One of the most amazing descriptions of our God is that He wants to be our Shepherd. The Bible opens with Genesis, and Jacob's life fills half the book, from Genesis 25-50. In Jacob's final days he made an astounding confession. Please open there with me to Genesis 48:15-16 (NKJV): And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." What is astounding is that the word used in Jacob's testimony of God's faithfulness for all of his 147 years of life was that the Lord had been his ra'ah (Hebrew word for "fed and led as a shepherd"). Think about what that means: Jacob testifies that the Lord was his shepherd, that had guided, led, protected, blessed, and accomplished His will through Jacob's life. Despite all of Jacob's personal struggles, deceitfulness, deception, fears, and failures: God had faithfully guided, blessed, used, protected, and lovingly forgave him. Wow, that is an amazing testimony. GOD WANTS TO GUIDE US THRU LIFE AS OUR SHEPHERD David enlarges the concept of God as Shepherd to mean a personal shepherd: God can stay through life with us, God can supply our every physical need, God can satisfy the deepest emotional needs of our soul, God can secure us through the gravest of dangers, and finally God can safely walk us to our eternal dwelling place that He has built just for us. Wow, that is quite an arrangement! Here are links to the 52 Greatest Chapters Bible Study
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Pastor John Barnett has been devouring the Word of God for over 30 years. John, now the teaching pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan has served congregations in Oklahoma, New England, Georgia and California. He also served on the Faculty of the Master's College...
