June 10
A SHEPHERD SECURES THEM
"They shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid"
Zeph. 3:13
Yesterday we thought of the afflicted and poor people whom the Lord
left to be a living seed in a dead world. The prophet says of such
that they shall not work iniquity nor speak lies. So that while they
had neither rank nor riches to guard them, they were also quite unable
to use those weapons in which the wicked place so much reliance: they
could neither defend themselves by sin nor by subtlety.
What then? Would they be destroyed? By no means! They should both
feed and rest, and be not merely free from danger, but even quiet from
fear of evil. Sheep are very feeble creatures, and wolves are terrible
enemies; yet at this hour sheep are more numerous than wolves, and the
cause of the sheep is always winning, while the cause of the wolves is
always declining. One day flocks of sheep will cover the plains, and
not a wolf will be left. The fact is that sheep have a shepherd, and
this gives them provender, protection, and peace. "None" -- which
means not one, whether in human or diabolical form -- "shall make them
afraid." Who shall terrify the Lord's flock when He is near? We lie
down in green pastures, for Jesus Himself is food and rest to our
souls.