AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Wednesday – March 15, 2023, Adar 22, 5783
HE SHALL FEED HIS FLOCK
Greetings dear and precious saints of God. Another week is off and running. Can you believe we are almost a quarter of the way through 2023? Are we redeeming, making the best use of this time, our most precious asset? Thank you for rejoining us for our ongoing Bible Study of the wonderful Book of Isaiah. As we move forward let’s take a moment and share this teaching as widely as possible expanding our reach with the good news. It is almost insulting to call this good news more or less relegating it with all other forms of good news. For example, most would consider it good news to be notified they had just inherited a billion (with a b) dollars. However, this news of the Kingdom and its impact, its benefit when received, believed, and acted upon is eternal. That billion dollars will pass away and be quite irrelevant in the times to come, already at the door. The featured picture today is to depict the Prophet Isaiah. Now, let’s move our attention to our primary Bible text in the wonderful Book of Isaiah continuing to read out loud.
Isaiah 40:9-11 (KJV)
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
As we examine verse eleven, who is the “He”? It is the Lord Jesus. What time period is being referenced? It appears to me it is all time but in context from the onset of His earthly ministry into eternity. Let me point out that the Word (Second person of the Trinity) has always been present whether we are talking the Garden of Eden, today, or a million years into eternity. The Word through His Holy Spirit is always in teaching mode which is to say feeding those who will receive, believe, and take action upon His Word. One might argue that this is for this time since the flock, the Church, is His for now and He is the great Shepherd. I said for now because the day is coming when all that the Father put under the Son will be presented back to the Father.
1 Corinthians 15:28 (HCSB)
28 And when everything is subject to Christ, then the Son Himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in all.
As I was studying this verse, I was wondering how does a shepherd feed his flock. First off, we know that the shepherd can only bring the flock into the presence of the feed and water but cannot and will not make them eat. And so, it is with us. Jesus the great Shepherd has many under shepherds and ministers to present the Truth to themselves and the flock but each and every member of the flock decide what they will eat. Have you ever heard a preacher and said no I don’t want that? Have you ever started to eat it and spit it back out. Of course, you have, we all have. The shepherd makes available all we need, even all we want.
Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
- The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
There is a saying: you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. And so, it is with the Word of God. Notice the shepherd leads, he does not drive. He does not make us do anything, He presents, we choose.
Isaiah 40:11 (KJV)
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Psalm 23:1-3 (KJV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Don’t be thrown off by the “He maketh me” in verse two of the twenty-third Psalm, listen to the New American Bible.
Psalm 23:2 (NAB)
2 In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me;
Some words are harder to understand and swallow than others. However, if we truly love (agape) the Lord, we will receive them, believe them, and do them by faith even before understanding comes. Lord willing, we will move forward in this fortieth chapter of Isaiah tomorrow.
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Receive the blessing in Jesus’ name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (MSG)
24 GOD bless you and keep you,
25 GOD smile on you and gift you,
26 GOD look you full in the face and make you prosper.
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