Psalm 80:1a
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock.
Today we're starting Psalm 80. Although we're not told
exactly when and why it was written, if you read through the whole psalm it seems that God's people are suffering under God's discipline, so it could well have been written hundreds of years after David's time, when the nation of
Israel had been invaded and taken into captivity by her enemies.
In the midst of this difficult situation, the psalmist cries
out to God, confident that God is still 'the shepherd of Israel'. 'Shepherd' is such a powerful picture of what
God is like that he doesn't need to go into details to spell it out. Even 21st century city-dwellers recognise that a shepherd is someone who leads, protects and provides for his sheep. He commits himself to their well-being. There is a relationship between the shepherd and his flock - the shepherd doesn't wander around looking for any old sheep to feed. He cares for HIS sheep. They belong
to him and with him.
This picture of God as a shepherd appears in various places in the Old Testament. Back in Genesis 48, Joseph himself says 'God has been my shepherd all my life to this day.' So, when Jesus arrives on the scene and announces in John 10 'I am the good shepherd' it's not just that 'shepherd' happens to be a good description of his life and
ministry and self-giving death. He's deliberately describing himself using a very familiar picture of God's relationship with his people.
So today, let's thank and praise God that he is the one who leads, guides, protects and provides for us, his people. And let's thank him especially for sending Jesus to be the good shepherd who laid down his life for
us, his sheep.
