THE THIEF COMES TO STEAL, KILL & DESTROY (PART XIII)

“God’s Sheep Feed on God’s Word Rightly Divided”

By Akin Ojumu

As an intro to today’s iteration of the commentary, let me share with you what I consider a great insight into the life and death responsibility God has placed on Pastors to teach right theology and sound doctrine. These are not exactly my words. They were borrowed verbatim from Justin Peters, an expository teacher who runs the Justin Peters Ministries. You can find him on YouTube.

We are living in a day and age in which the vast majority of people who profess to be Christians do not care about doctrine, do not care about theology. And yet the Bible cares about these things deeply.

You may have heard someone say something like this: “Well, well, I don’t need doctrine. I don’t need theology. I just love Jesus.”

That is a foolish statement. Just as much as we profess to love Him, then, don’t you think we should want to get to know Him? And the only way to get to know Him is by knowing Him in His Word. And it is sound doctrine, it is right theology, that deepens our knowledge of God. And when our knowledge of God is deepened, that enables our love for God.

The Bible never separates knowledge of God and love for God. The Bible always combines these things. In fact, Paul says in Philippians 1:9, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.”

The Bible never separates knowledge of God and love for God. The Bible places tremendous importance on right doctrine and right theology. If our doctrine is wrong, if our theology is wrong, what that means is that we understand God wrongly. Because it is the right doctrine, it is the right theology, that helps us and enables us to know who God is.

The Scriptures emphasize sound doctrine, and the Scriptures also warn very starkly about false doctrine. Did you know that 26 of the 27 books in the New Testament directly warn about false doctrine and/or false teachers. Only the book of Philemon has nothing to say about false doctrine.

False doctrine is a threat to the Church. And one of the Pastor’s greatest roles is to protect his sheep from wolves.

The reason I shared all of that is because the sentiments expressed by Justin Peters in those words sort of echoe my thoughts for today’s commentary which is about shepherd leaders.

Shepherding is a common and familiar theme in the Scriptures. There are several examples and illustrations in the Bible where God used the imagery of shepherds caring for the sheep to reveal His purpose, intentions, and expectations concerning those whom He has sovereignly chosen to lead His people. 

We see this in many of the faithful leaders of Israel, such as Moses and David, who were shepherd-leaders whom God used to guide and care for His people. Both literally and metaphorically, these two patriarchs of Israel were shepherds. Long before either man led people, they first had to learn to lead sheep. It was from shepherding a flock of sheep that God elevated them to the shepherding of His flock.

From the lofty height of prince of Egypt, Moses was brought down to the lowly position of a herder of animals. For forty years, in the barren desert of Midian, Moses learned humility and patience, and he acquired the requisite skills for caring for and leading a flock of sheep. It was these skills that prepared him for the much harder task of shepherding Israelites out of slavery of Egypt.

Exodus 3:1

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Psalm 77:20 (NLT)

“You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.”

Unlike Moses, who went from royalty to shepherding, David started out as a shepherd. But even he had to learn and acquire the skills he needed to be a leader of God’s people. And the Bible would later on describe David as a shepherd of God’s people Israel who cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

As a shepherd, David learned to provide for his flock and protect them from predators like lions and bears. This experience translated to his role as king, where he was responsible for providing for and protecting the people of Israel (Source: Google AI).

2 Samuel 5:2

“Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”

Psalm 78:52

“So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.”

Moses and David are God’s models of shepherd-leaders. Their lives and leadership exemplify the qualities of a shepherd, guiding and caring for the flock entrusted to them by God. Both men exhibited an unwavering commitment to God’s commands and the compassionate care for the people under their care. As shepherds, Moses and David led the people through myriads of challenges, providing guidance, instruction, and intercession. 

And that’s a stark contrast to the shepherds of Israel described in the Book of Ezekiel chapter 34. Unlike Moses and David who put the sheep under their care first and had their best interest at heart, the self-centered, selfish, uncaring, cruel, and heartless shepherds of Israel who God asked Ezekiel to prophesy against.

Ezekiel 34:2-6

“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? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 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. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”

When you consider the religious establishment in the land of Israel during the time of the Lord Jesus, you’d find that it was made up of people who bore no resemblance to Moses and David in character and leadership style. In attitude and behavior, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes of Jesus’s days fit perfectly in the mode of the Ezekiel chapter 34 shepherds of Israel.

In John chapter 10, the Lord Jesus draws a sharp contrast between Himself and the tyrannical religious establishment of Israel. While the religious leaders acted like hirelings with no stake in ownership of the sheep, the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep because they are His own.

John 10:11-12

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”

Fidelity to the truth of the Word of God is one of the distinguishing features between a true shepherd and a wolf. A preacher who twists and distorts Scriptures is a wolf. And as it is with all predators, the wolf will eventually prey on the sheep.

We’ll take it from here next time.