The Good Shepherd – My Understanding as a Child

Psalms 23, as I read it today, takes me back to the memories of my childhood days and how I understand and appreciate the good shepherd. In the countryside, we have a field in the slopes of the western wall of the small valley we lived in.

There in the field, we stayed guarding our field in a shabby thatched-hut with my Grandpa most of the time. Grandpa taught us Bible stories and together we would recite verses from the Bible. I can easily recall our huge family at that time reciting the verses once Grandpa or my father had started with, “The Lord is my Shepherd…….”

In the dark or starry nights, we would recite the verses of Psalms 23 again and again until we memorize it. Simple and plain yet very comforting in my heart. And, here I want to share some of it although it may not be theologically correct. At each level, the word is sufficient, penetrable, and comforting in different phases of our lives.

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“The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.” I have had good experience of herding flock of water buffaloes and sometimes cows. A herder’s priority rest on the needs of the flock – for them to get their stomach filled, protection from enormous heat, leading them to water, leading them to a place with softer grass. We’re all busy the whole day for them. Sometimes in the vastness of the open spaces in the valleys and small hills, we sat through the day check every movement of them.

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We would carry the young ones, feed them with our hands as we let them stay beside us. We love and care for them as we were afraid they’d fall in some unseen pits.
As for us when we were not herding we spent time in the field. Under the heat of the sun, we would head towards the higher altitude of the hills which drained our energy as we thirst. Lying down full body on a narrow grassy strip was heavenly.

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On our way to our field, when we were thirsty, a brook from nowhere was there to clench our thirst. The water was icy cold filled with sweet natural taste, which we drank with a big leaf each from the nearby trees. “He leads us to still waters.” We sat down, thank God with a small prayer, for He had provided us water when we needed most.

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While spending our daily lives that way, we tend to do things wrong – going away from the right path. Righteousness was a virtue worth treasuring but was easily lost in cheap lies and the cover-up of our lies. As a child, grandparents and my parents would bring us back to the right path. In the name of the Lord, in His name’s sake, we were able to tread on the right path again.

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A Stream on our way, deep dark, and narrow, was what we called it as ‘Shadow of death.’ In rainy seasons, it was slippery with a very strong current flowing in a short time. A certain number of cattle lives were lost in this small stream as it was covered with bushes and tall grass which makes it hard to see from afar.

When we walked through the stream and its surroundings, we were reminded of “Even though I walk through the darkest valley….,” as it was the example grandpa have taken when he taught us the word of God.

We had staff in our hand every day, a rod-like hammer made from wood for work in the field. While herding cattle and in work, they are our comfort as we used it to defend or fight against unprecedented insects, lizards, crawlers, and animal attack. “…Your rod and your staff they comfort me.”

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Kids were in groups; we were in our small gangs – not the real gangs though. We make friend circle depending on our neighborhood areas. We do not see eye to eye with kids from other neighborhoods although our numbers are few.

We were dogs and cats in competitions, especially football and the likes. When we won the game, I would relate in my mind with “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.”

However, grandpa would reiterate who trusted in the Lord have no enemies in that way. Enemies are defeated by the power of the cross and in the power of the cross, there is power of forgiveness.

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Grandpa was anointed to serve the Lord. When he would for door-to-door visit for prayer, I had the privilege of following him. Although our living condition was miserable, we were not consumed by it. People loved the one who trusted in the Lord, who set out in the name of the Lord.

They would serve him tea. It seems funny, yet there are times I’d followed him for the special tea people would offer to him as a pastor. Childishly though, that is how I’d understand a person with God could be filled without a penny if he trusted in the Lord.

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Trusting with humility in the Lord never goes in vain. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” I’ve experienced cattle not enjoying being herded; they are not free to roam around as much as they can!

We are bound with love and goodness, yet we do not want to submit to the Lord. We are busy with our personal rights, natural rights, self-centered, pleasuring ourselves at any cost, which leads many astray. We naturally rebel against the Lord.

Yet if we let the Lord herded us with His supreme sovereignty goodness and love will endure forever. And we “will dwell forever in the house of the Lord.”

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Now that I have grown, I came to know the geographical locations and pastures are a bit different from my imaginary and countryside contours where I grew up. The grass or moist rocks in the evening still astonished me. Our way of pasturing and places are completely in a different world. However, the comforting level has remained constant as with the word of God, which never changes.

I have not set a foot physically, in the valley of the shadow of death, yet at some point of time in my life, I have been there too. My time when my sin gripped me, my time in OT, my times in the ER are some of it. I wanted to erase some of them but not anymore yet He never forsakes me. He leads me into the right path and into still waters.

Most of his time, David was fleeing from King Saul, and then his family conflict as a result of his sin – he would have known what shadow of death really is in heart. His desire for Zion while in the valley of the shadow of death is enormous. But King David took refuge in the Lord.

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want ( not more than what He gave me). The Lord is my shepherd I will be contented. The Lord is my shepherd He will meet all my needs. (my emphasis added Psalms 23:1)