A Guide for the Journey: The Shepherd

“The L ord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1, NKJV).

Some children were asked to draw a picture of God. Without excep-

tion, each one drew a picture with a heart somewhere in it. When asked

why, they declared unanimously that God is love. It was as simple as that.

It is easy to have a good opinion of God and His purposes when

everything is going well. But as we grow older and life becomes harder

and more complicated, our view of God often changes. God doesn’t

change, of course (Heb. 13:8, James 1:17), but we do.

Because of the pastoral lifestyle of the people in Old Testament

times, Psalm 23 uses the image of a shepherd to describe the way God

cares for us. The symbol of a shepherd is used for God—in both the Old

Testament and the New Testament. It’s a wonderful picture and one that

is changeless, too. Before we look at Psalm 23, let’s survey how dif-

ferent Bible writers understand the work and character of the Shepherd

throughout the Bible.

What do you learn about the Shepherd from each text?

Isa. 40:11

Jer. 23:3, 4

Ezek. 34:12

John 10:14–16

1 Pet. 2:25

Now turn to Psalm 23. What does the Shepherd do to care for His sheep?

Ps. 23:2

Ps. 23:3

Ps. 23:4

Ps. 23:5

Ps. 23:6

What does it mean to you to know that there is Someone like

this caring for you? How could you use this picture to encourage

someone whose picture of God has been obscured because of his

or her own struggles, whatever they are?