Power Of The Shepherd King

Key Scripture: “The Lord is my Shepherd.  I shall not want.” Psalms 23:1

Power Point:
      It occurs to me that the first thing that walked into David’s life after he was anointed king was a huge giant named Goliath.  When King Saul, (soon to be EX-King) offers him his armor, David says, “No.Thanks anyway.” You see he KNEW how to be shepherd and he KNEW that because God was on his side, Goliath would go down in history as a tiny test for a big God. No problem.

     As I kept looking at that scripture I thought of how prophetic it really is for us.  Jesus came as a Shepherd too. In fact, He defines Himself as the “Good Shepherd”.

People were disappointed and confused because he didn’t explode on to the scene wearing full armor and carrying a big sword, with an army of angels rallying behind Him.  Do you ever wonder why? Could it possible be that people knew all about the MIGHTY God, the KING who could easily destroy any well-armed enemy? Could it be that He came to show us the “other” part of God, the Shepherd King? Was it time to learn about God’s love and gentleness?

     Jesus did not fight one battle while He was here. He did not pick up one sword.  He came offering compassion not military might.  He came healing the sick, not slaughtering the enemy. He came with an absolute foundation of making Love our chief weapon. Is it possible that to Him, it’s more important that we find the approachable, loving, nurturing Shepherd part of God? If Jesus only did what He saw the Father do and speak what He heard the Father say, then perhaps we could conclude from that that God wanted us to know the Good Shepherd. It doesn’t take a thing away from His might. It doesn’t rob Him of His ability to wage war, but if you think about it, He doesn’t want to wage war with us, He wants to be in relationship with us and He can only do that if we know Him as the Shepherd, the good Shepherd.

     Jesus’ assignment was to show us the powerful might of the weapons of compassion and gentleness. His assignment was to show us what Godly wisdom really looked like. It is gentle and reasonable. And of course, most of all, He wanted to show us how much we are loved.

There is a great man who makes everyone feel small. But the real great
man  is the makes every man feel great. G. K.Chesterton.

     If you browse through Psalm 23 you can see that the Good Shepherd is much more than just a nice guy.  He nurtures, He protects, He delivers, and He keeps us safe. In fact, He’s busy preparing a table for us to sit and eat and watch the enemy go down in defeat.  He’s the one who has anointed us with the Power of the Holy Spirit but also with the oil of Gladness that keeps our hearts running smoothly.  And ultimately, He is the Shepherd whose kingdom is unconditionally full of mercy and grace. Who wouldn’t want that?

     David is a great example of a man who knows where is strength lies isn’t he?  He slays the enemy with the weapons of the Shepherd and then cuts of the giant’s head with Goliath’s own sword.  In other words, he knew how to use the weapons of warfare at the right time. And he knew how to use the weapons of the Shepherd as well. We should know that too don’t you think?

     Are there some people in your life that need the weapons of the Shepherd today? If you are an ambassador for Jesus, you might want to use the same ones He used. He offered compassion and kindness. He poured oil on wounds and He set people free with His words and His actions. When He showed up, so did His Father. He was generous with God’s goodness and patience.  Is it possible that His actions as a Shepherd King are what changed the world? The very thing that helped them to realize that God was truly Love and wanted to love them?

Probably.

Power Thought:

"Here's my concern, that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a Shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God...tenderly showing them the way."  I Peter 5:2, The Message