Overseer of Your Soul
Have you ever thought about what it was like when God created the animals? I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and one of my favorite parts is seeing how the artists in the films visually recreate some of my favorite magical creatures like hippogriffs and thestrals. Imagine the whimsy of God, making the massive blue whale, the intricate hummingbird or the pieced-together platypus. Not only inventing their physical characteristics but choosing their behaviors. I on team dog because God made them loyal, sweet, and playful.
What was God thinking when He created sheep? Did you know that sheep are mentioned more than any other animal in the bible[1]? Not only were sheep an important part of the ancient world’s economy, but God uses them in the Bible as an analogy of how we act. It’s almost like God knew us and decided to design an animal that reflects our tendencies to show us our need for Him. Most are familiar with parable of the lost sheep, which highlights are tendency to leave Jesus[2]. What does it mean to stray?
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way - Isaiah 53:6a
To stray means to go the way we want to, what seems right in our own eyes[3]. A few verses back from the verse we are unpacking, Peter talks about our response when we suffer—do we threaten back when threatened, do we trust in our own means to protect ourselves --or do we entrust ourselves to God like Jesus did[4]? Another tendency we have is sheep is to not follow God’s commands.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.-- Psalm 119:174–176
Even though we know His commands, we need Him to seek us out because we still don’t follow them. One of the shepherd’s tool’s is a staff. It’s not just used for hiking, but to direct the sheep[5]. Most Christians I know with a repentant heart acknowledge that though they know the Lord’s commands in a certain area, still struggle with habitual sin. It’s different for everyone: yelling at your kids, pornography, gossip…yet we tend to go our own way when life boils us in its pressure cooker.
Peter takes the analogy farther, as he describes the Shepherd as an Overseer of our souls.
This role is outlined in Ezekiel 34. It’s a long passage but helpful in describing the oversite God provides to us, so don’t skip the insertion below. God is sick of the poor leadership of Israel at the time: the Rabbis, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and teachers of the Mosaic law who have allowed the sheep to be sick, lost, scattered, and defenseless. Religious leaders are supposed to be diligent, protecting the flock as we will learn as we come to chapter 5 of 1 Peter.
“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. Ezekiel 34:11–16
Searches…rescues…gathers the scattered…seek the lost…bring back the strayed…we are found
When we wander from God, He doesn’t leave us on our own. He comes after us no matter how we’ve come to be parted from Him. He saves us from peril and does not stop until we are back with Him.
I will feed them…on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places…we are nourished.
The food we need is not physical, though God provides that as well[6]. Instead we need to feed on His Word[7]. I write each week to a faceless audience because I want to, as Jesus told Peter, feed His sheep[8]. Our great Overseer feeds us in the heights, when I feel close to God and all is well with my world, and in the ravines, when God seems far away we find ourselves in barren valleys. The pasture He leads us to is good because it contains the food that endures and gives real life[9].
Lie down and rest…I will do it myself, not delegate this task to those that have failed you…lie down and rest…I will make you rest…we are rejuvenated.
Are we good at resting? No. We are good at doing, making ourselves significant by what we achieve. Displaying our productivity to others like a badge of honor. We don’t rest like we should, so in love God makes us rest. Like a toddler who desperately needs a nap, tucks us in and rubs our back until we stop thrashing. Won’t it go much easier if we chose it instead of being forced into it?
Bind up the injured…strengthen the weak…we are healed.
Jesus, right after he was baptized, was led by the Spirit to the desert[10].
He was lost, he was hungry, he was tired, and he was physically weak…He can minister to us as our Overseer because He actually experienced everything we face. We have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weakness[11].
When Jesus stood in the temple, reading the prophet Isaiah, declaring He would bind up the brokenhearted, all eyes were on Him. He sat down and said Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing[12]. By doing so, He proclaimed…I am the Overseer of your soul.
When have you been lost, hungry, tired, or injured? When have you turned to Him as the Overseer of your soul. The One who takes care of your physical and emotional needs. In prayer thank Him and commit to turning to Him first for your every need. He is capable and willing to care for you.
[1] http://www.sheep101.info/sheepbible.html
[2] Luke 15:4
[3] Judged 17:6
[4] 1 Peter 2:23
[5] https://revheadpin.org/2017/06/14/two-ways-god-uses-the-shepherds-rod/
[6] Matthew 6:26
[7] Matthew 4:4
[8] John 21:17
[9] John 6:27
[10] Matthew 4:1
[11] Hebrews 4:15
[12] Luke 4:21
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