Power in the Name of Jesus Christ
Part 2
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
The Shepherd
Psalm 23:1 KJV:
The LORD [Yahweh] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Here is a quote from Kenneth Hagin:
The Lord is my shepherd; I do not want.
I do not want for healing.
I do not want for health.
I do not want for strength.
I do not want for power.
I do not want for ability.
I do not want for money.
I do not want for anything.
The Lord is my shepherd; I do not want.
John 10:11 APNT:
I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life on behalf of his flock.
There are other words related to “shepherd” that we could call him. He’s our keeper, the supplier of our needs, our leader, and more.
The Qualities of a Shepherd
The word “shepherd” combines the ideas of feeding, tending, and watching.
The word picture for the Aramaic word for “shepherd” is: what comes from the man watching.
Watching over the flock is one of the main jobs of the shepherd. He leads them to a place of pasture and quiet waters (Psalm 23). He takes care of, protects, and heals them as necessary.
What a Shepherd is Not
Zechariah 11:16 ESV:
For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young [the scattered ones] or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
That’s an awful shepherd.
What if we turn around those phrases?
The shepherd cares for those being destroyed. Using the words from the King James version, he visits those who are cut off or perishing.
It means to take care of someone, such as when you visit someone in the hospital or help someone in their home.
The shepherd seeks the young [the scattered ones].
Think about that in terms of reconciliation.
God is the shepherd, and Jesus is the good shepherd.
He literally goes to seek those who are lost and have been scattered in order to bring them to a new pasture.
The shepherd heals the maimed or those who are hurt.
Part of the shepherd’s job is to heal the sick, such as to bind up broken bones, or anoint their heads with oil (Psalm 23, oil was used for healing).
The shepherd nourishes the healthy.
The shepherd’s job is not only to seek the scattered ones and heal the sick ones, but also to nourish the healthy ones. The King James version describes it as feeding the standing still.
A summary of these four aspects of a shepherd’s job:
- Care for the perishing.
- Seek the scattered.
- Heal the broken.
- Nourish the healthy.
Ezekiel 34 also has an interesting record of a bad shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:1–4 ESV:
The word of the Lord came to me: 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? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed [watch] the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
Turning around verse 4, we get:
The shepherd strengthens the weak, heals the sick, binds up the injured, brings back the strays, seeks out the lost, and rules them with gentleness and restfulness.
Ezekiel 34:14–16 ESV:
14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
There are so many aspects of being a shepherd that are bound up in God’s character and in Jesus Christ’s character.
Reconciliation
We get the word reconciliation from the verb for shepherding.
Romans 5:10–11 APNT:
10 For if when we were enemies God was reconciled with us by the death of his Son, then how much more will we by his reconciliation live by his life?
11 And not only so, but also we boast in God by way ofour Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have now received reconciliation.
At one time, we were enemies of God, and there was a hostility between us and God, but we were reconciled by the death of his son, and by that reconciliation, we live.
Reconciliation is an aspect of shepherding
There are two aspects to reconciliation.
First, we had to be altered, and we had to be put back right with God.
Second, we are now able to be shepherded by him. We are able to live by that reconciliation.
If you exchange the word “shepherding” for the word “reconciliation,” these verses come alive.
You could read Romans 5:11 as: And not only so, but also we boast in God by way ofour Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have now received shepherding.
We receive shepherding because the Shepherd took us out from where we were (enemy territory hostile to God), and brought us into a new flock and new pasture. Now he completely cares for us.
There’s power in the name of the Shepherd.
Psalm 23:4 ESV:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
We can pray for people in the name of the Shepherd for reconciliation, new pastures, protection, and especially healing. We can also pray for the nourishment of the healthy.
In 2 Corinthians 5:18, we now have the ministry of reconciliation. You could say, we now have the ministry of shepherding.
As you read, you can replace words like “reconciled” and “reconciliation” with “shepherding.”
2 Corinthians 5:20 APNT:
Therefore, we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ and [it is] as if God were begging you by way ofus on behalf of Christ. Therefore, we beg [you], “Be reconciled to God.”
Our message to others is, “Come! Be shepherded by God.” Our job is to lead people to the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.
The Lord is MY shepherd. I do not want for anything.
In your quiet prayer time, I encourage you to meditate on what the shepherd does for you and for others.
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
See Also:
The Name of Jesus on the Acts Now Fellowship website
Bookstore Suggestions:
