The Sheep Of God's Pasture

Psalm 95:1-7

Referring to believers as sheep, and the Lord as our Shepherd is a familiar and popular theme in the Bible.  The most prominent and most favorite Scripture of sheep and Shepherd would be Psalm 23, a psalm that many memorize when a child.  Then we have the referral of Jesus, Himself, as the Good Shepherd in John 10.  Several of the prophets refer to God’s people as sheep, and God as their Shepherd.  Another psalm that is popular to many is our psalm for today, Psalm 95.  Let’s take a brief look into this psalm.

Though this psalm does not list its author within the book, when referencing this psalm, the author of the Book of Hebrews identified it as one of David’s psalms.  This would be fitting, as we remember that David was once a shepherd as a youth, guarding his father’s flocks of sheep.  The psalm is also frequently used in various liturgies, often as a call or invitation to worship.

As our psalm opens, David is full of praise to the Lord.  We can almost see him dancing in joy before the Lord.  He calls the Lord here the “Rock of our salvation” (vs. 1).  Numerous times throughout the Book of Psalms we read of God being called a Rock.  They aren’t referring to a small stone, or even a rock that one can pick up and toss.  The type of rock that the psalmists refer to are large boulders, as tall or taller than a man, ones that cannot be moved.  These are rocks that can give a man safety, hiding and protecting them from the enemy.  They can be rocks that they could find shelter from the heat of the sun or from storms.  The Lord is our Rock.  He gives us safety from enemies, and shelter from storms.

When referring to God as the “Rock of our salvation”, David is referring back to the rock that Moses struck, where water came out to provide for the people to drink in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:1-13).  Paul later referred to that spiritual Rock as being a type of Jesus Christ, who indeed is our salvation (I Corinthians 10:4).

As mentioned, this psalm is often used as a call to worship.  David encourages us to sing joyfully to the Lord.  Most worship services will include singing hymns and songs of praise to the Lord, which we can do either publicly in church, or privately at home when we pray and worship the Lord.  Another thing to note is that giving thanks is the proper prelude to worship (vs. 2).  We cannot properly worship without a joyful and thankful heart to God.  We can get away from worries, woes, and concerns when we start naming out loud what we are thankful for.  Our focus will shift to God’s graciousness and love.

David then shifts his focus to the truth of God being the Creator of all (vs. 4-5).  Yahweh is not a local god, like the imaginary pagan gods of the surrounding heathen nations.  They would place their idolatrous shrines in the high places, along river banks, and elsewhere, marking out where each god or goddess held power.  However, Yahweh, the only true God, is the Creator and Ruler of the whole earth, from the deep places of the earth to the heights of the hills, from the sea to the dry land.  God created it all, not some “big bang”, or random dividing of cells in a swampy bog, and He deserves worship by all.

David then invites us again to come and kneel in worship to God, for He is our Maker (vs. 6).  He made us, we didn’t make ourselves.  He is our Creator.  We didn’t just appear randomly.  However, God doesn’t want to remain a distant Creator, He wants to have a close and personal relationship with each of us.  He wants to be our Shepherd.  He wants us to be His sheep in His pasture (vs. 7).  We become God’s sheep when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior.  The Holy Spirit brings us into the fold of the Great Shepherd.

One quick final look at this psalm.  David makes a special and touching note, when he says that “He is our God” in verse 7.  No other false god among the heathen religions of the past or the present desires a close and personal relationship with men and women, except the one true God, Yahweh.  What a privilege to be able to say “He is our God”, and that “we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”  Can you say today that you are one of the sheep of His pasture?  Can you say that He is your God?  If not, do not wait another day.  Turn to the Lord Jesus and accept Him as your Savior.  Then you can have the joy and peace of knowing that He is your Good Shepherd, and you are one of His sheep!