Anticipating the Shepherd King

English

anticipating the shepherd king

Micah 5:1-6

This is the third Advent weekend, a weekend traditionally known as Angels and Shepherds weekend. This year, we'll focus on the shepherds as we remember that God chose to announce Jesus' birth through angels to shepherds, that Jesus was born in a sheep's stable, and that Jesus himself claimed that he had come to be a shepherd.

Introductory Illustration: Fixing our septic system
As I was working on this message, Chris and I were having work done on our septic system. Without being too graphic about this, let me simply say that when a septic system backs up, it is a messy and smelly problem. We tried to fix it by simply pouring Drano down the toilet but that didn't help. And using a "plumber's snake" to try to unclog things didn't help either. So, we had to get an expert to put a scope down through the pipes to diagnose the problem. Then we discovered that the septic pipes flowing from our house to the tank were the old clay pipes and that they had not been sealed properly when installed. So, the problem was that roots of all kinds had grown into the pipes over many decades and had completely clogged the pipes. Because of that, no superficial solution helped at all. Someone had to go in personally, rip out the roots, replace the piping where necessary and reseal the pipes properly. This kind of personal intervention in a septic problem is not a pleasant or inexpensive job -- but it's the only way things can be made right.
I know that, at Christmas time, we love to think about the beautiful parts of the "little lord Jesus" born in a manger. But, today, we see that the Bible makes us look at the messy life-on-life work that Jesus was willing to engage in personally so that you and I might be able to be made clean and become useful to God. The image for this that the Bible often uses is that God is willing to send his Son to be a shepherd to sheep. It was a metaphor that takes us today to one of the great prophecies about the birth of Jesus the Messiah. It was written 700 years before Jesus was born by a prophet named Micah.

Setting: Israel/Judah was in trouble -- Both external and internal
Micah 5:1 simply points to the fact that Israel was about to be attacked by the major superpower of the day, i.e., Assyria. Quite frankly, from a human perspective, God's people had no hope of escaping from this. But Micah lets us know that the external problem of a military attack was caused by internal problems in the lives of the people of Israel. God's message to his people focused on the awful self-serving leadership of the political, business and religious leaders of his day. The government leaders were unjustly seizing the property of the poor rather than protecting them. The wealthy business leaders were becoming wealthier by engaging in corrupt business practices. And even their priests were preaching only for money and personal prestige. Sadly, the people as a whole had turned away from Jehovah God and were pursuing other religions. For all this, Micah promised destruction would come and it did: The 10 tribes of Israel became a heap of ruins in 722 BC. Jerusalem and the two tribes of Judah went into exile in 586 BC into Babylon.
But, God still loved his people and God still had a plan to redeem his people. And what we read about in Micah 5:2-6 is that all the way back to the days of the great King David, God had promised to send a human king through whom he would rule the world with justice and peace. In fact, God would be so closely identified with this Promised One that the Messiah would be called, "Mighty God and Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)." The surprising was that though this mighty King was to be a ruler, Micah also said the Messiah would be a shepherd to sheep – a shepherd like David who, also like David, would be born in Bethlehem. Today, I simply want us to think about what it means 1) for God to call us sheep, 2) for God to call Jesus a shepherd and 3) for us to be sheep who follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

#1: Our Condition: God calls us sheep.
All of us are like sheep... (Is 53:6).
There is both bad news and good news in the Bible's labeling us as sheep. I'll start with the bad news: It's simply not very flattering to be called sheep. We tend to sentimentalize animals in our society. When people think about sheep in our world, we often think about the cute little stuffed animals our small children love to take to bed with them.
When the Bible talks about us being sheep, it is not referring to us being soft, attractive and pleasant creatures. Sheep are smelly, stubborn, intellectually dense and cantankerous. You can read a lot about how sheep were viewed in the Bible in books like those written by Philip Keller that seek to give first hand descriptions of sheep from the shepherds' perspective. Among the many, many points Keller makes are these: Sheep are not good decision-makers. They don't handle independence well. However, when they do make decisions, they are stubborn about them. If a sheep tries to go through a hole in the fence, and the hole is too small, it will just keep on trying to go forward through that same hole instead of backing out and looking for another one. We, human beings are made to be rulers and care-takers of God's creation but, when we act like sheep, we get into sheep-like patterns of doing the same foolish things over and over.
Beyond that, sheep are gullible and often blindly follow what other sheep do. For example, if one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. And this is something we see too often in ourselves too. As Paul wrote, we tend to conform to the ways of the world around us – even the destructive ways of our world.
And, in the context of Micah, sheep have no means to protect themselves against the enemies around them. In fact, sheep often cannot their way home even when home is within sight. Sheep cannot survive unless there is someone personally involved in guiding and protecting them. So, you can see that it's not all that great to be compared to dense, smelly, clueless and helpless sheep.
So, why would anyone ever want to care for and protect sheep? Here is the good news. In the biblical world, sheep were of great value. They were essential to almost every part of Israel's society: Sheep provided food, wool for clothing, and the source of sacrifices required for worship. So, when God calls us sheep, he also wants us to know how valuable we are to him. There is no philosophy or religion that has a higher view of human life than the Bible. We are God's image-bearers. All creation declares the glory of God – but no part of creation can do so more fully than human beings. Created to reflect God's image, we have, according to the Bible, chosen to reduce ourselves to sheep. So, we need help. We need a savior. We need a protector. We need a shepherd. As Isaiah said: All of us are like sheep – we go astray...

#2: Our Hope: Jesus is personally willing to be our shepherd.
(The Messiah) shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD... (5:4).
Just as our society sentimentalizes animals, we also sentimentalize what it means to be a shepherd. But, shepherding was not – and still is not – a highly respected profession. The disrespect is not due to the importance of the work. Everyone knew how important sheep were to their lives. The downside of being a shepherd is the nature of the work. There were many humbling and unpleasant parts of it. So, it is what shepherding demands that has always led to shepherds being placed on the lowest rung of society.
For shepherds to fulfill their callings, they had to get involved personally in the lives of their sheep. When we had trouble with our septic pipes, we needed someone who would go in and deal personally with the problem. In a similar way, a shepherd could not stand aloof from the sheep's problems. Shepherds had to enter in. They had to be willing to spend time with sheep (not a very intellectually challenging life), smell like sheep, and sacrifice to protect the sheep. And, doing their jobs often led to the shepherds' deaths.
With that in mind, let me tell you that Jesus is ready to be your shepherd! He enters into your life and begins his work both of forgiving your past and then of getting rid of sin's roots so that you can be what you were meant to be, i.e., not dumb sheep but God-glorifiers. And, we are not easy creatures to transform. It took Jesus' death to bring about our forgiveness. It takes God's Holy Spirit being willing to enter into our unholy lives that is our only hope for a new life.
Notice the powerful way Micah wrote about it in v 4: He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. Notice that the Shepherd stands among us. He is not distant. He is with you in your failure and with you in your need. That's what we remember at Christmas. The one who is in very nature God took on human flesh. Jesus came to shepherd his people.
Let me tell you this clearly: Every human being in this world needs a divine Shepherd. You need a shepherd. The roots of sin are deep in your being. You may not feel that you need God right now -- but you do. You may think you can turn things around with your own wisdom and strength.
Do you see that? You may say, "Hey, I'm doing well. My business is going well. Why do I need God?" That's sheep-like thinking. Sheep don't think deeply about the fact that there is no business, no career, no possession, and no investment that will last in this world. But, you are human. You know that there has to be more to live for than what most people are living for.
Now, let's see the reason why Jesus, the Good Shepherd, had to die. Jesus put it this way himself: I am the good shepherd. "The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (Jn 10:11)." It has become commonplace simply to say something like this: "Jesus died as an example to us of love." And that is true. Jesus said in Jn 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." But, that kind of sacrifice is only loving is the death saves someone from danger.
Can you imagine a young woman going to her fiancé and saying, "We're going to get married soon. But, I really need to know that you love me. Can you prove that you love me?" What if he said, "I'll prove it to you. This is how much I love you!" Then, he goes and jumps off a cliff to his death. Would the young woman say? "That's what I was looking for! That's real love!" No, she would say, "That was crazy! That act makes no sense and does no good at all!"
Being willing to die for the sheep only is an act of love when the shepherd dies to rescue the one he loves from danger. So, let me tell you – on your own, you are in danger. You and I have deeply rooted sins in our lives that we cannot get out by trying to work harder, by reading self-help books or by any human means. The wages of sin is death – separation from God. You need someone from the outside who will enter into your life – with all its roots and ugliness – and get rid of the roots and begin to make you right again. Jesus has come to be your shepherd. "I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life to rescue you."
But, you must invite him into you life. He will forgive your past. Let me tell you clearly that you must confess to God whatever sins and roots you have in your life. You must turn from your old way of life, trust Jesus and let him do whatever he will in your life. So today, I want you to be sure that you have prayed, "Lord Jesus, here is my sin. Please take it and forgive me. Here is my life. I ask you to be my savior. I will follow you." On the authority of God's Word, I tell you that he will save you.
CS Lewis wrote wonderfully about this in his children's book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. All this was illustrated well in CS Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In it, a surly little boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb ("and he almost deserved it" the book begins) wakes up and realizes he is a dragon. Well, he tries over and over again to change himself – to rip off that dragon skin with his own hands. Listen to his testimony:
"Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, 'Oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off?' So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
Then the lion said, 'You will have to let me undress you.'
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. And then there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker and darker, and more knobby-looking than the others had been. After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me in new clothes the same I've got on now, as a matter of fact."
And many have found that to be true. In a Reader's Digest article several years ago, there was a series of testimonies of changed lives including basketball player Julius Erving, skater Janet Lynn, and politician Chuck Colson. All of these people had gone far in the world but were still in emptiness and darkness. That was hard for them to accept even harder to admit. But it was true. But all of them did admit it and turned to Jesus and believed. And Jesus tore off the old self-created skin in their lives, he tore out the old roots of sin, and gave them a new life. And he can do the same for you.

#3: Our Calling: To be sent as Jesus was sent.
As the Father sent me, so I send you (Jn 20:21).
I must also tell you that the transformation of lives like yours and mine is a process that God promises to complete. But it doesn't happen immediately. Lewis wrote about this in his book about Eustace too: It would be nice, and fairly nearly true, to say that "from that time forth Eustace was a different boy." To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But most of those I shall not notice. The cure had begun.
We have this certain hope: Jesus will not leave us as we are for he is the good shepherd.
And, then, with lives committed to Jesus, he leads us in places that we can take up our calling to have our lives make an eternal difference in the lives of others that Jesus loves and wants to come into his fold. He sends us as his witnesses. We go out and love people as he did. And we tell them, "There is hope for a new life for you. Yes, there is hope regardless of how many roots are in your life." We say, "How do I know this? I have found a new life in Christ. If it's possible for me, it's possible for anyone!"
And, when he sends us, Jesus sends us as he was sent. So, count the cost. When you make Jesus your shepherd-savior, Jesus will send you out to be like a shepherd to sheep. That means, he will guide you to places you could never have anticipated. That means you will have to enter into the lives and pain of people. A Jesus-follower cannot simply tell people how bad they are and leave them alone. We must love people – listen to people – feel with people – and refuse to give up on them.
We must be incarnational as Jesus was incarnational. Note this: This does not mean that we live according to the world's morality and values simply to relate to people. No, Jesus-followers must go into all the places of the world and, when we go there, live in ways that please Jesus! Only then, can you demonstrate a better way to live, i.e., God's ways, to your world. I'll tell you – this is not always easy. It takes time to enter into other people's lives. You'll discover all sorts of grimy things out in your world. But, none of them is so grimy that Jesus cannot wash them clean. None of them so deep rooted that Jesus cannot set them free. And Jesus sends you from this place today to carry his message and to show his love – as a shepherd does it for his sheep.
If you feel inadequate for that task and think that only a pastor, seminary professor or missionary can be used by God, then you're probably ready to be used by God. In Micah 5:2, God's Word contrasts the littleness of the town of Bethlehem with the greatness of the ruler who will come out of her. God chooses something small, quiet, out of the way, and does something there that changes the course of history and eternity. Why? Because when he acts this way, we can't boast in the merits of people but only in the glorious mercy of God. In the Bible, God consistently uses the humble and the "weak" to do his mightiest work.
God chose a stable so no innkeeper could boast, "He chose my inn because it's the best!" God chose a manger so that no wood worker could boast, "He chose the craftsmanship of my bed!" He chose Bethlehem so no one could boast, "The greatness of our city is what made the work of God possible!"
When Micah contrasts little Bethlehem and shepherds with the greatness of the Messiah, he shows God acting in his typical fashion: to magnify his glory and to turn our human sense of self-sufficiency and our tendency toward boasting into gratitude and praise and faith.
Jesus is willing to be your shepherd. He is ready to enter into the depths of your life to cleanse you and set you free. It's all his grace. And, he gives you the privilege of going out and being his under-shepherd, entering into the lives of people who need some good shepherding. It's all to his glory! "Glory to God in the highest," the angels said. And so should we.

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor