Address—Stephen Rule
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Stay together tonight. The number 238 a little block. If you have a handy not, it's one some of you might know #238 in the little block.
Our shepherd is the Lord.
A while back I started to meditate on a subject that I wanted to meditate on for a long, long time and have it. I want to meditate on it because it's an area where I'm very deficient.
So where else are you going to get instruction in the word of God?
And.
There are many of you in this room that are probably can give me instruction afterwards on the subject, and I would be truly happy to hear it. But my desire tonight is to stimulate you in that same desire, and it's the subject of shepherding, and shepherds I am not.
Actually that I have a lot to learn in the subject and some of you perhaps have a lot to instruct.
But I want to share with you, it's a vast subject in the Word of God and.
It's it's something well worth recognizing the need of shepherding and shepherds, and also that we are sheep being shepherded. Each one of us is a shepherd, a sheep in the hands of that great shepherd of the sheep is currently at work in each of our lives. So we'll get to see his work in each of our lives.
Driven home to me, and perhaps I said this is an encouragement to you if you feel like this isn't your.
Area of expertise has driven home to me on Tuesday or this week.
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That thing on the subject for some time, but on Tuesday of this week, I lost my hat and it's a special hat to me. It's not just any old hat. It was a gift from my son and not just any old gift. 4 1/2 years ago, he and I went to visit in Ecuador where we lived for six years. And so when we went, I never went into a particular market and I bought a.
Leather knockoff of an Australian.
And I really like that hat for a few months until somebody admired it and wanted to have it. Some of my sisters and I hadn't given them a gift and I don't know how many years now. Well, finally I know what they want. I don't have an excuse. So I gave them my jackaroo and.
A few months ago.
My son and I are just chatting and something clicked in his head, I think. And so for Father's Day this year, he ordered a kangaroo Hi Jackaroo from Australia, had it shipped, arrived in time for Father's Day and I was wearing and enjoying. It's kind of nice for summer.
And I lost my hat. I got in the car. We lived less than 10 minutes from BTP, where I worked publishers and didn't get past halfway down the street.
That's why.
I lost my hand and it was bothering me enough because when I got home it wasn't there in the evening and I must have left it in my office and I got in the car. You know I'm not going to be able to sleep real well tonight if that thing got stolen out of my car when I walked at lunch today.
And so I got back in the car to go, and I'm driving down the street. And when was the last time I hopped in the car to look for anything else? Anyone else? I don't know what your answer to that question is. Maybe it was this morning. But that was my lesson. I looked all over. I searched everywhere in the building I thought I'd been, and I drove home without my sheep. I mean, without my hat.
And it never came to me.
And telephone you know our Shepherd never loses.
A shame. And what about maybe you're young here, maybe of a younger sister or brother, and you're concerned about it and your heart's toward them? The Lord never loses his sheep, and He wants you to share that attitude. He wants me to share that attitude and until he find it. So I want to share four things that I've enjoyed. One of them is an attitude that goes with shepherding and then three actions that go with shepherding. 1 is how the shepherd guards the sheep.
Another is how they give to the sheep. And the third is how they gather the sheep. There's about 178 verses in the Word of God just on the flock. And forget sheep and shepherds and lambs and ewes. And there's a whole bunch more. You read through those verses on the flock, you'll find 3 big things at least. And those three will go through the guarding of the sheep.
The giving to the sheep, whether it's food or water.
It's like giving, not a taking. And then there's a gathering of bringing together. It's another three actions at least, and probably more of a shepherd. And there this is for all ages. I'm going to turn to verse the year. That's the elders. It's stressed elders, but it has the right attitude in it, and that's why we're turning there. I'm not encouraging you to take up a gift the Spirit of God hasn't given. In Acts 20, it says to the Ephesian elders that whom the Holy Spirit has put in that place of leadership. That's not my burden.
Evening. It's that attitude, not heart of our Shepherd and each one of us.
Toward the ones in our path. Maybe it's your children, you're a father and a mother. You've got a few sheep land in your home. If it's your brother and sister, maybe it's another one in the assembly where you come from. But that attitude of a shepherd is what's on my heart. So let's look at it in Prince Peter Five. I think it's captured there beautifully.
First Peter 5.
This was the strange sheep.
They've got a job of taking care of sheep, and the Lord gave them that Commission. So clearly he had that gift and that service, and he writes about it here, but he brings in a key point and first Peter chapter 5 and verse two, feed the flock of God, which is among you.
I'll pause there. Feed the flock of God. That merge is one that suggests that this should be characteristic of you.
So drivers translation, not about shepherd, but it's what should be characteristic. It's what you should be saturated with. And I would just suggest that each one of us can be saturated, maybe not with this specific work, but with the attitude. The attitude of love, one for another, the attitude of a chair for the person next to you. You haven't spoken to my conscience despite a lot of time reading verses and meditating on them.
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When was the last time you went out at night?
After a lost cheek, you'll go out. After a lost hat, will you go out after a lost sheep? And this attitude is one that isn't acquired in an evening. And so if you're younger, this attitude is an attitude acquired over a lifetime. And it says which is among you. You know, it's pretty fascinating if you look at shepherds and flocks and so on in the Scriptures.
You would think that the dominant thought would be guiding and leading.
I'll give you a question you can tell me later. How many people in the Old Testament does it say lead God's flock? I'll give you 2 That I don't believe it ever says let the flock of God. But since they followed it and we're going to go through one. One is David and we won't go through it, but Amos is the other one. They followed the plot of God and I believe there are only two that it says lead. Notice right here that they flock of God and there's.
Attitude which is among you. So that attitude that's involved in shepherding appears to be not lording it over what belongs to you, but that among you that are next to you, the ones that are by you, the ones that belong to God. It's God's flock, it says in the beginning part we read the flock of God.
Feed the flock of God if your heart is close to the Lord. If my heart is close to the Lord, I'm going to care for what He cares for, who He cares for.
And what belongs to him and the lambs and the sheep that belong to him are where my heart is going to go out.
There's more to the attitude and verse 5.
Likewise, you younger submit yourself than the elder. Yeah, all of you be subject 1 to another and be clothed with humility. For God resisted the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Then it says humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. We'll look at it if there's time later on. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.
You don't believe this means?
You did something wrong.
And God just had your tires blow out on the road and you swerved into the ditch in the front end of your car is crumbled. God speaking to you, you better not be so proud. That's not what this means. It's not the trials and the difficulties and the tribulations of life being used to bring humility to a person who's not. I believe that the humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, the sense of it is this.
It's like David.
David sat out on the hills, the Judean hills, as a shepherd. He looked up toward those heavens, and the power and the might and the wonder of his God was present before him. And he writes about it at least three times in the sauce. No doubt the memories of his shepherding care as a young shepherd.
And when he looks out he was tiny, but God was great. Humble yourselves is not be humble it is have that attitude of humility in the presence of the greatness of God. That's what we need to have the right attitude for caring for the sheep. Go to Galatians 6 when you're restoring, restore such a one in the can't quote it, sorry.
I'll turn to it.
The spirit of meekness.
That there's a There's an attitude of humility, in other words.
Such as one in the spirit of meekness, considering myself, lest thou also be tempted. There's that attitude of humility with the shepherd.
I'll just read one verse from Psalm 78 on that attitude.
Right. Can't read that character in the Word of God without coming to know and love them. In recent years I've come to know and love Shaken the shepherd and Peter the shepherd, and recently David the sheep and shepherd.
He's the one that said the Lord is my shepherd. We won't take that up. That means he was a sheep. And I love this. And Psalm 78 and verse 70 it says.
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He chose.
David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds, from following the use. Great with young, He brought him to feed Jacob, his people in Israel, his inheritance. So we fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Who did the Lord want to feed his people?
The one that was following use.
What an attitude, what a spirit. You know if you're a young man and you have a tremendous amount of energy.
And strength.
And or brings into your path.
A young woman and you're brought together.
Let's just suppose I know that can be the opposite.
But let's just suppose her energy and strength is different than yours.
And her bedtime is 10 and yours is 1:00 AM or whatever it might be, whatever the need is. Who did the Lord choose to shepherd His people? I was somebody that was following the use.
He was going at her pace, not his. He was going at the pace that the sheep can handle, not what he felt like.
That's the attitude involved in shepherding. So let's look at these three things to guard.
Can't think of guarding the sheep without turning to John 10.
I just want to read a couple verses out of John 10.
We'll spend most of the time thinking about David the Shepherd guarding.
John 10.
Not just.
Three verse 7 not going to go through the whole.
Of John 10 here, that this there's a dispensational figure that's beautiful. It's not on my heart this evening, he says.
Then said Jesus verse 7 John 10, verse seven. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I sent you I in the door. Sheep very likely.
The picture the sheep bolt in the Middle East, the Stonewall that was the keep out the predators from the sheep needed to go in at night.
They had a great big one near the town usually and that great big one near the town sometimes they could have 10,000 sheep in it. There's a traveler in Syria near to Vasquez in 1800 did a reporting on it said that there about there's a sheep pole there about 10,000 sheep. But when they went up into the high pasture into the mountains, they're much smaller. She pulls to keep those sheep at night and.
The shepherd really was the door.
Machine. They didn't have a wooden door on that sheepfold, or the rocks stacked up around to create the wall around. And in that doorway sat a shepherd.
And maybe you've heard that many times, so bye. But have you ever thought of what that means? What that means to sit between the enemy and the flock? Never thought what it means to. I suspect a few of you are in beds a little less comfortable than your norm. Maybe it's more comfortable than your norm, but some of you may be a little less comfortable than your perfect pillow mattress situation for the next few days.
So when you lie down tonight in a slightly uncomfortable imagine sitting on the rocky ground with your back against rocks and your knees against rocks, and your job to keep a liner bear from getting into where the sheep are. Not that that'll make you sleep better, but it's an image that will help you understand what it means.
To stand between the enemies of the sheep, and that's the action of the shepherd.
That's why you're a Good Shepherd, and my Good Shepherd did for us. He laid down his life for you and me. And so he says a little further down.
Verse nine I am the door. Invite me. If any man come in, enter in. I'll skip down to verse 10. The thief cometh not, but who were to steal, and to kill and to destroy, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd, The Good Shepherd giveth.
His life, the sheep. What an impressive statement. Lord Jesus laid down his physical life there at the cross for you and I. He was a Good Shepherd, giving His life for the sheep. There's a lot in those words.
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You're a dad, got children in your home, you're tired at night and your kids want to play and it's not their bedtime. Yet you have a chance for maybe half of 1% of what the Lord did here.
Taking and giving. Oh, and you're not really in that particular mood to give your mom and you've got kids in the home. I can't say I can say exactly, but I bet there's an awful lot of opportunities when you're sitting with a craft back and cramped knees, figuratively speaking, in order to stand between the danger and your children.
Do you think your shepherd doesn't notice?
Sometimes we do, don't we? We think we're the only ones that know how hard it is, but our Shepherd has been there ahead of us.
And he's been there to guard his sheep, and he knows. And he values that service standing between the enemy and his children, something that he deeply values. You know, that's why I chose David, First Samuel 17. Just look at it briefly. First Samuel 17 and David.
Speaking to Saul, you know the story.
But David speaking the song and verse 32 Says.
And David sent this law that no man's heart failed because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. It's also to David that we're not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him, with our bloody youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and I came a lion and a bear.
It took a lamb out of the flock, and I went out after him and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. When he arose against him me, I caught him by his beard, smote him, slew him. Thy servants slew both the lion and the bear.
That's David's resume. Would you like to have that on your resume? I'm not sure which jobs did you get, but you could get a job as a shepherd.
And, you know, there was a lion and a bear. I don't believe this was one incident. I believe if you look at the wording carefully and a variety of translations, you get the sense that this was when the lion came or the bear came. And this kind of thing happens more than once, probably many times. And you know, if you have the care and you have a love.
For one of God's children, maybe it's one of the children he's entrusted to you in your home, and maybe it's that brother or sister.
Or a young person in the assembly. It might not just be once, might not just be twice, might be quite a few times. You're called on to make a sacrifice that hurts because there's a lion or a bear there. But God recorded David's sacrifice and he valued it, and he records everything and values it, but it's done for him. Maybe that others don't notice or don't really care, but.
God does. He sees it and he values it.
When we stand between his sheep and that threat, whatever it might be.
It was also pretty personal, wasn't it? Because David was an expert with the sling, right? And with my non shepherd's heart, I, I have imagined, well, if that were me, I think I try to knock at least, you know, use the David with Goliath method. That sounds a little better, doesn't it? Get it in the head and go over and chop off the head, sling that stone, get the lion, then kind of deal with it at that point. That should be a lot nicer.
But that wasn't his resume. He went over and he took it by the beard. It says. I take it the lion in that case, took it by the beard and smote it and slew it. There was personal pain maybe involved in that action of caring for God's sheep, us children, but it's valued. It's valued by God.
Only the time to go through it, so I'm going to give you something to look back on if you if you feel like at some point.
David seems to have grown, learned all kinds of lessons until he became kings and when he became king, all the way up until Nathan came to him and spoke to him about his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. There's a mixture, and you and I are mixture. Every one of us, no matter what age we are in this room here, we're a mixture. And perhaps there's some things that are really for the Lord in your life or in mine.
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Things the Lord needs to work on. And that was David's life. If you look for the book of Second Samuel, you want to read the book of Second Samuel, start in the second chapter and watch all the way up to the 10th chapter and you'll find at least five things where David was starting to stray. Remember, he says the Lord is my shepherd. David knew he was a sheep by the time he wrote those words.
And I think he was reflecting on some of these things.
There are, there's multiple, there's at least five passages, perhaps at least three things, and you'll watch that of those three things, the last four chapters of the book.
The Lord solves all of them. It's beautiful when you look at it. The Lord brought his sheep back on this one and he brought his sheep back on that one and he brought his sheep back on the other one. We're only going to look at one of those three things. The other, the other two you can look at. There's at least five passages that do the build up.
But there the Lord brought his sheep back He goes, and until he finds it, that's the attitude of our shepherd. And he brings him back as beautiful with David. And then there's an explosion of joy at the end of his life. But this guarding of the sheep, I'll turn and.
Well.
We'll look at just a piece of it, I think in Second Samuel Chapter 12, that's where.
Nathan comes to speak to David's conscience. That beautiful Psalm 51, that Psalm 51 was the end of David's journey. It's a fantastic beginning to it. But he had all kinds of lessons that the Lord brings together and solves by the end of his life. But Second Samuel chapter 12, I just want you to notice the figure the Lord sent to David.
And.
The interest of time will only read a couple of verses out of it.
Verse 3. Second Samuel 12. Verse three. But the poor man meant nothing, save 1. Little ewe lamb, that she had bought and nourished up, and grew up together with him, and with his children. He did eat of his own meat, drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom was unto him as a daughter.
And stop there.
That's what David took.
You know, David as a shepherd was chosen by God because he followed the use and lamps in that care for the ones that needed him and he was willing to go at their pace and follow them, caring for them the whole way. You know, a you that's pregnant apparently needs about three times as much water as.
A few that as a regular defeat, a sheet might need about a gallon and a half of water every day to drink.
Are you with young ones? Needs about 5 gallons a day. And those are the ones that David cared for. Three times as much work to draw the water. If you have to draw from the well in Bethlehem where they love the water, if you had to draw that water, I don't know. But if he drew it from there, it was three times as much work. And it didn't matter because he cared for those sheep. And that's why the Lord took him. And when he became king, he forgot. Somewhere along the way, David forgot it.
You know, maybe you're a father or a mother, or maybe you're an older brother or sister and you have a few more privileges than the others that you're caring for and that you have to care for. And it's a slow slide sometimes. And I believe it was a slow slide in David's life, and not without a mixture of wonderful things, wonderful actions and grace. But there was a slow slide. And he got from the point where he followed those views.
To where he took the little you.
That was the only one the poor man had. You know, they raised him as pets. Apparently they still do. I raised one as a pet. And this was one was precious, wasn't for war, it wasn't for milk. It was the precious pet of its owner. And David went and took something precious. They took it for himself. Davidson did it with Bathsheba, didn't start when he was walking.
On the rooftop and he looked out.
They saw that cheap enough. Davidson with Bathsheba didn't start when he didn't go out to war, and he stayed back at the time when kings went to war. David's difficulties began a long time before that, when David started to be the one who took some things instead of gave to his sheep, instead of guarding them.
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He took it would have been so hard. Every king around was different.
Have been different, David started to take and you know it's very hard if you're in that position where you can take but maybe not take a take a little bit here, take a little bit there.
I just a word that's a word to my conscience, so I'll pass it on if it's not yours. Fabulous.
You know.
Really good things.
One of mine is.
I enjoy that last hour or so of my day and.
And because I get that opportunity to read and to pray and to have a slow heading off of bed and when somebody comes to me with the something they want to talk about, that's something on their heart and needs to be talked about.
Exhaust. Conscious. Pause. A conscious thought, then yes, that's what we're going to do. Because.
There might as sheep or the lamb needs something.
Can even be your.
Not to the full neglect, not to never having your time with the Lord. You have to have it, but I mean, when you're choosing it because boy, I just enjoy this versus Lord's calling me something at the moment that I need to spend on it. That is the kind of attitude writ large that grew in David's life.
But he had a shepherd and a fabulous shepherd. That shepherd brought him back. I just loved the end of this book.
And I won't go through the other ones, but I want to read you this first. I just so enjoyed it when I saw it, especially because I believe it's here morally. The last chapter of Second Samuel isn't necessarily chronological. In fact, the last four chapters aren't necessarily chronological. So it had a moral reason for God putting it here.
And.
In verse.
14.
David send the numbering the people, the judgment of God has come, the destroying Angel is there. Watch these words. And David said unto God, I am on a great straight. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord said of pestilence. And then it comes, verse 16. And when the Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him to evil, and said to the Angel.
People it is enough they now thine hands and the Angel of the Lord was.
By the pressing place of Iran on the genus site. And David spake unto the Lord, when he saw the Angel that smote the people.
And said, Who? I have sinned, and I have done wickedly now these words. But these sheep, what have they done?
Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house, as I realize that there's a lot in this story and I realized that David recognized that the destroying Angel was there because he is the king had failed and then brought in the problem.
But it's his attitude that I love, and I believe it's the result of the shepherding of his Shepherd.
He says these sheep, what have they done Now he cares more for those sheep than anything that happens to him or his father's house. I believe that that's why he can go into the next book and he's ready to hand off the Kingdom because he's learned or relearned the lesson that he knew are many lessons we know and we forget. God brings him back to us in his faithful shepherding of us. Second action of a shepherd that was guarding.
Or failing the guard and needing to relearn.
2nd is giving.
Just the whole attitude of giving.
And not taking.
I don't know how to say this so it doesn't get misinterpreted. You won't get upset, it'll just. But I'll try it.
00:35:05
Can you think of anywhere in the word of God?
Where sheep shearing?
That's a good connotation.
The reason why I introduced it as I did is there's nothing wrong with Wolf, right?
So I believe it's in Proverbs 31 woman spins the wall and makes clothing for her family and certainly spins the plaques, right. I think well, it's used. There was wool was there not in some of the there's certainly goats here in the Tabernacle, but she cheering.
As a sheep before shears is done, that wasn't the best context for sheep shearing.
Amnon. Let's see. I know Absalom.
Absolutely, he organized a sheep shearing for.
He organized the sheep shearing so that he could murder his brother Amnon. Not not the best context, Judah. Judah went down to shear his sheep and he had a little.
Moral difficulty.
See. There's at least there's at least one more.
With the sheep shearing, Oh yes, Nabal Nabil was organizing a big party for his sheep shearing and.
I didn't go very well either, did it? I think it's a figure. There's nothing wrong with sheet sharing. She apparently somewhere they need to lose their wall otherwise I get too hot. There's a lot of good reasons for it, but I think at least in general in the scriptures, sheep sharing has a negative connotation because that's the shepherd taking from She Divided and Ezekiel 34 as well.
We're not going to touch on that chapter tonight. It's a fantastic chapter on Shepherd.
She you're taking their wall there. I think it doesn't use shearing. It says taking the wall or something like that. Ezekiel 34. Why? Because the shepherd in God's book is there to give to the sheep, not to take from the sheep. The sheep aren't there for you to feed on them or me to feed on them. They're there to be given to and again in this attitude.
Of giving to the sheep. There's so many verses. The word of God is packed with it. Let's just look at one beautiful one. This is the Lord the shepherd in Isaiah chapter 40, and this is the shepherd giving to his sheep the spirit of it.
Dispensational figure again the Messiah regathering the scattered tribes. But in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 11 it says he.
Shall feed his flock like a shepherd. She'll gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom. And shall gently leave those that are with young. There it is again. There's that tender, loving, giving care. Can you imagine walking along carrying a sheep in his arms? This isn't even on the shoulders. I can. I'm curious. My son, when he was young, on my shoulders. And that was kind of fun.
I enjoyed it. He wasn't very safe. It felt flat on my face once stripped right over the curb and hit the ground with him on my shoulders.
Not the best shepherd, but the Lord doesn't trick like that. And in this figure he's carrying them in his arms, not even on his shoulders. Beautiful. And maybe because it's the Lamb, but he says carry them in his bosom. He's close to his heart. And she'll gently leave those that are with you on with measure the waters and the hollow of his hand. And it goes on. And it gives those figures. And if you had time to look at them, if you go back and read them, I'd suggest the next few verses.
The spirit of humility.
Here is my shepherd. He's the one. The nations, they're the Gentile nations. They're a drop in the bucket. They're nothing. He's got that power. That's his. And what's he doing with it? He's holding me in his arms.
He's got that power and what's he doing? He's giving to me. And the first part of that verse he shall feed his walk.
Shall feed his flock. He's giving them what they need. He's giving them to eat. See Moses.
When Moses came to his father-in-law.
He when he came to his father-in-law in Exodus 2.
Maybe I can't quote it. I'm going to read it and access chapter 2.
This is Moses up to this point.
He learned in the school of Egypt. He learned a lot the unlearned shepherding. I didn't teach that. They didn't believe in shepherding. So what he learned in the schools of the Egyptians, the shepherds were supposed to be down in Goshen because the Egyptians didn't like shepherds. So that's where Jacob wet when he came down with his family. So Moses didn't learn shepherding in the court of Pharaoh.
00:40:17
What's the first thing he does when he plays? He arrives. Exodus 2HE arrives. What's the first lesson? Apparently kindergarten shepherding. Maybe it's preschool shepherding. I don't know. First step. Anyway, Exodus 2 and verse 16, the priest of Midian had seven daughters and they came in Group water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock and shepherd's game and drove them away. Not very nice shepherds in that area.
But Moses stood up and helped them.
And watered the flock.
First step regards. And he gives. He waters their block. Jacob, what he means, Rachel, what's the first thing he does? He waters the block. But do we read our Lord doing, feeding, giving to them? What does David write about in Psalm 23? Well, there's those good pastures. There's those still waters.
It beads any waters.
Got another homework assignment for you?
What's the difference?
I have the answer key to the first homework assignment. I don't have an answer key to this one, so when you find the answer, give it to me. I meditated on a little bit and enjoyed it. But shepherds are supposed to feed and water.
And they're both a lot of work. You got to leave the sheep to the right pasture. You look at the amount of work that.
That Rebecca had to do to get water for the camels of Abraham's servants. It's a lot of work.
That's a lot of work. Maybe it's a lead. And find the quiet pool where the sheep will will drink.
There's a lot of possibilities and there are a lot of things to enjoy and meditating on. Why feed and water? I don't know, but I do know this. They're both giving to the sheep, not taking from the sheep. So let's go to First Samuel 17 and I think a key to giving to the sheep.
And not taking from the sheep is found in David's life at the very beginning of it.
I think it's a figure anyway, again in First Samuel 17.
And.
Verse 14717 and verse 14.
David was the youngest, I'll notice this the three eldest.
Followed Saul. Great children. The three oldest followed salt.
But David went returned from Saul to feed his father sheep to suggest this. I've enjoyed it in meditating on it anyway. So let's figure sometimes of the Antichrist and scriptures is also a figure of the flesh and the three older brothers.
Or a long way from the sheet, they had a bunch of ideas about how David should be with the sheep.
But they were a long way away. And it says specifically, it could say they were with the army, it could say they were there for the battle, but it doesn't. The Spirit of God chose to say they followed Saul. And he could say that David left following Saul and he came back to feed the sheep. I'm sorry. It could say that David left the battlefield, left his brothers, left whatever to feed the sheep. But it does. And it says return from.
Beat his Father's sheep. And I would suggest, just as a practical application, at least maybe there's others that if you want to feed God's people, water God's people give to God's people, there's no room for the flesh. There's no room. There's no place, there's no opportunity in the flesh. The flesh doesn't like sitting in doorways at night.
Being a wall so that there's none that can attack the sheep.
Doesn't like getting up to give when it could take. And so in order for David to feed the sheep, he had to leave and figure at least return and saw the thieves. And if we're to feed whatever sheep the Lord puts around us, whether we're a shepherd with that specific gift, whether it's the children or family or those nearest in our home.
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Or assembly it's going to be if the plush doesn't get any place.
We returned from it to feed.
Giving there's one more.
Make this suggestion too because it's beautiful. If you read just first and second Samuel, there are the books that express the responsibility David had and see a lot of failure mixed in with a lot of grace and a lot of learning. If you want to get refreshed after reading that, just go right on in the first Chronicles and when your tongue is done getting twisted in the 1St 10 chapters with all those names.
That have good lessons in them too.
Starting from Chapter 11, just read quickly all the way to the end of the book. Enjoy a good fresh drink of water because you'll find just floating of grace in David's life. Totally different view, a view that God has of his sheep when he's done. And a lot of that end of that book is the end of David's life. Maybe the last few weeks, months, I don't know, but it's the end of his life and God's work is done and God delighted with it.
Is it? Where can you? Is it working me? And he's a shepherd that's so faithful. He's just with you every single step of the way.
Just like Jacob at the end of Jacob's life, Jacob says.
Again, I can't quote it. I love the verse, but I can't quote it. I'm going to have to turn to it if like, somebody can help me.
The one that speaks of one that shepherded me all my life long until this day.
And then there's the time I'll have to let you look for it. It's it's within the last couple chapters of Genesis and Jacob says.
As he reflects, he looks back on his life, he says God something very close to the God that shepherd me, shepherded me all my life long till this day. Thank you very much. Paul 4815 They blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me.
All my life long until this day. Fabulous. That's the end of his life.
A lifespan of the physical shepherd, but as a sheep realizing that he's a sheep.
David at the end of his life is beautiful. Just read those last chapters in First Chronicles and just enjoy. There's almost no failure in any of those chapters. There's two verses on what First Samuel takes the whole chapter on, but just a couple of verses here with David learning to give beautiful at the end of his life, First Chronicles 29.
And this is the result of life.
I'll just read a few verses. First forward, he's giving for the temple that Solomon will build even 3000 talents of gold of the golden Oprah, and 7000 talents of her fine silver, to overlay the walls, the house houses with all the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of the artificers. Who then is willing to consecrate a service this day unto the Lord?
And the chief of the fathers, and the Princess, and the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands.
And of hundreds, with the rulers of the Kingsburg offered willingly, David had learned a gift. And he gives abundantly, he gives richly. And.
Stimulates others. It's beautiful. It stimulates all those others and they give and they're listed. They give willingly. Well, that's giving. There's gathering. We could look at the principle of it in Matthew Chapter 9.
With the Lord Himself.
Matthew Chapter 9 and verse.
36.
Lord has been going around.
Casting out demons and preaching and teaching and healing.
Verse 36. Matthew 936. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, as they fainted, and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no shepherd.
So I mentioned that before.
But I not only.
Not only do I have a lot to learn shepherding in the practical spiritual sense, but I know very little personal experience with sheep.
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So I go back to one very.
Helpful experience to me in my life, whether a few years ago my wife and I were visiting in Peru. I went up into the mountains in the mountains of Peru to a little village called Pine Chakra. It's a small little place, some subsistence farming, some subsistence shepherding. The family we're staying with at your smiling saw you've been there, having you. They were.
6 sheep and six goats. That was the flock of the family where we stayed. And when we got there, we left our things at the house and dad wasn't there. He was off shepherding his sheep. So we went to find him and we walked out the road and down past and over the stream and, and the brother was with me, saw him all across the field there and.
You know there's 12 sheep and goats together total.
And he came over the road and he had a big smile. He was glad to greet us. And it didn't seem at all interested. And what we had to say, that's what I thought. It didn't seem at all interested because, you know, he just kind of listened a little bit and he kind of look away from us. And he'd listen a little bit and he'd look away from us. And finally, they're slow here, kicked in. He was making sure his sheep didn't get scattered.
He was constantly looking where his sheep were. I don't know if there were predators there. He'd call me later so, but as far as I know, the danger there is falling over a Cliff, falling all the rocks, everywhere there's the stream. There's a lot of dangers at least. And there's a chance of getting dispersed and scattered and that Good Shepherd and as I and his sheep constant, constant that they wouldn't get scattered.
They constantly wanted to. In fact, he left us a couple times to go over and draw them back together.
And here's the Good Shepherd, and he's got his eye on those scattered sheep, and his heart's toward him. And what does he say?
What he says to my heart, and I think he says to your heart, and the burden on my heart this evening. And saith He unto his disciples. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.
I know that this is among his people, Israel.
And just want to apply it here, not in the normal way of applying it in the gospel and going out with the gospel, but applying in with the heart for His own people, the shepherds.
Want to turn? There's a lesson in scattering, and I'll just give it in words. Remember what happened after David's sin?
You read the first, let's see, read chapters 2 Through 9 part ways of ten of Second Samuel. There's there's this victory and there's that victory and there's the capture of Jerusalem and there's all those other things. And then you hit chapter 12. Well, you hit Chapter 11, sin with Bathsheba chapter 12, and Nathan speaks to him and then just everything appears to be falling apart. And in the sense of his Kingdom, it was.
I'm going to make this suggestion that in fact, we'll look at one verse, Second Samuel 15, just to make a point a little more clearly. Second Samuel 15.
And verse.
Yeah.
Specific one.
Verse 12 will do.
An absolute scent for HIPAA. All the gala night, David's counselor from his city, even from Gilo, while he offered sacrifices and the conspiracy was strong and the people increased continually with Absalom. And from that point forward, you get a mess until Absalom dies and then everybody's scattered. David's on the wrong side of the Jordan. People are scattered.
And the shepherd is ready to gather them all back together.
Because there's a work that's been done in a lot of hurts. I want to make this point. Absalom was all about Absalom, and that's what's scattered.
David began and ended as one who loves God's sheep, and that's how they get the gathering of others is in an effort so much of our own will. It's a sharing of a heart of the shepherd, and where we put ourselves first, it's going to automatically lead a scattering.
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Of God's when our interests are after ourselves, when we're like Absalom where you could.
Pick just about anything in his life and you would find an example of pride, an example of self-interest. That's what leads to scattering. If small little thing, it has the effect of scattering. If it has God's sheep at its heart, it's going to lead to gathering. It's going to lead to the bringing together of God's people.
Bringing together of your family if you are a parent in the family, the bringing together of brothers and sisters if you're a brother or sister. And that's the context in which you can have a shepherd's heart. Look what happens with David and First Chronicles 29 again. It's beautiful. Well worth reading the whole book of First Chronicles.
Music quickly to get the flavor and slowly for the detail. But infrastructure 29 again.
Here is the gathering that was the result of David's the end of David's life.
Just read a few verses, verse 20 and David said to all the congregation, thou bless the Lord your God and all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers and bow down their heads and worship the Lord and the king, and they sacrificed sacrifices under the Lord.
Burnt offerings unto the Lord on the Morrow after that day even 1000 bullets 1000 Rands 1000 lands with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel just to show that it's the end of Damons life. The next verse says. And that eat and drink before the Lord on that day with a great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time.
And anointed him unto the Lord, be the chief governor.
It's the end of David's life. The Lord is my shepherd. He's been gathered back. What's the effects that flows from his life? He's got the people around him gathered back. And what are they doing? Worshipping.
Worshipping the Lord together. That's the proper end result of any work shepherding.