1 Samuel 16:1-13…“Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’” vs. 11
Even though David was a handsome enough fellow, with his ruddy skin and beautiful eyes, he had one additional attribute that had caught Samuel’s ear. He was a shepherd boy! Based on what we read in the Hebrew scriptures, being a shepherd was the primary requirement for being a leader. It started with Moses in the wilderness with his father-in-law’s sheep and trying to mind his own business. Little did he know that sheep herding would give him all the skills he needed to keep the Israelites in line through the wilderness.
And Ezekiel the prophet used the image of a shepherd to describe the kings of Israel, and he likely thought that David was the greatest shepherd king of all. And of course Jesus, following the pattern, describes himself as the Good Shepherd, and said, “I know my own and my own know me.” From his parables we know him as the shepherd who never abandons a lost sheep, and who searches diligently until the lost has been found.
In our congregation it’s no accident that the word “pastor” derives from the Latin word for shepherd. Of all the things that a pastor does there is none more important than tenderly shepherding and caring for the people of a congregation.
Thought for the Day: What distracts pastors from their primary role?
0 Comments