Protection…by Jesus Series

Protection…by Jesus

Today we will look at the second powerful “P” in our short series of the three Ps in the book of Psalms. The three powerful Ps are: Provision, Protection, and Promotion. Last week we looked at provision, so now let us look at those of protection.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

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.

Psalms 23:1-4

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In looking at our theme of protection in this message, we will concentrate on the role of the shepherd, which is what our opening verse begins with..."The Lord is my shepherd." A shepherd is someone who looks after sheep. Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations in the world, with the earliest documented instances of shepherding appearing in Asia. But let me clue you in on something…shepherding started when God created the heavens and the earth. Since then, Jesus has been shepherding mankind from the dawn of time. But back to the worldly shepherds who at one time, these nomadic loners were a critical part of the agricultural economy, although changes in the way sheep are raised have made shepherds more obsolete. In particularly rugged, dangerous regions of the world, shepherds can sometimes still be found at work. And it is for this region that Jesus remains the shepherd of the world, because it is a dangerous region.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 10:11

In this Jesus details the extent the shepherd goes through to protect his sheep. In the area of protection, He puts His life on the line for the sheep under His care. In our opening verses David thought about God, the God of Israel; as he thought about his relationship with God, he made the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep. God was like a shepherd to David, and David was like a sheep to God.

In John 10:11 and 10:14, Jesus clearly spoke of Himself as the good shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep and who can say, “I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” Hebrews 13:20 speaks of Jesus as that great Shepherd of the sheep, 1 Peter 2:25 calls Jesus the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls, and 1 Peter 5:4 calls Jesus the Chief Shepherd. The idea of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was precious to early Christians. One of the more common motifs in catacomb paintings was Jesus as a shepherd, with a lamb carried across His shoulders.

It’s remarkable that the LORD would call Himself our shepherd. In Israel, as in other ancient societies, a shepherd’s work was considered the lowest of all works. If a family needed a shepherd, it was always the youngest son, like David, who got this unpleasant assignment...Jehovah has chosen to be our shepherd, David says. The great God of the universe has stooped to take just such care of you and me. Here is how that protection works.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

A sheep is an object of property, not a wild animal; its owner sets great store by it, and frequently it is bought at a great price. In our case that price was the cost of a life, that of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is well known, as certainly David did, that we belong to the Lord. There is a noble tone of confidence about this sentence. There is no ‘if,’ there is no ‘but,’ not even an ‘I hope so;’ but he says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd,’ emphasis on the word "is." We too as believers can take that same confidence that the Lord is your personal shepherd, who would lay down His life for you.

For David, the fact of God’s shepherd-like care was the end of dissatisfied need. He said, “I shall not want” both as a declaration and as a decision.

- “I shall not want” means, “All my needs are supplied by the LORD, my shepherd.”

- “I shall not want” means, “I decide to not desire more than what the LORD, my shepherd gives.

It is the nature of sheep to stray and get in harm’s way, whether from hungry wolves or steep canyons. For centuries, shepherds have used various methods — from staff to dog — to keep sheep from straying from the safety of their care.

In recent times shepherds have tried more sophisticated methods. One is a metal, hoof-proof grid that is built into the ground around the sheep’s territory. The animals cannot walk over the grid, which is eight feet wide. This works well in keeping sheep in the protection of the pen.