the tents of Shem: my meaning is, that those who as yet never knew what it
was to be enfolded in the bosom of Jesus, who as yet were never lambs nor
ewes in Christ's fold, consider the sweetness of this Shepherd, and come in
to him. Satan deals seemingly sweet, that he may draw you into sin, but in
the end he will be really bitter to you. Christ, indeed, is seemingly
bitter to keep you from sin, hedging up your way with thorns. But he will
be really sweet if you come into his flock, even notwithstanding your sins.
Thou lookest into Christ's fold, and thou seest it hedged and fenced all
about to keep you in from sin, and this keeps thee from entering; but, oh!
let it not. Christ, indeed, is unwilling that any of his should wander, and
if they be unwilling too, it's well. And if they wander he'll fetch them
in, it may be with his shepherd's dog (some affliction); but he'll not be,
as we say, dogged himself. No, he is and will be sweet. It may be, Satan
smiles, and is pleasant to you while you sin; but know, he'll be bitter in
the end. He that sings syren-like now, will devour lion-like at last.
He'll torment you and vex you, and be burning and bitterness to you. O come
in therefore to Jesus Christ; let him be now the shepherd of thy soul. And
know then, he'll be sweet in endeavouring to keep thee from sin before thou
commit it; and he'll be sweet in delivering thee from sin after thou hast
committed it. O that this thought—that Jesus Christ is sweet in his
carriage unto all his members, unto all his flock, especially the sinning
ones, might persuade the hearts of some sinners to come in unto his fold.
John Durant, 1652.
Verse 1 ( first clause ). Feedeth me, or is my feeder, my pastor.
The word comprehendeth all duties of a good herd, as together feeding,
guiding, governing, and defending his flock.
Henry Ainsworth.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd." Now the reasons of this
resemblance I take to be these:—First, one property of a good shepherd
is, skill to know and judge aright of his sheep, and hence is it that it is
a usual thing to set mark upon sheep, to the end that if they go astray (as
of all creatures they are most subject to wander), the shepherd may seek
them up and bring them home again. The same thing is affirmed of Christ, or
rather indeed Christ affirmeth the same thing of himself, "I know them, and
they follow me." John 10:27. Yea, doubtless, he that hath numbered the
stars, and calleth them all by their names, yea, the very hairs of our head,
taketh special notice of his own children, "the sheep of his pasture," that
they may be provided for and protected from all danger. Secondly, a good
shepherd must have skill in the pasturing of his sheep, and in bringing them
into such fruitful ground, as they may battle and thrive upon: a good
shepherd will not suffer his sheep to feed upon rotten soil, but in
wholesome pastures . . . . Thirdly, a good shepherd, knowing the
straying nature of his sheep, is so much the more diligent to watch over
them, and if at any time they go astray, he brings them back again. This is
the Lord's merciful dealing towards poor wandering souls. . . . Fourthly, a good shepherd must have will to feed his sheep according to his
skill: the Lord of all others is most willing to provide for his sheep. How
earnest is Christ with Peter, to "feed his sheep," urging him unto it three
several times! Fifthly, a good shepherd is provided to defend his flock. . . . The Lord is every way provided for the safety and defence of his
sheep, as David confesseth in this Psalm (verse 4), "Thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me." And again, "I took unto me two staves" (saith the Lord),
"the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the
flock." Zechariah 11:7. Sixthly, it is the property of a good shepherd,
that if any of his sheep be weak and feeble, or his lambs young, for their
safety and recovery he will bear them in his arms. The Lord is not wanting
to us herein. Isaiah 40:11. And lastly, it is the property of a good
shepherd to rejoice when the strayed sheep is brought home. The Lord doth
thus rejoice at the conversion of a sinner. Luke 15:7.
Samuel Smith.
Verse 1. "The Lord is my shepherd." I notice that some of the flock
keep near the shepherd, and follow whithersoever he goes without the least
hesitation, while others stray about on either side, or loiter far behind;
and he often turns round and scolds them in a sharp, stern cry, or sends a
stone after them. I saw him lame one just now. Not altogether unlike the
good Shepherd. Indeed I never ride over these hills, clothed with flocks,
without meditating upon this delightful theme. Our Saviour says that the
good shepherd, when he putteth forth his own sheep, goeth before them, and
they follow. John 10:4. This is true to the letter. They are so tame and
so trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost docility. He
leads them forth from the fold, or from their houses in the villages, just
where he pleases. As there are many flocks in such a place as this, each
one takes a different path, and it is his business to find pasture for them.
It is necessary, therefore, that they should be taught to follow, and not to
stray away into the unfenced fields of corn which lie so temptingly on
either side. Any one that thus wanders is sure to get into trouble. The
shepherd calls sharply from time to time to remind them of his presence.
They know his voice, and follow on; but, if a stranger call, they stop
short, lift up their heads in alarm, and, if it is repeated, they turn and
flee, because they know not the voice of a stranger. This is not the
fanciful costume of a parable, it is simple fact. I have made the
experiment repeatedly. The shepherd goes before, not merely to point out
the way, but to see that it is practicable and safe. He is armed in order
to defend his charge, and in this he is very courageous. Many adventures
with wild beasts occur, not unlike that recounted by David (1 Samuel 27:34-36), and in these very mountains; for though there are now no lions here,
there are wolves in abundance; and leopards and panthers, exceeding fierce,
prowl about the wild wadies. They not unfrequently attack the flock in the
very presence of the shepherd, and he must be ready to do battle at a
moment's warning. I have listened with intense interest to their graphic
descriptions of downright and desperate fights with these savage beasts.
And when the thief and the robber come (and come they do), the faithful
shepherd has often to put his life in his hand to defend his flock. I have
known more than one case in which he had literally to lay it down in the
contest. A poor faithful fellow last spring, between Tiberias and Tabor,
instead of fleeing, actually fought three Bedawin robbers until he was
hacked to pieces with their khanjars, and died among the sheep he was
defending. Some sheep always keep near the shepherd, and are his special
favorites. Each of them has a name, to which it answers joyfully, and the
kind shepherd is ever distributing to such, choice portions which he gathers
for that purpose. These are the contented and happy ones. They are in no
danger of getting lost or into mischief, nor do wild beasts or thieves come
near them. The great body, however, are mere worldlings, intent upon their
mere pleasures or selfish interests. They run from bush to bush, searching
for variety or delicacies, and only now and then lift their heads to see
where the shepherd is, or, rather where the general flock is, lest they get
so far away as to occasion a remark in their little community, or rebuke
from their keeper. Others, again, are restless and discontented, jumping
into everybody's field, climbing into bushes, and even into leaning trees,
whence they often fall and break their limbs. These cost the good shepherd
incessant trouble.
W. M. Thomson, D.D., in "The Land and the Book."
Verse 1. "Shepherd." As we sat the silent hillsides around us were in
a moment filled with life and sound. The shepherds led their flocks forth
from the gates of the city. They were in full view, and we watched them and
listened to them with no little interest. Thousands of sheep and goats were
there, grouped in dense, confused masses. The shepherds stood together
until all came out. Then they separated, each shepherd taking a different
path, and uttering as he advanced a shrill peculiar call. The sheep heard
them. At first the masses swayed and moved, as if shaken by some internal
convulsion; then points struck out in the direction taken by the shepherds;
these became longer and longer until the confused masses were resolved into
long, living streams, flowing after their leaders. Such a sight was not new
to me, still it had lost none of its interest. It was perhaps one of the
most vivid illustrations which human eyes could witness of that beautiful
discourse of our Lord recorded by John, "And the sheep hear the shepherd's
voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when
he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow
him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will
flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers," chapter 10:3-5.
The shepherds themselves had none of that peaceful and placid aspect which
is generally associated with pastoral life and habits. They looked more
like warriors marching to the battle-field—a long gun slung from the
shoulder, a dagger and heavy pistols in the belt, a light battle-axe or
ironheaded club in the hand. Such were the equipments; and their fierce
flashing eyes and scowling countenances showed but too plainly that they
were prepared to use their weapons at any moment.
J. L. Porter, A.M., in "The Giant Cities of Bashan," 1867.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." You must distinguish 'twixt absence,
and 'twixt indigence. Absence is when something is not present;
indigence or want, is when a needful good is not present. If a man were
to walk, and had not a staff, here were something absent. If a man were to
walk, and had but one leg, here were something whereof he were indigent. It
is confessed that there are many good things which are absent from a good
person, but no good thing which he wants or is indigent of. If the good be
absent and I need it not, this is no want; he that walks without his cloak,
walks well enough, for he needs it not. As long as I can walk carefully and
cheerfully in my general or particular calling, though I have not such a
load of accessories as other men have, yet I want nothing, for my little
is enough and serves the turn. . . . Our corruptions are still craving, and
they are always inordinate, they can find more wants than God needs to
supply. As they say of fools, they can propose more questions than twenty
wise men need to answer. They in James 4:3, did ask, but received not;
and he gives two reasons for it:—1. This asking was but a lusting:
"ye lust and have not" (verse 4): another, they did ask to consume it upon
their lusts (verse 3). God will see that his people shall not want; but
withal, he will never engage himself to the satisfying of their corruptions,
though he doth to the supply of their conditions. It is one thing what the
sick man wants, another what his disease wants. Your ignorance, your
discontents, your pride, your unthankful hearts, may make you to believe
that you dwell in a barren land, far from mercies (as melancholy makes a
person to imagine that he is drowning, or killing, etc.); whereas if God did
open your eyes as he did Hagar's, you might see fountains and streams,
mercies and blessings sufficient; though not many, yet enough, though not so
rich, yet proper, and every way convenient for your good and comfort; and
thus you have the genuine sense, so far as I can judge of David's assertion,
"I shall not want."
Obadiah Sedgwick.
Verse 1. "I shall not want." Only he that can want does not want; and
he that cannot, does. You tell me that a godly man wants these and these
things, which the wicked man hath; but I tell you he can no more be said to
"want" them than a butcher may be said to want Homer, or such another
thing, because his disposition is such, that he makes no use of those things
which you usually mean. 'Tis but only necessary things that he cares for,
and those are not many. But one thing is necessary, and that he hath
chosen, namely, the better part. And therefore if he have nothing at all
of all other things, he does not want, neither is there anything wanting
which might make him rich enough, or by absence whereof, his riches should
be said to be deficient. A body is not maimed unless it have lost a
principal part: only privative defects discommend a thing, and not those
that are negative. When we say, there is nothing wanting to
such-and-such a creature or thing that a man hath made, we mean that it hath
all that belongs necessarily to it. We speak not of such things as may be