Shepherd Or Hired Hand

SHEPHERD OR HIRED HAND?

I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

God used a shepherd named David to become the king of Israel -- a man after God's own heart.  A true shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep.  He will protect them from the wild beasts:  the bear, the lion, and the wolf!  Young David was out guarding the flock when the judge and prophet named Samuel came to Jesse of Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons to be king to replace wicked king Saul (1 Samuel 16:13).  Samuel anointed David, and the Holy Spirit came upon him.  2 Samuel 5:2- "Previously, when Saul was king over us, you (David) were the one who led Israel out and in.  And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.'"

Shepherds spend a great deal of time alone in the wilderness with very few weapons to defend themselves and the sheep.  Their weapons consisted mostly of a staff, a shepherd's bag, and a pouch, to protect the flock and themselves.  They must possess great courage and love for the sheep to do this!  God was training this young shepherd, David, to be His king.  This training comes in handy when Israel is being threatened by a Philistine giant name Goliath -- the enemy of God and His people.

All of Israel was trembling before this giant Goliath but David was not.  Why?  Because David trusted God and had already faced dangerous animals and knew how to use the smallest of weapons in his defense.  He tells King Saul he is not afraid of this giant because he had trusted God and had protected his flock from danger in the past and DAVID HATED THAT GOLIATH WAS BLASPHEMING THE GOD OF ISRAEL!  1 Samuel 17:34, 37- "But David said to Saul, 'Your servant was tending his father's sheep.  When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, … And David said, 'The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine'.  So, Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the Lord be with you.'"  David trusted His God and took just a sling from his shepherd's bag and one of the five smooth stones which he had gathered.  And using this sling, he put one of those smooth stones between the eyes of the giant Goliath and killed him.  God had prepared a shepherd to be His king!  David the shepherd king in whose lineage was the promise.  What promise?  The promise is Jesus Christ the Messiah of the tribe of Judah Who would be born in Bethlehem the town of David! A man loyal and faithful to his God and to God's people. He was willing to pay the price even at the cost of his own life.

The word shepherd is used in Scripture over one hundred times. God has called many men to be shepherds in His Scriptures. Both the Old and the New Testaments show men called to shepherd His people Israel and also His people the church! God is looking for faithful, humble servants (shepherds) who do not fear man but fear God! Men of integrity who have made a covenant with God to serve Him and His people no matter the cost. Even to the point of death! Some were good shepherds, and some unfortunately were evil ones! The books of First and Second Kings and Chronicles speak of many evil kings, princes, leaders, and priests who led God's people into idolatry and rebellion against God. And God ended up destroying Israel and Judah!

In the Old Testament God has some extraordinarily strong words about the Shepherds who lead God's people astray! Ezekiel 34:1-6- "Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them."

These evil Old Testament shepherds were selfish and self-centered; they took advantage of God's people; and they led them in false teaching by bringing the people into idolatry and rebellion -- thus, bringing great judgment on the land. The shepherds used the people for their own personal gain and cared little about the people they were shepherding. They did not teach them the Word of God but used them as a source of revenue. They have no concern for the people who are lost or the ones who are weak in their walk and spiritual knowledge. Those who are spiritually sick and need discipling, they leave by the wayside. The broken hearted they ignore and do not help them find their way. They do not shepherd the people – rather, they lord over the people and force them to live in falsehood and deception! SOUND FAMILIAR??

What about the New Testament? What does it say about the shepherds? In John's gospel, we see Jesus at the seaside breakfast restoring the apostle Peter who had denied Him three times. John 21:15-17- "So, when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'"

We see Jesus referring to His disciple Peter as a shepherd -- and to the church as the sheep. In this same gospel of John Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd- John 10:11- "I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus shows us this truth when He laid down His life for us on the Roman cross. Peter ended up shepherding, feeding, and tending to Jesus'  sheep as Jesus commanded him -- and he ended up dying for the sheep on a Roman cross upside down. As a matter of fact, all the Apostles died for the sheep by martyrdom except John! The church needs these kinds of brave and holy shepherds desperately in our day. Those who see the wolf in sheep's clothing and attack and destroy it before it devours the flock. Those who love the sheep deeply and sacrifice self for the sheep.

John 10:12- "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep." This Scripture follows directly after Jesus declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd. He is giving us a clear distinction between godly shepherds and hired hands! Christian ministers today are to be the shepherds of their flocks. 

They will either be good shepherds or hired hands.  The good shepherd will learn to love the sheep -- God's people -- placed in their care; and they will do just about anything for them to be wholly sanctified souls (1 Thessalonians 5:23). They passionately preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to Christ's sheep so that they will find eternal life.

The hired hand is driven by the status quo.  This is someone who puts a few hours in and then heads home. He does not possess God's love for the sheep within the church. The hired hand tends to use the people for personal gain – often using them as a source of revenue.  They do not teach their people the Word of God – therefore, rather than feeding their sheep they are starving them of Truth and causing them to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.  They lack passion and compassion for souls: for the lost; for those who are weak in their walk and in dire need of discipling; for the suffering and broken hearted that are struggling to find their way…  They do not shepherd the people.  They do not tend the lambs.  Instead, they try to master the people and force them to live in falsehood and deception!  Hired hands can also be slothful and seek shortcuts to "growth" by bringing in the latest fad or program without ever checking it against Scripture to see if it is of God's Word or if it is of the work and reasoning of man.

What about the true good shepherd? What does he look like in our day? Pastor Jim Elliff, in his extended meditation on this passage in his essay "The Cure of Souls," writes: "Since, the word pastor is literally the word shepherd, we must assume that what we are seeing in so many of our churches is a "pastor" who is not a pastor. He may be concerned for truth; he may be concerned for preaching; he may be concerned for growth; he may be concerned for evangelism. But if he is not concerned about the sheep, he is only a hireling." ^[1]

Elliff suggests six components of true good shepherds:

"1) Pastoral intimacy: Developing the relationship that under girds all other ministry toward the individual.
2) Pastoral tutelage: Providing personal Biblical instruction for increasing character, skills, or knowledge.
3) Pastoral guidance: Offering objective Biblical direction through conflicts, reversals of life, distortions in thinking, and decision-making for those overwhelmed by them.
4) Pastoral consolation: Giving spiritual comfort during trials.
5) Pastoral guardianship: Watching out for the enemy's assaults on the weakness of the sheep and warning and disciplining the sheep when they are rebellious.
6) Pastoral intercession: Praying with believers."^[2]

There are characteristics of good shepherds which the Lord is using to show us why shepherds are so dear to Him.  Shepherds today include pastors, teachers, elders, deacons, and they should show these same characteristics as they shepherd God's sheep.   Shepherds are willing to sacrifice their own life for the life of their sheep (John 10:11).  Shepherds seek the well-being of their sheep (Psalm 23).  Shepherds lead the sheep to good pastures and water sources to keep them healthy (Psalm 23).  They will go out and find the sheep who have wandered away from the flock and bring them back to safety (Matthew 18:12)!  If the sheep are injured, they will care for and mend up their wounds and sometimes they will be found carrying them on their shoulder! (Ezekiel 34:12).  They are attentive both day and night with a watchful eye to protect the sheep from all kinds of danger (Luke 2:8).  Jesus refers to His church as His sheep; and when He restored Peter at the lakeside meal, He told Peter to feed His sheep and tend His lambs (John 21:15-17).

Some suggestions from Pastor/Author Brian G. Hedges for Being a Good Shepherd:

Making It Personal
-How well do I know my sheep? Do I regularly seek out opportunities to develop deeper relationships with my people?
-Am I faithfully feeding my sheep with the food provided for them by the Chief Shepherd? -Are my messages marked by clear Biblical teaching more than therapeutic and motivational pop-psychology?
-Am I equipped to wisely guide the sheep with Biblical counsel? Do people who come to me for counsel leave with a clear understanding of the Biblical course of action?
-Am I available to comfort the sick and dying sheep among the flock? Do I give adequate time and attention to the elderly?
-Have I been alert to potential threats to the flock? Do I warn the sheep against false teaching? Have I led our church in the exercise of Biblical church discipline?
-Do I consistently pray for the flock? Do I follow up on prayer requests and on promises made to pray for people? ^[3]

So, shepherds are you willing to face the giants of our day as David did? Are you putting on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10) daily to protect your sheep from Satan and to defeat Satan and his minions? Do you fear man more than God? Do you know we are in a life and death battle for souls? Is Jesus truly the center of your teaching and preaching? Are you a man-pleaser or a God-pleaser? We should examine ourselves daily to see if we are in the faith, confess and repent of sin and seek the Holy Spirit's counsel and wisdom. If Solomon prayed for wisdom and discernment for leading God's people (2 Chronicles 1:11-12) how much more must we as shepherds of Jesus's sheep seek the same?!

End Notes:

[1]Jim Elliff, "The Cure of Souls: The Pastor Serving the Flock" in John H. Armstrong, ed., Reforming Pastoral Ministry: Challenges for Ministry in Postmodern Times (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001) 148.

[2] Ibid., 152-153.

^[3]Posted by Brian G. Hedges on Saturday, February 11, 2006  www.brianghedges.com/2006/02/shepherd-or-hired-hand.html