God’s Word Our Shepherd
Some may find this title surprising, but I read 1 Peter 2:25 and it came to me. I said to myself yes that is true. Then I read the whole of the chapter, and other verses came into mind to support this thought. There are so many that I cannot put them all in this part, 544 but we will see what we can fit in.
Peter wrote this book to Christian Jews who had been scattered to various places (see 1 Peter 1:10). Basically, he is saying to these people that they by becoming Christians, have returned to the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Now they have been born of the Spirit and are making the choice with their minds to follow Jesus, The Word!
The key word for me in this is ‘Returned.’ Before being born again they were straying sheep. Straying from what though? It was straying from the truth of God’s word. God’s word to them is our Old Testament, which is full of the promises of redemption that was to come in Jesus. Even the Law! Full of promises of blessing to them. Even the blessings of Abraham. So, who is the Shepherd and Guardian of their souls? Of course It is Jesus The living word of God.
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds, you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25 NASB
If we are only taught the law and not the Grace of God, we get into bondage to the law. If we try to live according to the law of sin and death, we will live in bondage to it. Grace set us free. The grace of God is that He loved the world so much he sent His son, The Word. He sent His Son to redeem the world. The redemption price was paid, because God love everyone. The price was paid for everyone. We are saved by grace through faith in the Word.
So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NASB
Returning to the guardian and shepherd of their souls is returning to a life of faith in the Word of God. If you look at the 10 Commandments and think about them along this line. They are commandments of Love. If We love God and our neighbour, we will not break any of the other commandments. That is why the Word says that Jesus was the fulfilment of the law.
Now the Word (Jesus) being the shepherd of our souls. Here is a verse that says something similar. Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, God had to do something to try to protect His people. He gave them the law, His Word. Not so they could be condemned for not obeying, but to show them right from wrong. To protect them from the evil that was being done by the people they were driving out of the promised land, and the peoples that were around them too. To make the point here are three different translations of the next verse.
But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Galatians 3:23 NASB
So until the revelation of faith for salvation was released, the law was a jailer, holding us as prisoners under lock and key until the “faith,” which was destined to be revealed, would set us free. Galatians 3:23 TPT
Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. Galatians 3:23 MSG
The Law was the Guardian and shepherd of the Jewish people until Jesus, The Word became flesh, until He could come and set them free. Faith comes by hearing The Word of Christ. The Word of Christ is the living Word of God. Even more than that Christ is the living Word of God. So, when Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” He is saying that the Word is our shepherd. The word is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. That is Jesus the light of the world.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14
God said through King Solomon, a wise man! Give attention to My Words, they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. All the wisdom that we need is within God’s word. God’s word is life to us. Not our Blood, that is life to our bodies, to a point. Our life that keeps our bodies going is the life of our spirit. Without our spirits our bodies are dead. So, the life of the Word of God is a Spiritual life that affects our bodies.
The point is this, it is the word of God that we should be into as much as we possibly can. It is the truth, and the truth sets us free from the bondage of sin and death to eternal life. It is the Word that is our shepherd. What is it that we walk by faith in? It is the Word of God. How do we know God and Jesus The Word? By meditating on the Word of God
If eternal life is knowing God and Jesus His son, John 17:3, then we have eternal life by knowing His word. Thinking about this, it seems that may just be the answer why so many people/Christians are still in bondage and not the freedom which was brought for us with the price of the life/death of our Lord Jesus. They do not know the Word of God, so they do not know God and Jesus His Son.
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalms 119:105
This verse from Psalms tells us that wisdom is found in God’s word. It says that if we want to see which way to go in life then we have the Word of God to lead us. The Word of God is our shepherd, Jesus, The Word, is the one who will lead us through any trial or tribulation, to still water and green pastures, as it says in Psalm 23. God’s word is truth, and Jesus said that the truth will set us free. We become free through the knowledge of God’s word, as we allow it to lead us in the way that we should walk.
Be Blessed
Charlie
FREEDOM IN CHRIST 