Shepherd Of The People
Sermon
THE WAY OF THE KING
Sermons For Pentecost (First Third)
It was over, and it was beginning. The long agonizing struggle between David and Saul was over. Saul was dead, and David's reign, the reign of David the king, was beginning.
David had been only a shepherd boy when God chose him to be king, saying, "You shall be shepherd of my people." Now he was 30 years old, and the people acknowledged him as king. On that day, the people remembered God's word, so in the person of David, king and shepherd were forever joined. And David made a covenant with the people that it would always be so: the shepherd boy would be king, and the king would be shepherd to the people.
"King" and "shepherd," the words are not foreign to us. We know what they mean, yet in our day-to-day experience we have little or nothing to do with kings, or with shepherds either for that matter. Yet from even our limited knowledge of kings and shepherds it is apparent that, different as they are from one another, shepherds and kings do have a few things in common. Both exercise authority: kings over the nation, shepherds over the flock. But where a king can be authoritarian in his authority (ordering a thing, knowing it will be done), have you ever tried to order a flock of sheep around? Just try to force a flock of sheep to do anything. They are likely to scatter in all directions. Gentle persuasion is how the shepherd exercises his authority. Firm, gentle persuasion is needed to get everyone moving. (It is hopeful that everyone moves in the same direction.)
God said to David: "Go ahead, be a king, but when you're doing what you do as king, do it like a shepherd would." So David tried to be a shepherd to his people, and sometimes he succeeded. But other times self-interest got in his way, and David forgot the most basic rule of shepherding: the flock comes first. Through storms and dark nights and rough country: the flock comes first.
When David wanted the lovely Bathsheba to be his wife, he forgot that he was Uriah's shepherd too. In his forgetfulness, David the king ordered Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to go to the front of the battle, where Uriah was killed, leaving David the king to comfort the grieving widow. It took Nathan the prophet, with a story about a poor little lamb to remind the king to be a shepherd.
Yes, David failed at times: when greed or the seduction of power or self-interest led him to forget. But more often David managed to remember, to remember to be both king and shepherd to his people. And it seems to me we could do worse than follow David's lead (in those times when he remembered), knowing we are prone to forgetfulness as well.
It is so easy to forget why God put us on this earth and called us to be God's people. Let's use some words of David's about shepherding, to remind us how we are all called to live our lives. They are probably the most familiar words in the Old Testament - the 23rd Psalm (RSV).
Say it with me:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
What is there in these words which could be considered a model for a life lived like God's shepherd of the people? Think for a moment about full tables and overflowing cups, green pastures and still waters, being led in right paths and walking through dark valleys without fear (as the NRSV translates those last two). Are those positive images to you? Pictures of goodness, fullness, security? This is the way of the shepherd. And if you like the sound of all those good things as part of our way of life with God, then remember that the way of the shepherd is not just about the good life for us (green pastures and overflowing cups and not being afraid). The way of the shepherd is about bringing peace, fullness, tranquility and security to all those around us, in this wide world.
When God calls us to be shepherds to the world, God calls us to care for people, so that they "shall not want." Not want materially: for a place to live and food to eat, for basic medical care. Not want psychologically: not be abused nor addicted nor threatened nor afraid. Not want spiritually: not want for peace of mind and peace of soul, which walks in right paths and does not fear dark valleys. Put plainly, the way to be a shepherd is to care - to see the need around you and do something about it.
If at this point you're thinking, "Sure, that's obvious, doesn't everybody know that?" I wish I could agree with you. But if David lived in a world where shepherds gave and kings took, where shepherds looked after the flock and kings looked after themselves, where shepherds spoke peacefully and kings raged, where shepherds helped with the birthing of a lamb and kings slaughtered the competition; do we live in a world that's all that different? We don't have many shepherds or many kings, but our world has many needs and many wants. It is so easy to become forgetful or overwhelmed or depressed about it all. It is so easy to stop caring.
To live the life of the shepherd is to live a life that cares and tries to make this a better world. To live a life that cares most of the time, or even some of the time, is not any easier these days than it was in David's day. There are few of us who can pull it off all of the time, not even David could manage that! But David at least tried, hard as it was, David tried to care. That set him apart from all the rest. May the same be said of us, that at least we tried.
Loving God, you lead us like a shepherd, in the paths you would have us follow. Forgive us when our ways are not your ways. When we stray, redirect us. When we are lost, find us. When we wander and our sense of direction is confused, lead us home. Help us to be open to the leading of your spirit through all our days. In Jesus' name. Amen.
David had been only a shepherd boy when God chose him to be king, saying, "You shall be shepherd of my people." Now he was 30 years old, and the people acknowledged him as king. On that day, the people remembered God's word, so in the person of David, king and shepherd were forever joined. And David made a covenant with the people that it would always be so: the shepherd boy would be king, and the king would be shepherd to the people.
"King" and "shepherd," the words are not foreign to us. We know what they mean, yet in our day-to-day experience we have little or nothing to do with kings, or with shepherds either for that matter. Yet from even our limited knowledge of kings and shepherds it is apparent that, different as they are from one another, shepherds and kings do have a few things in common. Both exercise authority: kings over the nation, shepherds over the flock. But where a king can be authoritarian in his authority (ordering a thing, knowing it will be done), have you ever tried to order a flock of sheep around? Just try to force a flock of sheep to do anything. They are likely to scatter in all directions. Gentle persuasion is how the shepherd exercises his authority. Firm, gentle persuasion is needed to get everyone moving. (It is hopeful that everyone moves in the same direction.)
God said to David: "Go ahead, be a king, but when you're doing what you do as king, do it like a shepherd would." So David tried to be a shepherd to his people, and sometimes he succeeded. But other times self-interest got in his way, and David forgot the most basic rule of shepherding: the flock comes first. Through storms and dark nights and rough country: the flock comes first.
When David wanted the lovely Bathsheba to be his wife, he forgot that he was Uriah's shepherd too. In his forgetfulness, David the king ordered Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to go to the front of the battle, where Uriah was killed, leaving David the king to comfort the grieving widow. It took Nathan the prophet, with a story about a poor little lamb to remind the king to be a shepherd.
Yes, David failed at times: when greed or the seduction of power or self-interest led him to forget. But more often David managed to remember, to remember to be both king and shepherd to his people. And it seems to me we could do worse than follow David's lead (in those times when he remembered), knowing we are prone to forgetfulness as well.
It is so easy to forget why God put us on this earth and called us to be God's people. Let's use some words of David's about shepherding, to remind us how we are all called to live our lives. They are probably the most familiar words in the Old Testament - the 23rd Psalm (RSV).
Say it with me:
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
What is there in these words which could be considered a model for a life lived like God's shepherd of the people? Think for a moment about full tables and overflowing cups, green pastures and still waters, being led in right paths and walking through dark valleys without fear (as the NRSV translates those last two). Are those positive images to you? Pictures of goodness, fullness, security? This is the way of the shepherd. And if you like the sound of all those good things as part of our way of life with God, then remember that the way of the shepherd is not just about the good life for us (green pastures and overflowing cups and not being afraid). The way of the shepherd is about bringing peace, fullness, tranquility and security to all those around us, in this wide world.
When God calls us to be shepherds to the world, God calls us to care for people, so that they "shall not want." Not want materially: for a place to live and food to eat, for basic medical care. Not want psychologically: not be abused nor addicted nor threatened nor afraid. Not want spiritually: not want for peace of mind and peace of soul, which walks in right paths and does not fear dark valleys. Put plainly, the way to be a shepherd is to care - to see the need around you and do something about it.
If at this point you're thinking, "Sure, that's obvious, doesn't everybody know that?" I wish I could agree with you. But if David lived in a world where shepherds gave and kings took, where shepherds looked after the flock and kings looked after themselves, where shepherds spoke peacefully and kings raged, where shepherds helped with the birthing of a lamb and kings slaughtered the competition; do we live in a world that's all that different? We don't have many shepherds or many kings, but our world has many needs and many wants. It is so easy to become forgetful or overwhelmed or depressed about it all. It is so easy to stop caring.
To live the life of the shepherd is to live a life that cares and tries to make this a better world. To live a life that cares most of the time, or even some of the time, is not any easier these days than it was in David's day. There are few of us who can pull it off all of the time, not even David could manage that! But David at least tried, hard as it was, David tried to care. That set him apart from all the rest. May the same be said of us, that at least we tried.
Loving God, you lead us like a shepherd, in the paths you would have us follow. Forgive us when our ways are not your ways. When we stray, redirect us. When we are lost, find us. When we wander and our sense of direction is confused, lead us home. Help us to be open to the leading of your spirit through all our days. In Jesus' name. Amen.
