It All Begins With the Shepherd

Remember what the sage said – “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Is he speaking of your joy, or of the Lord’s joy? Think about it.

“‘The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice [Sing]* over you with shouts of joy.” (Zep 3:16-17) [*Heb: rin-naw’ includes idea of joyful singing.] 

Journal,

Many mornings I wake up with a song running through my mind. The ‘waking up’ song seems to go beyond my gift of music. But perhaps this is one way that the Lord speaks to me.

The song that runs through my mind has a spiritual effect on me, sort of like a cleansing away of any rubbish in my life. (Rubbish would include worries or anything else that had bothered me.)

Perhaps we need to talk about this. Let me share some things that my readers may not have thought about, or perhaps in the way I’ll set them forth. But it all has to do with the Shepherd. What better place to begin other than with Jesus. (After all, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega of our walk with Him.)

Let’s begin with…

The Shepherd Singing

The question is, “Does Jesus ever sing over His people?” Most of the pictures we see of Jesus are about his sufferings. And yet there are Biblical references to Jesus singing over His sheep. I’ll come back to that in a moment. Before I do that, let me add some other questions.

For instance …

What does the Bible mean by, ‘a song of deliverance’? Are songs of deliverance a part of our walk with the Lord? Where do they come from? Is there a special working power in songs of deliverance?

Perhaps David can share some clues. David is called, ‘the sweet Psalmist of Israel.’ The Hebrew word for Psalms speaks of ‘a song to be accompanied with instrumental music‘. [zamir: pronounced as zaw-meer’]

Listen to David –

“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.” (Psalm 28:6-7)

Here David speaks of his song. But in another place David may be drawing attention to another kind of song.

“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.“ (Psalm 32)

Now, is David speaking of a song that he sings because of a victory, or is David including what we would call, ‘a song of the Spirit’, that is, a song that the Lord sings over His sheep, a song we hear in our hearts?

Perhaps both of these ideas are included. However, pay close attention to the following Scripture that speaks of Jesus singing.

“‘I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.’ And again, ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ And again, ‘Behold, I and the children who God has given Me.'” (Heb 2:11-13)

Did you catch it? Note the bold in a lighter blue.

In case you are wondering, these statements are from Psalm 22, which is a prophetic Psalm about God’s Messiah. Notice carefully how Psalm 22 begins:

“A Psalm of David. ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.'” (Psa 22:1)

It All Begins With God

Take note of this beautiful Poem by Gloria C. Sutton. Why not include it in your morning as your prayer to God. Then consider the picture as God’s ‘Good morning to you.’ 

[note background=”#b9fead” color=”#d79797″]

From God to you.

BEGINNING WITH GOD

Good morning God it’s a beautiful day,

And rightfully so for you made it that way.

I can’t help but marvel at all the wonders I see,

And thank you for blessings you’ve given to me.

Please hold my hand and guide my every step,

It’s through your power that I receive my help.

Let me make a difference in the life of someone,

And be your witness now that day has begun.

– Gloria C. Sutton[/note]

Now for your special meditation take note of these Scriptures. They are not in any particular order. We will begin with the Lord Jesus.

What the Bible Says About the Shepherd

What I want you to see in the following Scriptures is that the same Shepherd that cared for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and for all the Old Testament believers, is the same Shepherd today who cares for us. Take time to meditate on these Scriptures.

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” (Joh 10:14-16)

“He blessed Joseph, and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and may my name live on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.'” (Gen 48:15-16)

“But his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).” (Gen 49:24)

“Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.” (Psa 28:9)

“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!” (Psa 80:1)

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” (Isa 40:11)

“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.'” (Eze 34:11-12)

“And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.” (Mic 5:4)

“And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.” (Mat 2:6)

So, does the Lord sing over His flock? What do you think?

One other thing to consider. Did you know that the demons would leave King Saul, when David sang over him? Yes, indeed, there is power in the songs of the Lord.

Take time for this song by Keith Green, ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’.

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