A Shepherd Boy

In the Old Testament, David was a young shepherd boy, and he cared for his father's sheep, even risking his own life to save them out of the paw of bears and lions:

1 Samuel 17:33-37 KJV - And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. [34] And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: [35] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. [36] Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. [37] David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

There stood a giant who opposed the Kingdom of Israel, the people of the Most High:

1 Samuel 17:10 KJV - And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

Yet David knew the LORD, and David went on and conquered the giant in the name of the LORD God of Israel:

1 Samuel 17:45-50 KJVS - Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. [46] This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

[47] And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's , and he will give you into our hands.

[48] And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. [49] And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it , and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. [50] So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

The LORD found David honorable despite his brothers thinking less of him. A humble Shepherd who loved his sheep, David was a good shepherd.

This pointed to and paralleled the life Jesus, who is God made flesh (John 1:14). You see, Jesus spoke many parables and called Himself the Good Shepherd, and even laid down his life for his sheep:

John 10:11 KJV - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Satan, the fallen one, is as a roaring lion who seeks to devour His sheep, and rules this world in the spiritual realms:

1 Peter 5:8 KJV - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

You see, God often points to Himself in past Biblical writings, and as David cared for his flock and risked his own life fighting bears and lions - so did Jesus when he cast out demons, came with the good news, wrought miracles upon men, exposed the corruption in His own house, spoke truth, and even layed down his own perfect and sinless life for his people, for us. We are His sheep.

God was made flesh and became the spotless and blameless lamb, who was slain for our iniquities (see Isaiah 53):

John 1:29 (KJV) - The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Jesus is the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant, and as the Israelites received forgiveness for their sins in Egypt, so also do those who believe in Jesus the Messiah:

Exodus 12:3-14 KJV - Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: [4] And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. [5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: [6] And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

[7] And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. [8] And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

[9] Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. [10] And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

[11] And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. [12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

[13] And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you , when I smite the land of Egypt.

[14] And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

An atonement sacrifice had to be made for forgiveness of sins, and this is why Jesus told the people of Israel this:

John 6:53-57 KJV - Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. [54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

[55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. [56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

God sent a messenger before He came, and his name was John and he came the spirit and power of Elijah, to gather the elect out of Israel and to make paths straight for the LORD of Israel, calling the sheep out of the tyrannical and hypocritical rule of the Pharisees of the time.

The Pharisees are the hired keepers of the sheep that don't love the sheep as Jesus/God does:

John 10:12-13 KJV - But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. [13] The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Jesus knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him, and when he returns, He will separate the goats from the sheep, the children of Satan from the Children of God:

John 10:14 KJV - I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Matthew 25:32-34 KJV - And before him (Jesus/Yeshua) shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. [34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

And likewise, to the children of Satan:

Matthew 25:40-46 KJV - And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. [41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: [42] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: [43] I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. [44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? [45] Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. [46] And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

• Glimpses of Salvation

Please see some of these other disciple resources:

• Who is Jesus?
• Disciple of Jesus?
• Spiritual Warfare
• Religion or Relationship?
• Want to Be Saved?
• A New Creature
• Grace Alone By Faith Alone?
• Not Under the Law
• God or Money?
• Unplug
• Interfaith Movement
• Identity of God
• The Church
• The Narrow Way
• Run the Race - Overcome!
• Spotless Bride
• Is Satan Real?