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Chief Shepherd


And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (I Peter 5:4)

CHIEF SHEPHERD
The first thing that come to mind this morning are Hannah Hurnard's Hind's Feet On High Places. It's an allegory in which the Chief Shepherd has a prominent role. If you haven't read it, you should. The second thing that comes to mind is the question of why the Chief Shepherd would make sheep into shepherds. I have known (or known of) some great pastors and some who weren't so great. Wouldn't it have been wiser to give us shepherds who would protect us from the wolves, lions, bears and dragons out there? Sheep just really aren't equipped for that sort of thing.
          Then again, the Chief Shepherd, who was not a man, became a man. He lived a human life and according to Hebrews, that means that He can and does understand our weaknesses. His goal apparently wasn't to do for us so much as to do with us. If the shepherds He chooses weren't human, they could not understand our weaknesses. Paul was told that it was in his weaknesses that God's power is made perfect (II Corinthians 12:9.) God gives grace to the "sheepish" shepherds and to us so that His power again is made to be just what we need.
          And what of the wolves, lions, bears and dragons out there? Don't we need shepherds who are more equal to the predators we face? I suspect that the answer to that question is that we are in far more danger from ourselves and from other humans than we are from Satan's pack or pride. They don't need to do a thing for us to make a mess of our lives and world. The Chief Shepherd is wise, and knows that sheep who know His voice are more often needed by the rest of His flock than herd dogs. That doesn't mean we aren't also guarded by angels - just that the sheepish shepherds are more often needed.

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