Matthew 1:6
6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
It must have been a proud moment, watching his sons lined up before the prophet Samuel. God had chosen the next king and it would be one of them (1 Samuel 16)! Which one would it be? Maybe Eliab? Abinadab? Shammah? He had seven to choose from! Then in confusion he watched as the prophet shook his head before each one. Sure there was one more…but it was just David! Out of all the sons of Jesse, it couldn’t be him! He was just a shepherd…
But that is who God used, not because he was mighty specimen of manhood…but because he had a heart for God! The shepherd who became a king! He wasn’t perfect of course…none of us are. He committed adultery, betrayal and murder. But when confronted with his sin by the prophet Nathan his responce was repentance. Rather than lifting up in pride, he bowed down in brokenness. A responce worthy of the God of the universe.
If we fast forward around 1000 years to the small town in Bethlehem we see these events coming full circle. A shepherd who became a king to a King who became a Shepherd. Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, laying in a manger full of hay, surrounded by the sounds of animals and the soft cooing of a loving mother and awestruck father. David was found in the field tending the sheep, then anointed and crowed king. Jesus left the glories of heaven to go to the field to find the sheep who desperately needed a Shepherd.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Can you say that today? Maybe you are like me and at times find yourselves wandering the fields having lost your way. Can I encourage you this morning? When the shepherd who became king lost his way he fell at the feet of his King who was also his Shepherd. You don’t have to wander. You don’t have to live in fear of the wolves. Jesus, your Shepherd is there. He said “I have come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10)!
Today as we ReFocus our hearts and minds on Christ let us turn to the Shepherd of our hearts! The King who took off His crown to find you, save you and transform you. And by the way, He did not take off His crown forever (Hebrews 2:7)! There is coming a day when all of creation will bow at his feet and proclaim the King who came to be our Shepherd as Lord of all (Philippians 2:9-11)!
