“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down," says the Lord Yahweh. "I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.”
The chapter before this verse is God's complaint about bad shepherds, the leaders who fed themselves and let the flock scatter. Then comes the turn, and it is one of the most tender sentences in the Old Testament. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.
Not I will send someone better. I will do it myself.
Then he lists what a real shepherd does, and it is worth reading as four separate promises, because most of us fall into one of these categories on any given day.
I will seek the lost. Some people are not rebelling, they are just genuinely turned around and cannot find their way back.
I will bring back the driven away. Some were pushed out. Church hurt is real. Plenty of people are outside because someone with a title made them feel unwelcome, and God says he goes and gets them.
I will bind up the broken. Some are not lost at all. They are right where they belong and something in them is fractured.
I will strengthen the sick. Some are simply worn out and running on empty.
Read them again and find yourself. Lost, pushed out, broken, or exhausted. Whichever one you are, the promise is not that you should get yourself together and come back. The promise is that he is coming to get you.
That is what Christmas turned out to be. The shepherd came looking, in person.
Talk About It Together
Find yourself honestly in the list before you answer.
- Which are you right now: lost, pushed away, broken, or worn out?
- Have you ever been hurt by people who were supposed to shepherd you?
- What would it mean to let God come after you instead of trying to find your own way back?
Tonight’s Challenge
Reach out to one person who has drifted away from your church or your circle. No agenda, just contact.
Prayer
Good Shepherd, You said You would come Yourself, and You did. Seek us where we are lost, bring us back where we have been driven off, bind up what is broken in us, and strengthen us where we are worn out. Make us gentle with other people's wandering. Amen.