“He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” Micah 5:4
The image of God as a shepherd over His flock is used in various places throughout Holy Scripture, such as when God chose a shepherd boy to be the second king of Israel. God elevated David, a shepherd boy, to become king and then promised that one of his descendents would be the Savior of the world. In the 23rd Psalm, David himself poetically tells how God leads him like a shepherd; it is one of the most beloved and familiar chapters in the Bible.
The Prophet Micah looked forward to the coming of the Good Shepherd with eager anticipation. We look back at the birth of Jesus and celebrate. The Lord, our Shepherd, has come. We are secure in our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, just as sheep are secure under the watchful eye of their shepherd. Christ has destroyed the power of our enemy, the devil, who seeks to destroy us by luring us away from God’s flock through temptation. But Jesus has won for us full pardon from our sins so that all who believe in Him shall never perish.
Because of Jesus we shall remain under the care and protection of our Good Shepherd forever.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, Jesus, for the righteous healing that You bring through the gift of Your forgiveness that takes away the burdens of our sin. Amen.
© 2006 Lutheran Hour Ministries
These devotions have been written by Rev. Paul and Kaye Wolff. Rev. Paul Wolff is a 1996 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He has served as a pastor in the Detroit area for 10 years. He and co-author wife, Kaye, live in Southfield, Michigan.
Kaye Dumas Wolff is Chairperson of the Black Ministry Church Planting Task Force and a Mission Affiliate of LCMS World Missions where she serves as a training facilitator for laity in evangelism and mission work. Kaye serves on the Advisory Council of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and she is a presenter for Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Equipping to Share Workshop.
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Today's Bible Readings: Nehemiah 10-11 Revelation 19
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