He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.  Isaiah 40:11

Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?  Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?  Isaiah 40:13, 14

For Isaiah, a lovely simile of God’s care is like the care a good shepherd has for his sheep. In the 66 chapters of this priceless book the one image or story that sticks in my mind perhaps more than any other and the one I often find most helpful is God as a shepherd and me as his lamb along with his other lambs.

The Good Shepherd does have a flock, his flock. He tends them. He owns them.  They are his. They know his voice and he knows theirs.  I need to dwell on that.

I am impressed this morning by that little telling phrase, “He carries them close to his heart.”  The life bond is divine love.  Not that we love him, necessarily, but that He loves us!

Getting on with the vision, at times the shepherd leads his sheep through scary places. The sheep do not understand what the shepherd has in mind, nor are they intended to do so.  We read in verse 13, “Who has understood the mind of the Lord?”  A good sheep does not try to figure out why God does what he does.  The sheep’s welfare is the result of simply obeying the Good Shepherd.   For God’s lambs, obedience is the only way to happiness and contentment. It is not to be found, certainly, in the ability of the sheep to understand totally what is in the tender and loving heart of the shepherd.  The secret is obedience.  Happiness is not to be sought, obedient love results in it.  We know that the result of simple obedience is peace and security – and everlasting joy.  An obedient sheep is a happy sheep.  A rebellious one is in big trouble. Maybe that rebellious sheep is more at home in Satan’s flock where selfishness and discontent mark the day.

I find it interesting that when lost sheep find their new flock, that of Jesus, their Savior, they still, at times, stir themselves and question the wisdom of God.  The Good Shepherd has ways to help them simply trust and obey but that desire to find their own way can only be overcome by their unconditional love for the Good Shepherd and his love for them.

God’s sheep are contented.  Such contentment comes from fully trusting that the shepherd knows more, sees further, loves more sincerely than the sheep can possibly imagine.