God Our Shepherd-King

Christians from all theological traditions confess that God is sovereign, but not all believers affirm that the Lord, in the words of the Westminster Standards, has “foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” We will consider that truth more deeply in the coming days as we continue looking at the divine attribute of authority, but today we will consider a metaphor for God’s authority—namely, that of a shepherd.

Psalm 23:1 is perhaps the best-known statement in Scripture that the Lord is a Shepherd, and it is worth noting that in the ancient Near Eastern context, “shepherd” was a widely used metaphor among the nations for their kings and even for their gods. So God’s use of the metaphor certainly communicated to the ancient Israelites the idea of authority. In keeping with that, other texts such as Ezekiel 34:23 refer to the messianic King, who would have lordship over God’s people, as a shepherd. Clearly, then, to speak of God as a Shepherd is to recognize His sovereignty.

The rest of Psalm 23 explains more fully what the Lord’s work of shepherding looks like. Verses 1–3, for instance, stress that God the Shepherd-King makes His people lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters. Here we have the Lord providing physical rest, food, and drink to His people. Yet God also satisfies spiritual needs, leading us in paths of righteousness, directing us by His Word and Spirit into what is good and upright.

Verses 4–6 emphasize how the Lord protects His people. Shepherds used rods to drive away wild animals that attacked the sheep and staffs to keep them on safe paths. Similarly, the Lord defeats our enemies and guides us safely to where He wants us to go—ultimately, the new heavens and earth. He provides such security for His people that we can even dine at His table in the presence of our enemies. Even when our foes seem to have the upper hand, we are sheltered by Him. God never takes His goodness and mercy from His children, and He will establish them in His blessed presence forever.

These are wonderful benefits for only those who dwell in the sheepfold of the Lord, to those who rest in Him alone for salvation. John Calvin writes, “God is a shepherd only to those who, touched with a sense of their own weakness and poverty, feel their need of his protection, and who willingly abide in his sheepfold, and surrender themselves to be governed by him.”