The Shepherd Of Israel

by G. Prasher | Category: General | Apr 1953

"Give ear, 0 Shepherd of Israel,

Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;

Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth.

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Thy might,

And come to save us" (Psalm 80.1, 2).

Such was the cry of Asaph as he viewed God as Israel's Shepherd. The Hebrew word is Raah, meaning to feed and tend a flock, to look upon, and in one or more forms of the word it has the thought of looking upon with pleasure, to delight in a person or thing.

This makes the thought of the shepherd character of God increasingly precious as we consider that the One who has undertaken to shepherd His people is He who really finds pleasure and delight in them.

Jacob was conscious of this shepherd-care of God, as he reveals when blessing Joseph and his two sons. He says, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which hath FED (raah) me all my life long unto this day "bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac" (Genesis 48.15, 16).

Perhaps Asaph had the wilderness journey before his mind, for he dwells on their being brought out of Egypt later in the psalm. This Shepherd had led and fed His people had led them by the pillar of cloud by day, and by the pillar of fire by night, and fed them with manna which they knew not - called angels' food in Psalm 78.25 (A.V.): and not less wonderful is the revelation of Deuteronomy

29.5, "I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot". He had proved Himself a faithful Shepherd indeed. Where there were no roads and sign posts, He guided them from place to place: where there were no fields with waving, golden grain He fed them: where there were no tailors' shops He clothed them; and where there were none to sell them footwear He preserved their shoes from wear-precious testimony to the delight and pleasure He found in them, and to His power to provide. He was leading Joseph like a flock, and He dwelt between the cherubim in their midst.

There were special occasions when He who dwelt between the cherubim shined forth, at times to mark His great displeasure in the evil ways of His people, and at other times to mark the joy and satisfaction which were His by reason of their obedience. The occasion of the giving of the law is among these early shinings forth:

"The LORD came from Sinai,

And rose from Seir unto them;

He shined forth from Mount Paran,

And He came from the ten thousands of holy ones:

At His right hand was a fiery law unto them.

Yea, He loveth the peoples;

All His saints are in Thy hand:

And they sat down at Thy feet;

Every one received of Thy words" (Deuteronomy 33.2, 3).

This was a display of His power and majesty designed to bring forth in His people that godly fear and reverence which are comely in relation to Himself. The effect was produced, as we can discern from the words:

"Oh that they had such an heart as this alway, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever" (Deuteronomy 5.29, R.V.M.),

but, alas, God had to say to them,

"Your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away" (Hosea 6.4).

While God their Shepherd was faithful, His people proved to be "a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith".

Another striking instance of the LORD shining forth is at the time of the consecration of the priests, Aaron and his sons. Aaron was commanded to take and offer the sin offerings, the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the peace-offerings, "for," said Moses, "to-day the LORD appeareth unto you" (Leviticus 9.4). When this had been done, and Moses and Aaron had gone into the tent of meeting, and come out, "and blessed the people: the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people". It was surely a time when the joy of the LORD was their strength.

That day before the quails and manna came, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud, because He had heard their murmurings. (Exodus 16.10). Again the glory of the LORD appeared when Korah assembled all the congregation against Moses and Aaron unto the door of the tent of meeting (Numbers 16.19). The shining forth, however, that Asaph cried for was that He might appear in His might for the salvation of His people.

Joseph's position in Camp, and his place in the march through the desert, was close to the sanctuary, and prior to the LORD'S choice of Zion the LORD dwelt in the midst of Joseph's inheritance. Surely we are reminded of this as we hear Asaph cry: "Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up Thy might, and come to save us". His words that follow are instructive: "Turn us again, 0 God; and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved". Evidently there had been departure from the LORD, and before there could be salvation Israel must be turned again to the LORD.

Doubtless the cry of Asaph finds an echo in our hearts, as we so often find ourselves departing from the Lord. May we be helped to cry aloud, remembering that He is the Shepherd of Israel whose heart is tender towards His own; who feeds and leads, and looks upon His Flock with pleasure the while they listen to His voice: but where disobedience is indulged He can be angry against the prayer of His people, and feed them with the bread of tears.

"Lord Jesus, teach us still to keep

Our eyes on Thee, the Living Way;

That we once lost and wandering sheep

From Thee, our Lord, no more may stray;

But whereso'er Thou leadest, we

May follow on most cheerfully."

G. Prasher | Apr 1953
General