What does the word shepherd mean for us?
Jesus is our Shepherd. The LORD is your Shepherd.Just a brief study of the word shepherd shows the beauty and depth of our relationship.
Modern society inaccurately and insufficiently understands shepherds. Since shepherding is such an ancient profession, we have a difficult time grasping its importance. The shepherd is far more than the child with the cane in the church nativity scene.
We learned a little more about shepherds living in Peru. You could travel in the high mountains in the middle of nowhere and see a herd of sheep, llamas, and alpacas. No human would be in sight, but one would rapidly appear if you stopped the car. It was often an older child or a young teenager. The wind and sun had chapped, their faces red.
There were no fences, no way of controlling the sheep, but the shepherd's personal, intimate relationship with them. In the evenings, you could see the shepherd coming home with his sheep like an enormous group of pets. They would open the door to their yard and stand there as their sheep walked in. This shows the unique bond they share.
Though I have seen this close-up, I am still largely unaware of what a shepherd is. I know several things from studying the Bible and watching the shepherds in Peru.
They are not passive romantic figures seated in peaceful settings, simply overlooking their sheep. They are skilled, brave, vigilant leaders who can spend much time alone with their sheep in the far-off mountains of Arequipa or wherever they live and work.
Those sheep, alpacas, or llamas are money on the hoof for the shepherd. They are wool, meat, milk, and commerce. In biblical times, people sacrificed these sheep as offerings to God.
The shepherd is the only hero between the sheep, predator, or other threats. They stand alone against wild animals, dangerous places, cars on the highway, passing travelers, or even weather elements, ensuring the safety and well-being of their flock.
Shepherd
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word for shepherd is what he does. To shepherd is to tend, graze, pasture, water, shelter, and protect. The shepherd guards the livestock.
The word shepherd also referred to caring for or guarding, ruling, leading, guiding, and directing.
The word carries an even deeper meaning. It has to do with associating with a friend or companion, keeping company with, having as a friend, or making a personal friend. The shepherd is the type of friend you can share secrets with and feel very close to, like a brother, son, or family member.
Jesus as our Shepherd
Do you realize what the word shepherd means to us? The LORD is my Shepherd. All that I wrote comes from reading Hebrew dictionaries or lexicons to discover what a shepherd is.
The entire 23rd Psalm is based on the basic meaning of the word. David knew exactly what a shepherd was because he spent many years shepherding his sheep.
He said the LORD, I AM, is my shepherd. My care and attention come from him. He feeds and protects me. My Shepherd leads and directs my life.
But even more than that, He has made a relationship with me. He has associated with me. God became human to be one of us, to live among us, and to associate with us. He came to be my friend and make the friendship with me. He is such a special friend that I can share my heart with Him. I need never fear that He will leave me. He is family to me. God made me a very child of His and a joint heir with Jesus.