Theological Thursday --- The Sheep

Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known Psalms. As many of you know, David begins by saying, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want"...followed by a lot of comforting words and promises. One of my favorite parts of the Psalm is from verse 2 that says, "He leads me to still waters". To dig a little into this, take into consideration that David is comparing God to a shepherd, which would make us his sheep.

Now, think about a sheep...they are covered in wool. Wool becomes extremely heavy if it becomes wet. If a sheep were to drink in a body of water with a strong current, the weight of its wool may knock it down and if that happened, the sheep would not have the strength to pick itself back up.

So God's (shepherd) promise to lead us (sheep) to the still waters is a comforting promise for his protection. It is a promise that His path is the path that is safe to follow, and that we should have no reservations in following His perfect plan for our lives. It is also a promise of provision from Isaiah 49:10...

"They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them besides springs of water."