2 DECEMBER

 

Shepherd

“The Lord is God, He made us and we are His people.” (Psalm 100:3)

We have seen that sheep sing, but the question is, why can they sing?

And the answer is, quite simply, because of the Shepherd!

The image of God as the Shepherd of His people is a common one in the Bible. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need” declared King David and the prophet Zechariah stated, “the Lord will rescue His people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.” What both men pointed to was that as our Shepherd, we can rely upon God to protect and provide for us.

Psalm 100 has a similar theme, stressing three good reasons why sheep can sing.

Sheep sing because God is good.

“The Lord is good” (v5) – He gives us wise advice, has given us a world filled with beauty and shows us what true goodness is.

Sheep sing because of God’s steadfast and loyal love.

“His unfailing love continues forever.” (v5) God’s unfailing love and loyalty is something He gives freely – it is not forced out of Him. Even more wonderfully, this love and loyalty is something He gives, even when His sheep are unfaithful to Him. We may abandon Him at times, but He will never abandon us or let us down!

And sheep sing because of “His faithfulness” (v5)

God’s faithfulness means He is utterly dependable, and we can rely on Him to keep His Word. As a result, our lives are established on a firm footing.

Thousands of years ago a man named Micah promised God would send “a shepherd for My people.” (Micah 5:2)

The Shepherd’s name is Jesus – God’s Son – who rescues us from sin and will never, ever leave us.

This Christmas don’t just sing thankfully for the coming of Jesus, but as Psalm 100 says, “shout with joy”!

Read Psalm 100 again but out loud this time. Can you find any other reasons in this Psalm why sheep can sing?