God heard, and He was full of loathing; and He rejected Israel greatly.
And He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh; the tent He inhabited among
men. He gave into captivity, His strength; and His splendor into the
hand of an enemy. And He delivered to the sword, His people; and toward
His inheritance, He was full of loathing. In fire He consumed the men;
and for His maidens, no wedding songs. His priests by the sword fell;
yet His widows did not weep. And awoke, as asleep, the Lord; as a
warrior sobered up from wine. And He drove His foes back; Shame, on them
He gave, everlasting. And He rejected the tent of Joseph; and the tribe
of Ephraim He did not choose. Yet He chose the tribe of Judah; Mt. Zion
which He loved. And He built, as the hights, His sanctuary; as the earth
He established forever. And He chose in David, His servant; and He took
him from the pens of the sheep. From looking after offering animals He
brought him; to shepherd over Jacob, His people and over Israel His
inheritance. And He shepherded them according to the integrity of his
heart; and in skillful hands he guided them.
Have you ever considered whether or not God treats you justly? I'm sure
that at times each of us just wants to scream out "It's just so unfair,
Lord!" But is it? Ponder for a moment how Jesus acts toward you,
compared with how He could act. Born & even conceived sinful, through &
through, we have shown ourselves quite unworthy of any of God's good
gifts. But Jesus doesn't pay us back in kind with evil as sinful men
deserve. Instead, He doesn't treat you like people at all, but as sheep!
We don't want to be considered sheep, because the most common adjective
for them is dumb. We prefer to think of ourselves as smart people, and
judged accordingly. But you would fare no better than the children of
Israel. Like them, you have sinfully put God to the test challenging Him
with a "what have You done for me lately" attitude. You haven't kept His
commands as His people, selfishly rebelling against Him at every turn.
You deserve to be rejected, abandoned & loathed by God.
So Jesus chooses to regard you not on how smart you think you are, but
on how ignorant He knows you are compared to Him. He judges you based on
His mercy, guiding you with His skillful shepherd hands in the ways you
should go. His word first comforts you as you follow your Shepherd's
familiar voice. Then His word continues to instruct you about all things
He has commanded. Not that you will comprehend them all in your minds.
You won't. But that you may trust His word in your heart by faith.
We hate thinking of ourselves as sheep because they are dirty, filthy
animals. We like to think of ourselves as much more civilized, after
all, isn't cleanliness next to godliness? But a closer look will reveal
that you aren't quite as clean as you first thought. Have you kept
yourself unblemished from the stain of sin by obeying all of God's
commandments? Or have you become spiritually unclean by sinning against
God's will, placing yourself in the danger of the wages of that
sin–eternal death!
So Jesus, once again is the only One Who can guide you to the still
waters, He guides you to the baptismal font, where the washing waters of
life flow freely. There He cleanses you to be His Own spotless lambs,
and then He gives you to drink from the living waters therein. These
baptismal waters work forgiveness of your sins, deliver you from death &
the devil, and give you eternal salvation as the words & promises of God
declare. Instead of sin & death, Your shepherd gives purity & life!
We don't like viewing ourselves as sheep because they are infamous for
getting lost. We would much rather prefer to think of ourselves as being
fully capable of staying on the right track. But that's just not the
case. We offen transgress the curb of the straight & narrow path upon
which our Shepherd leads us, preferring to lead ourselves
ever-so-quickly into the devil's dangersome territory. We try to focus
and shoot straight, but we so often miss-the-mark and end up in sinful
thoughts, words & acts..
So Jesus chooses to be the kind of Shepherd who leads you back to the
path. He alone knows the way to the sheepfold. He is the one who guides
you to green pastures where you can feast sumptuously. He guides you to
His table where you may eat from His Supper, nourished there in the
bread, and from the cup. For your shepherd willingly laid down His life
at the + for you, His sheep. His body given into death is yours to eat.
His blood shed for you at Calvary is yours to drink for your life!
So, Jesus could judge us fairly as human beings, meting out the just
rewards for our sinfulness. But instead, He judges us
one-step-better-than-fairly...as sheep of the Good Shepherd forevermore!
John C. Drosendahl, Pastor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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