A Dirty Job, But Someone Has to Do It!

by Heather Tietz

Know that the LORD, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

Shepherding and Judaism have long been intertwined. The Bible records shepherding as early as the first family. Abel, Adam and Eve’s son, kept the flocks. From there, every forefather from Abraham to David tended sheep.

Sheep were so valuable to them. They were food, clothes, drink, and a vital part of temple sacrifice. But unlike other domesticated livestock, they were also forgetful and prone to wander, and those without horns were defenseless against hungry predators. So, constant watch was given to them. Shepherds guarded them day and night, Spring, Summer and Fall.

Jesus calls Himself our Shepherd. He knows, we too tend to wander into unsafe territory and we too tend to forget that He is there. We get confused of which way to go. We are drawn toward greener grass, not seeing the dangers always that are right around the corner.

Then we stumble into life’s ditches and forget to call on our Shepherd first to help us out. Yet, God must see great value in us. It has been thousands of years and He is still pursing us, still picking us up, still listening to our prayers, still sending out angelic warriors on our behalf, still providing for our needs. The God of all creation desires to spend time caring for us, little us, who has so little to offer back to Him. How blessed we are to be in His flock.

Pray: Thank You Jesus for Your great patience with us, for Your great kindness, for Your great love. In Your name, I pray, amen.