Archives for April 20, 2010

Devotion

When we were seniors at seminary, five of us preached in chapel on Psalm 23 for a whole week. On Friday, since I was anchor man, stuck with verse 6, it seemed everything had already been said by my colleagues. Besides, what did any of us really know about shepherds or sheep? Even those of us who were brought up on farms had probably never raised sheep. So I admitted this at the beginning and then talked about cows, since I had grown up on a dairy farm.

We have probably all seen pictures of Middle Eastern shepherds. But even the small size of the flock may not make clear what a close relationship that shepherd has with each sheep. No doubt, each has a name and will respond when called. Long ago, there were predators out there and shepherds provided safety even at personal peril. Sheep also need direction to find good pasture and water.

So, though much of the metaphor is lost on us, what a comfort to hear, read or say, “The Lord is my shepherd.”