Have you ever really thought about what it means that one of the names God calls himself is SHEPHERD and what it means we then are sheep?
For sheep to “lie down” to be a peace, restful when they are tired, they must be Free from HUNGER- the Shepherd leads them to food, but they have to get it.
Free from FEAR- the sheep must KNOW and TRUST their Defender (another of the characteristics that God claims as his own)
Free from FRICTION- tension makes a sheep want to defend themselves, so they won’t lie down, they will stay on their feet, to a point of deathly exhaustion. Again, another important reason to intimately know their Shepherd/Defender
Free from PESTS-
“Sheep can suffer greatly because of the nose fly. This is a fly that tries to deposit its eggs on the mucus membrane of the sheep’s nose. If this happens, the eggs hatch into small wormlike larvae that eventually work their way up the nose into the sheep’s head. As these larvae burrow into the sheep’s flesh, a tremendous irritation occurs, causing the sheep to thrash and beat its head against anything it can find. A sheep can become so driven to distraction by the irritation that it will actually kill itself in a desperate attempt to to get rid of the source of aggravation.
As I learned this, I couldn’t help but think of so many who are tormented by thoughts that have burrowed their way into their flesh. Eggs have been laid by the enemy and have hatched into repulsive, destructive worms that have worked their way into their victims heard. Thoughts of fear, rejection, bitterness, hatred, failure, incompetency, sensuality, greed, and more plague God’s sheep, tormenting them, driving some into destructive action, just trying to escape the aggravation.”
A Shepherds look at the 23rd Psalm, W. Phillip Keller
For more insight, take a look at David calling to God in Pslam 28:9, Matthew describing Jesus in Matthew 9:36 and John writing about Jesus prophetically during his second coming and God in Revelation 7:17
SOAP Scripture: Psalm 23
S: (scripture)
Read the above passage and underline, highlight, or write down passages that stand out to you. Maybe re-read it a few times if that’s helpful.
O: (observation)
Write down things you observe about the passage. Maybe it’s a word that stood out to you, something the passage made you think about, or a question that you have.
A: (application)
Write down some ways that the passage applies to your life. Make it personal.
P: (prayer)
Take a moment and pray. Ask God to make the passage practical to your everyday life.
