October 19th, 2013
Jeremiah 33:12-13 — Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord.
It’s funny the way the mind makes connections sometimes. When I read these verses in Jeremiah this morning several links popped into my mind. One was to Numbers, and another to the Gospel of John. Another was to Phillip Keller’s wonderful little book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”. (That one might be a spark to two or three devotions this week.)
The word picture that really moved me this morning was that of the shepherd “telling” his sheep. The word, of course, speaks of counting the sheep — but so much more is suggested. Keller describes it beautifully:
In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep … This is a most searching process entailing every intimate detail. It is, to, a comfort to the sheep, for only in this way can it’s hidden problems be laid bare before the shepherd.
The “good shepherd” in Keller’s passage of course points to the “Good Shepherd”. In John 10:14, Jesus says of Himself, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” he knows His sheep with that unbreakable connection gained by that regular “telling”, that regular passing of His sheep under His rod. His sheep know Him too, they know and trust Him to whom they belong.
The sheep belong to Jesus because they have been given to Him by the Father. Later in the Gospel of John, in the great High Priestly prayer we find “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (John 17:6). The men were the Father’s and He gave them to the Son. That reminded me of the incident in Numbers.
Remember the history. When The Lord struck down the firstborn of Egypt He claimed the firstborn of Israel for His own, to serve Him. It never happened and now The Lord decides to redeem them, and substitute the Levites. But there’s a problem. When the firstborn of Israel are numbered, and the Levites are numbered, there’s a shortage. Does The Lord say “Oh well, a few sheep more or less”? Not a bit of it. He’s not just a Shepherd, but an Accountant too. In fact He’s the perfect Accountant. He exacts five shekels a head for each of those sheep and uses those shekels to fund the ministry. He perfectly told the number of His flock, and so it has always been. Father and Son, the best Shepherd and the best Accountant — ever.
It is such a comfort for me. Father and Son, knowing me intimately, providing for me, caring for me. Always.