Psalm 23: 1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Isaiah 56: 11 “The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.”
Jeremiah 2:8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.”
Jeremiah 31:5 “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Jeremiah 23:1,4 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD…I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 50:6 “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.
Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
Ezekiel 34:5 “…So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.”
Ezekiel 34:10 “Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.”
Ezekiel 34:15 “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 34:23 “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.”
Ephesians 4:11 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers”
Hebrews 13:20 “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,”
1 Peter 2:25 “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
1 Peter 5: 1-4 “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Jude 12: “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;
Revelation 7:17 “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
My Take:
There is a preponderance in the OT to highlight our Lord as the shepherd of his flock-and that human shepherds have failed him.And even in the NT-The Lord Jesus is always highlighted as the Good Shepherd or the Shepherd-This is the primary answer to who is your shepherd! It is warning to those human leaders who wants to take that place away from the Lord.
Yes there are human shepherds-and they are God’s gift to the church because of their teaching function-which “”for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ” but they are nevertheless warned not to be domineering or lording it over the flock nor to be greedy for money-but be an example for the flock-This is how they shepherd. By teaching and by example or pattern of life that can be copied or mimicked.
And yet here are some people-cult in fact-who are displacing the Lord-with g12 mumbo-jumbo-so that gullible Christians will submit to them-even in adiosphora-where we must grant each others freedom. What power-trip! Our goal as shepherds or disciplers is that they submit and model their lives to Jesus. Their submission to us is secondary. And yes-lo and behold the leaders of these group are taking advantage of their flock-because it gives them such power and control of lives under them.
The secret of servant leadership is willingness to be powerless and yet continue to give oneself to those under his/her care.
Walk by Grace thru Faith 