“Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he” (1 Sam. 16:11-12).
When Jesse said, “There remaineth yet the youngest,” surely he thought he could not be the elect one. Man cannot understand the ways of God. The very one which God is about to use is overlooked or despised by man. “Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” Glorious words! Perfect reply to the thoughts of Jesse and Samuel!
How happy it is to note David’s occupation. “Behold, he keepeth the sheep.” This was afterwards referred to by the Lord, when He said to David, “I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.” Nothing can more sweetly illustrate the kingly office than the work of a shepherd. Indeed, when it is not executed in the spirit of a shepherd, it fails of its end. King David fully entered into this, as may be seen in those touching words, “These sheep, what have they done?” The people were the Lord’s sheep, and he, as the Lord’s shepherd, kept them on the mountains of Israel, just as he had kept his father’s sheep in the retirement of Bethlehem. He did not alter his character when he came from the sheepcote to the throne and exchanged the crook for the scepter. No; he was the shepherd still, and he felt himself responsible to protect the Lord’s flock from the lions and bears which prowled around the fold.
The Prophetic Allusion
The prophetic allusion to the true David is touching and beautiful. “Therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it” (Ezek. 34:22-2422Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. (Ezekiel 34:22‑24)). And doubtless our Lord’s words in John 6 had more or less reference to His shepherd character. “This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” This is a great principle of truth. Independent of His own personal love for the sheep — so wonderfully attested to in life and in death — the Lord Jesus, in the above memorable passage, presents Himself as one responsible to the Father to keep every member of the loved and valued flock through all the vicissitudes of His course. Even in the matter of death itself, He will present them in resurrection-glory, at the last day. Such is the Shepherd to whom a Father’s hand has committed us, and, oh! how has He provided for us for time and eternity, by placing us in such hands — the hands of an ever-living, ever-loving, all-powerful Shepherd, whose love many waters cannot quench, whose power no enemy can countervail. He is the one who holds in His hand the keys of death and hell and who has established His claim to the guardianship of the flock by laying down His life for it. Truly we may say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” How can we want, while Jesus feeds us? Impossible. Our foolish hearts may often desire to feed on noxious pasture, and our Shepherd may have to prove His gracious care by denying us the use of such, but one thing is certain, that those whom Jesus feeds shall not want any good thing.
The Shepherd Character
There is something in the shepherd character which would seem to be much in harmony with the divine mind, inasmuch as we find the Father, the Son and the Spirit all acting in that character. Psalm 23 may be primarily viewed as the experience of Christ, delighting in the assurance of His Father’s shepherd-care. Then, in John 10, we find the Son presented as the good Shepherd. Lastly, in Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5, we find the Holy Spirit acting in that blessed capacity, by raising up and gifting for the work the subordinate shepherds. It is edifying to notice this. It is like our God to present Himself in the most endearing relationship, and that way most calculated to win our confidence and draw out our affections. Blessed be His name forever! His ways are all perfect; there is none like Him.
One can only say, blessed be the grace which took up one to be ruler over His people who manifested those traits of character which were most blessedly adapted to his work.
C. H. Mackintosh, from his
Miscellaneous Writings, 4:34-38