No. 795
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psa. 23:1)
The Prophet thus declared Jehovah (Yahweh) to be his Shepherd, and our Lord Jesus further explained that He, the great Over-Shepherd’s Son, has been appointed the Under-Shepherd and given full charge of the sheep. (John 10:1-16) In referring to His people as His sheep, the Lord chose a very appropriate representation of the character He would have them manifest. The most noticeable characteristics of sheep are meekness, docility and obedience to the shepherd to whose care they fully entrust themselves. They are very true to the shepherd; when they hear His voice, they quickly run to obey it without the slightest hesitation or faltering.
There is a lesson here for the Lord’s people. Even the weakest lamb in the flock knows His voice and hears Him say, “This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isa. 30:21) While there are thousands of voices calling, now in this direction and now in that, the Lord’s sheep, acquainted with His Spirit and His Word, turn away from all except the well-known voice of the Shepherd.
Our Shepherd speaks to His flock of sheep and lambs in various ways. His written words continually show them the way of truth, and His special providences further direct and shape the unique course of each individual. The abiding presence of His Holy Spirit makes manifest every intrusion of any other spirit seeking to beguile them and lead them astray. The true sheep listen carefully for the faintest sounds of the Shepherd’s voice, treasuring up His words in their hearts. They study His providences and they cultivate the communion and personal fellowship with the Lord which are their privilege. Those who thus abide in Him can never go astray. They may have little formal education, and be unable to grapple with all the subtle sophistries of human error, but, being so well acquainted with the Master’s voice, they quickly perceive that other voices are the voices of strangers, and they will not follow them; for they are loyal and obedient to the Shepherd only.
Not all of mankind, however, are sheep, or have the Shepherd’s care. During the Gospel Age, only those who have heard the Shepherd’s voice and responded to His call have become His sheep, and the Word tells us that they are a “Little Flock” to whom it will be the Father’s good pleasure eventually to give the Kingdom in joint-heirship with His Son, their “Chief Shepherd.” (Luke 12:32; 1 Pet. 5:4)
Then will come the time referred to by our Lord when “other sheep” will be found. The entire Millennial Age, with all the power and blessings of the heavenly Kingdom, will be devoted to the finding of the other sheep. Our Lord said: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16) The other sheep are not of the Little Flock of this Gospel Age, but in due time they will be bought to a knowledge of the Truth and to the full privileges of sheep.
Eventually all of God’s creatures on various planes of being will be recognized as one family of God under our Lord, as it is written: “Of whom the whole family [of God] in heaven and earth is named.” (Eph. 3:15) And again, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” (Eph. 1:10) But while it may be interesting, helpful, and profitable to understand something of our great Shepherd’s generous plans for the future of all mankind, our interest in this lesson centers chiefly on the Little Flock.[1]
WE SHALL NOT WANT
Caring for sheep in olden times in Palestine was very different from the way sheep are cared for today. There were no fenced pastures and the terrain was vast and largely barren, filled with gorges, thickets and hazards of all kinds. Under such circumstances, the care of the shepherd was crucial, whereas today sheep in a secure field need no shepherd. It was the eastern shepherd of those times who illustrated our heavenly Shepherd’s care for His Little Flock.
As the Prophet David composed this Psalm, his mind doubtless went back to his father’s flock and to his own experiences as its shepherd – we recall that he slew a lion and a bear while protecting that flock. Under heavenly inspiration, the Prophet pictured the Almighty One as the great caretaker watching over and protecting those He recognizes as His “sheep.” This thought is very far from the prevalent sentiment today that God is currently the shepherd and father of all mankind. This view ignores man’s will and also ignores the Lord’s Word, which declares that there are goats and wolves among mankind as well as sheep. While some among mankind have become children of God, it has been through faith and “adoption.” From the divine standpoint, the majority are far from being recognized as children of God. Jesus said of them: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (John 8:44)
The human race, represented by father Adam in sinless perfection, was originally recognized as related to God, but the Scriptures clearly show that this relationship was broken by man’s willful disobedience. None are recognized as sons of God today unless they have been begotten from above. Nor will any in the future be recognized as sons of God or as sheep of the Lord’s fold unless they heartily renounce sin, and receiving knowledge of divine grace, heartily accept it and “follow on to know the Lord.” (Hos. 6:3)
Applying the Psalm to the Little Flock, all of its provisions fit most minutely. Because the Lord is their Shepherd, they shall not want. Those who are proper sheep will submit their wills to the Shepherd’s will and trust wholly to His guidance. They are relieved of that anxious craving, so common to the children of the world, which is never satisfied – the more it gets the more it wants. The Lord’s sheep appreciate the heavenly things more than the earthly, and their wants in this respect are more than supplied. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psa. 84:11)
They have given up every earthly interest in exchange for heavenly interests. Realizing their own insufficiency and lack of judgment, they have trusted the Lord to grant them such experiences in this present life, whether they be trials or blessings, as would be for their highest good, working out for them a share of the coming glories to which they have been called. The wants of this class are not the temporal kind after which “the Gentiles seek.” (Matt. 6:32)
GREEN PASTURES, STILL WATERS
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” (Psa. 23:2) Although the experiences of the Lord’s sheep include many trials in the parched wilderness of sin, He graciously gives them restful experiences in oases of divine favor. These experiences are not always what the world would view as being free from trials, but they are certainly seasons of rest and refreshment. The Lord’s sheep truly have “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” ruling in their hearts, despite outward adversities. (Phil. 4:7)
The Lord’s sheep have found green pasturage of spiritual refreshment in private devotions and studies of divine things, as well as in assembling together for the study of the Word, prayer, and testimonies of the Lord’s goodness and mercy. All these opportunities and privileges, whether personally experienced or whether experienced through the printed page, are provisions made for the sheep by the great Shepherd. Those sheep who find no enjoyment in such blessings should question their own faithfulness in following the lead of the Shepherd. Those who have these blessings available to them but decline to use them, show that they are out of harmony with the Shepherd’s gracious intentions and wisdom.
The “still waters” are not still in the sense of being stagnant, but rather they flow smoothly, in contrast with the rushing torrent of a mountain slope. Only the still waters allow the sheep the opportunity to receive proper refreshment. Applying this thought to the Little Flock, we find that the great Shepherd leads them away from the strife of worldly ambition for greatness, power, riches, and honors so esteemed by the world, but He does not lead them to stagnancy. He instead leads them to spiritual ambitions which bring with them a restfulness and refreshment of soul obtainable from no other source.
The streams of truth and grace are living waters, although they are comparatively quiet waters. As the Prophet hints, they cannot be found by the sheep alone; finding them requires the leading of the Spirit. Let us give strict attention to His voice, remembering that His Word says that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Let us discern His voice, with its truthful accent that is so different from the voice of error. True sheep will not follow the voice of strangers, because they do not like how it sounds of money, worldly ambition, and priest-craft, or how it contradicts the spirit of the divine message and method.
THE SOUL RESTORED
“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psa. 23:3) The Prophet is not referring to a restoration of body or of physical health, but a restoration of soul or being. Some of the Lord’s most precious saints have been physically weary, faint and troubled – even the dear Redeemer fainted under His cross, and was neither sustained nor miraculously restored to strength on that occasion. The restoring of soul or being spoken of by the Prophet corresponds to the Christian’s justification to life.
All of our lives were forfeited under the divine sentence, and by faith a complete restitution or restoration of soul is granted to the believer, that he might have something “holy, acceptable” to offer in sacrifice to the Lord. (Rom. 12:1) In this sacrifice service, he may walk in the footsteps of the great Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. The true sheep are thus led in proper paths that are advantageous to their spiritual development, though frequently trying and difficult from a fleshly standpoint. This favor, blessing, and opportunity comes to them not for their own sake or worthiness, but through the Lord’s grace – “for His name’s sake.”
FEAR NO EVIL
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psa. 23:4) The whole world is walking in the valley of the shadow of death. The mountain top of life was lost to the human race when Father Adam fell from his harmony with God into the valley of sin. The valley of sin carries with it the shadow of death, the penalty of sin. Even though the Shepherd leads His flock upward, and in the opposite direction from the course of the world, while in the flesh they are still in the world, and are thus in this valley of the shadow of death. The true sheep, however, hear the voice of the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep, and have learned to not be careless and indifferent as some are, nor to be fearful, doubtful, and perplexed as are the majority. They realize that the penalty of sin is upon the race, but fear no evil, because they realize also that divine love has provided a redemption.
They realize that the whole world is going down to the grave (sheol, hades), but that God has provided that the good Shepherd will deliver His Little Flock from the power of the grave in the First Resurrection. They further realize that all that are in their graves will subsequently hear the voice of the Son of man and come forth to a full, fair, reasonable, and proper judgment. They will be tested as to their willingness to be His sheep – their willingness to follow Him and to attain everlasting life through Him.
The sheep of the Little Flock fear no evil because of the Lord’s favor, because He is with them, on their side, and has shown His favor in the redemption price already paid. He is with them, too, in His word of promise – His assurance that death will not mean extinction of life, but merely, an undisturbed “sleep in Jesus” until the resurrection. (1 Thess. 4:14) It is no wonder that they can walk through the valley of the shadow of death singing and praising the Lord, magnifying the holy name of the One who loved them and bought them with His precious blood, calling them to joint-heirship with our dear Redeemer.
The Shepherd’s crook was used to assist the sheep out of difficult circumstances, to defend them from powerful enemies, and to chasten them when they were inattentive. All of these uses of the rod were for the welfare of the sheep and the same is true of the Lord’s Little Flock and their Shepherd; His rod is used to help, defend and chastise the flock. The true sheep learn to love the Shepherd’s providences and are comforted by them. Knowing the Shepherd’s power and His watchful care, they realize that all things are working together for good to them because they are His sheep. Why should they not be comforted, strengthened, encouraged?
A TABLE PREPARED
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” (Psa. 23:5) The Psalm diverges here, leaving the figure of the sheep and the Shepherd, and adopting instead the picture of a mighty lord who spreads a sumptuous feast for his humbler friend. Active hospitality carried much more meaning in olden times than it does today. For a nobleman to then receive someone as his guest meant taking responsibility for that person’s safety. The thought conveyed is that the Lord accepts His people, counts them as friends, and sits them down to a bountiful feast, secure from the enmity of those who would injure them. As long as they are under the care of their great friend, our heavenly Father, they are secure from the great Adversary and “spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) The bounties of the table may indeed include some earthly good things, whether better or worse than those of the average natural man. Whatever they may be, they are accepted with joy and thanksgiving by those who recognize them as part and parcel of the bounties of the Friend above all others.
All religious people more or less claim to have spiritual food, and the various factions of Christendom especially boast that they have much advantage every way, and that their tables are spread with divine truth and promises, food from which they claim to receive their strength. But what a variety of these tables there are, and how doctrinally different is the fare served. The food on most of them seems to have been spoiled in the preparation. Some of it is sad, some of it is sour, and much of it is musty. For the most part it originated in the Dark Ages, and the dear friends who sit down to these tables find that they have little appetite for such food, and we do not blame them.
We would instead draw their attention to the generous, bountiful supply of divine Truth which the Lord Himself is dispensing to the Household of Faith. This includes “things new and old,” but all of them pure, sweet, delicious, and grand. (Matt. 13:52) This table is open to all those who love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength – who love Him better than they love possessions, parents, children, husband, wife, lodge, association, denomination, or self.
Is it strange that those so highly favored by the Lord, recognized as His guests, and fed at His table should be hated by enemies? It would seem strange to us if it were not for the assurance of the Master Himself, that whosoever will live godly will suffer persecution in this present time. (2 Tim. 3:12) The illustration of this is the Master’s own experience; those who professed to be godly, influential, great, and nominally religious were the ones who persecuted Him to death. We are not surprised, then, to find that our table is spread in the midst of enemies that now surround us on every side.
The anointing of the head of the guest with oil was a part of the hospitality of olden times. The antitype of this is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this Little Flock, the body of Christ, of which He is the Head, Chief, Shepherd, and Leader. The fullness of the cup, its running over, has a double significance. It is a cup of joy and a cup of sorrow, and in both respects it overflows. Those who would partake of the joys of the Lord must also partake of His cup of suffering; they must suffer with Him if they are to reign with Him. But they count the sufferings of the present time as not worthy to be compared with the glories to be revealed in them, and hence they are enabled to rejoice in tribulation. As the tribulation overflows, the rejoicing likewise overflows, and with the Apostle we can say, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4:4)
GOODNESS AND MERCY
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psa. 23:6) The goodness and mercy we anticipate in the Kingdom has its beginning in the present. Those who know nothing of the joys of the Lord in the present time will not be prepared for the joys of the Lord in the Millennial Age. The joy and rejoicing granted to the Lord’s faithful is not a momentary condition, felt only at their first acceptance of the Lord and their consecration to His service. The goodness and mercy of the Lord is not something to be looked back on as a thing of the past, but is to be recognized and appreciated as a thing of the present. God’s goodness and mercy should follow us daily, refreshing us, strengthening us, and blessing us.
The highest hope of the Little Flock is that of final union with the great Shepherd, our heavenly Father, and the good Shepherd His Son, on the heavenly plane in our Father’s house on high. This mansion or plane is intended for the Little Flock and is separate and distinct from the mansion or plane provided for the restitution class of the Millennial Age. The end of all their highest ambitions will be attained when they will be like our Lord, see Him as He is, and share His glory in the Father’s house. (1 John 3:2)
OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER SHEEP
According to the Bible, the opportunity of entering the High Calling was to close after the full number of the Elect had been chosen. (Rom. 11:25) However, there were many who served God faithfully before the opportunity to enter the High Calling was opened, and we refer to this class as “Ancient Worthies.” Likewise, there are many who still desire to serve God faithfully since the closing of the High Calling. Because they show the same spirit of devotion to God as the Ancient Worthies, God purposes to associate them with the Ancient Worthies in Millennial and Post-Millennial rewards and service. We refer to this class as “Youthful Worthies.” Entry to this class will be available for all who come to the Lord in full consecration until the end of this age or until Restitution sets in for the world of mankind.
Since God is unchangeable, He is always pleased for any to devote their lives wholly and unreservedly to doing His will. The advice then to all who love the Lord and who desire to be in complete fellowship with Him is the same message that has gone forth throughout this age: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.” (Rom. 12:1)
It is because the Youthful Worthies have the faith of Abraham that they will be blessed with him and have the privilege of participating in the blessing of all nations. (Gal. 3:6-9) Having this faith quality, they heed the Lord’s invitation to consecrate; they give Him their hearts. (Prov. 23:26) There being no opportunity for them to win a crown with Christ, He does not beget them of His Spirit, but gives them a new human heart to love Truth and Righteousness and to serve Him. They too, like the Little Flock, become dead to self and the world and alive to God, practicing watchfulness and prayer, studying and spreading, the Word. Thus, the Youthful Worthies also must be faithful to the Lord – even unto death, if He deems it necessary.
In conclusion, let us seek to cultivate more and more the meek, docile, and loyal character of the sheep, that we may be abundantly blessed by the care of the good Shepherd. Such a disposition does not commend itself to the world – the wayward goat, the bold lion, the stealthy bear, and the subtle serpent are all more fitting emblems of their ideals, and are usually the emblems selected for display as their coat of arms. But let the world love its own, while we remember that we are not of the world, but are sent forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, and that our safety and spiritual prosperity depend, not upon our own wisdom and sagacity, but entirely upon our diligent hearkening to, and patient following of, the voice of the good Shepherd.
(Based on Reprints 3268 and 3116, with pertinent additions.)
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THE LORD IS MY HELPER
“The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Heb. 13:6)
We should not say, The Lord is my Helper, and therefore He will not let my house burn down, or let burglars break in and steal my belongings. We should not say, I will not lock my doors at night because the Lord is watching over me and mine. To say such things would not be in the spirit of a sound mind, and it would not be true faith; it would be presumptuous. We should take all reasonable precautions, because the Lord expects us to do all in our power for our own protection. We should not expect Him to work unnecessary miracles to protect us from our own carelessness and inefficiency.
If we have such unreasonable expectations, He might allow us to experience difficulty and loss in order to teach us a needed lesson. We are stewards of what the Lord entrusts to us, and He expects us to exercise proper care over things under our stewardship but belonging to Him. We should safeguard ourselves, our loved ones, and our possessions to the best of our ability and then leave ourselves fully in the Lord’s hands, knowing that all will be well with us.
If the Lord permits a seeming calamity to befall us, we may rest assured that it will work out for our good if we are properly influenced by the experience. After having done our part, we should trust all consequences to Him, not doubting that He will care for us in His own best way and time. The Lord will give us whatever help He deems to be in our best interests as long as we do not ignore His leadings and seek to manage our own interests. Even if we have made such a mistake, if we renew full allegiance to the Lord, acknowledging where we have willfully relied on our own understanding, the problems may prove to be a real blessing in opening our eyes to our wrong course, in showing us our own insufficiency to guide ourselves, and in bringing us wholly back to God.
It may be the will of God to permit us to suffer, just as He permitted John the Baptist to be imprisoned and finally beheaded, just as He permitted Jesus to be arrested and crucified, and He permitted many of His saints in the past to be maltreated or killed. But we need not fear what men may do to us, knowing that our God, to whom we belong and whom we serve, will be with us constantly, and will cause all things to work out His own glorious purposes for us and in us.
We would, of course, be glad to please other people, if this were possible. But whenever it is a question of pleasing God or pleasing man, we will say, as did the three young Hebrews to the king of Babylon: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Dan. 3:17-18) We will not do anything contrary to the divine will. We will worship our God alone!
When the Jewish Council commanded the Apostles Peter and John to speak no more in the name of Jesus, they replied: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:13-20)
Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, said to our Lord on the night of His arrest and trial, “Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” (John 19:10-11) So it is with all the footstep followers of the Master. God’s grace will be sufficient. Man is powerless to harm a hair of our heads, unless it is permitted of our Father in Heaven for His glory and our own highest welfare.
The calmness of the Lord’s humble ones under trying circumstances is often a mystery to the world, but to follow a course in life that will glorify our God and magnify His grace, meeting trials and difficulties wisely and courageously, counting our tribulations as joy, it is necessary that our hearts be attuned to the Lord, and that we have no will but His will. We cannot accomplish this in our own strength, but in the strength of God alone.
(Based on Reprint 5539.)
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[1] We recognize that the door to the High Calling is closed, but we believe that what Pastor Russell wrote for the Saints is helpful for those consecrating after the closing of the door. See Reprint 5761 for what Pastor Russell wrote on this.