read John 10:11 and then write down what Jesus says. Jesus is what kind of Shepherd to His sheep? He says it twice. Once in John 10:11 and then again in 10:14. If you stopped only at verse 11 now let your eyes travel on a little farther down the chapter to verse 14. What does Jesus say again? If you have some word study tools available, why don t you look up this word and see it s meaning in the original language. No extra study books? Then may I recommend to you www.blueletterbible.org? 2 P age
He is our GOOD SHEPHERD not like the shepherds that God sent Ezekiel to prophesy against, but a Good Shepherd who searches for, seeks out and cares for His sheep! Let s look at some of the ways He cares for us that we sing out in this hymn. Like a shepherd lead us Much we need thy tender care Psalm 23:1-2 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. In thy pleasant pastures feed us I would imagine that surely as you sing that first stanza of this beautiful hymn, your heart and mind is pulled to the 23 rd Psalm perhaps the all time favorite Psalm for most. Since the Psalm in its entirety really isn t the focus of our study, let us just direct our attention to those first two verses. Don t read it too quickly. Don t let the familiarity of it cause you to miss the beauty and wonder of what David is expressing. In thy pleasant pastures feed us. WOW! What kind of image does that bring to mind for you? Read Psalm 23:1-2 and write down what you see here. Notice the descriptive words used. Sheep need food. They need a pasture, a place where they can graze undisturbed, safe from those what would cause them harm, perhaps completely devour them. And God has promised this. But not only has He promised it, He has provided it! Why green pastures? How much more nourishing is a green pasture than just a pasture? The Hebrew word for green is deshe (Strongs #1877) and has its root in the Hebrew word dasha (Strongs #1876) meaning to sprout, to grow green, to cause to shoot forth. 3 P age
I think you will see the importance of GREEN pastures when you look at Joel 2:22. Green pastures speak of life, of rich, sweet, nourishing grass, an abundance with everything that the sheep needs to live, grow and be fruitful. But now, notice what the Lord causes us, His sheep to do in these green pastures. What is the posture of the sheep? Not only does the Good Shepherd lead His sheep to the green pastures, He makes them lie down. Can you think about what this indicates? Put yourself in the sheep s mind. If you re lying down in this green pasture what is your state? If the sheep are lying down, aren t they at rest? Aren t they relaxed, at peace, free from fear or anxiety? If the sheep were fearful of anything they wouldn t be lying down. It is important to note that they are able to be at rest like this, free from fear or anxiety because it is the Shepherd who makes them to lie down. Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. Dear Friend, what state do you find yourself in today? Are you worried, frustrated, frightened, nervous, despairing, hopeless? What thoughts are running through your mind? I would invite you to come to your Shepherd and allow Him to make you lie down, and enjoy the promise of Psalm 23:1&2 as well as Isaiah 26:3. Read this verse in Isaiah and write down, what you need to do. Allow your Good Shepherd to give you such rest and peace that you are able to lie down, resting and trusting only His goodness, mercy and provision. Once again the Psalms will give us such a perfect illustration of how this is able to come about. Read carefully Psalm 3:1-5 and make note of first of all the circumstances that the psalmist describes in the beginning. What do you see surrounding him? According to verse 5, inspite of these dire circumstances, what is able to do? 4 P age
Do you believe that is possible for you? Why or why not? Notice, our Good Shepherd does not lead us beside stormy water, He does not lead us beside a raging flood. Instead notice the promise of Psalm 23:2. What kind of water does He lead us to? Does this mean that life will always be nice and quiet, totally smooth and undisturbed? No, not at all. In fact all through Scripture from Genesis all the way through to the believers of the New Testament we see that the children of God face many trials, storms, afflictions and hardships. In fact, why don t you take just a moment and read this brief recap of this truth in Hebrews 11 the great Faith Chapter. Read Hebrews 11:32-38. Write down what these great heroes of the faith have endured. WAIT JUST A MINUTE! What happened to the water without turbulence? The still water? Have you ever heard the phrase still waters run deep? This is illustrated for us so well in the depths of the ocean. Storms may beat upon the surface, bringing fierce waves and yes, even turbulent storms to the surface. But what is taking place below? Quite at peace, undisturbed by the storms raging on the surface, the creatures of the sea are unaffected by the storms. So it is that still waters speak of depth. Of peace. Of calm. How is this possible? I believe that you will find the solution in the fourth chapter of Philippians. Read Philippians 4:6-7 and write down what you are to do, how you are to do it and what will be the result. 5 P age
If you are interested in digging a little deeper, why not do a word study on this section of Philippians? Study the following words using your word study tools and see what insights you gain into these verses. vs 6 prayer vs 6 supplication vs 6 thanksgiving vs 7 peace vs 7 guard As we bring this lesson to a close, let s look at one final passage. Read John 16:33 carefully. Jesus says. These things I have spoken to you. According to John 16:33 for what purpose has He spoken these things? Also according to this verse, what does Jesus say that in this world that we will have? 6 P age
And how are we to respond? Why can we respond in this manner? Yes, in this world there are trials and moments of anxiety, times of tribulation. But if we will come to Him, give them all to Him, He will bring us to those still waters, those green pastures. That sweet place where we are content to be at His feet, knowing that He provides all that we need. And it is at that place where we can lie down perfectly at rest and drink from the deep still waters that promise to refresh and revitalize! Precious Father, how we thank You for Your promises. Lord, You know my anxious heart today and so You have promised to provide me with green pastures, to lead me beside still waters. You bring me Lord to a place where I can draw strength, wisdom, comfort and find rest in You. When the busy and worried thoughts of today try to creep in, threatening my peace, would You bring me back to this sweet place of green pastures and still waters, so that I may hear Your voice and follow where my Good Shepherd leads. Share your heart with your Good Shepherd 7 P age