The Shepherd and His Flock

Book excerpt: Pastoring is both an art and a science; however, much more than that, it is a divine calling wherein God imparts to chosen vessels a gift of his grace that empowers them to extend his loving care to all his children-especially those of the household of faith. While there are many competing theories as to what pastoring means and how it should be fulfilled both in the life of the administrator and in the lives of those who are being pastored, the reality is that the only definition that matters is the one that God himself gives through Holy Scripture. True pastors are identified in the context of the Hebrew Scriptures through the very word itself, which represents a function, not a form. This is true of most words in the Hebrew texts which describe actions rather than states of being. Pastoring, therefore, is a work, not merely a title. The Hebrew word that is translated "pastor" is (ra'ah), which is a verbal form meaning "to pasture." A biblical pastor, therefore, is actually a "pasturer" or "one who pastures," with the visual picture of "one who leads sheep to pasture" or "one who feeds [and cares for] sheep." This metaphor was understood well in the ancient agrarian Israelite society because pasturing sheep was essential to life. This idea is readily understood in that most famous of biblical passages about pastors as shepherds: "The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalm 23:1-2, NIV). A pastor (shepherd) creates a comfortable environment for the ingesting of divine truth and a safe space where people can drink the water of life freely. When God said to Israel, "I will give you pastors after my own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 3:15, NASB), he was playing on the metaphor that is readily attached to the word pastor. "The kind of pastors that I will send you," says God, "are the ones who will feed you with knowledge and understanding." Obviously, Gold was using a vivid example of the shepherd/sheep relationship in ancient Israel to teach a spiritual lesson: the pastors he would give to his people would be the ones who would equip their souls with the knowledge and understanding that they needed for successful living, and they would do so on a continuing, daily basis. A God-called, ordained, and a gifted pastor is someone who by virtue of faith and faithfulness has learned how to be a true servant leader-one who "stands out front and points the way" to spiritual blessing and knowledge and understanding for successful living. A pastor is one who has walked the narrow way with God through Jesus the Messiah in a spiritual exercise of both theoretical knowledge and the practical application of that knowledge. A pastor is one, then, who can teach not only theory and concept but can also demonstrate practical out-working of such ideas. A pastor is one who joins arm-in-arm with those whom he shepherds to help them walk out the life of Jesus in a vibrant and joyful way. A true shepherd demonstrates through dynamic modeling the very truths that are being taught in public community exercises. The Shepherd and His Flock is a volume that will permit you to look deep into the very life and being of a God-called and gifted pastor. You will learn powerful lessons from the heartbeat of his constant interaction with God's sheep, standing with them through pain and suffering, through triumph and rejoicing to help lead them to a Spirit-filled life of peace and blessing. The insights that you will gain from this book will be invaluable to you as you labor in the Master's vineyard and carry out his prime directive: "Go and make many disciples, teaching them all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). Now, take time to walk the road of servanthood with a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, Dr. Jeff Hamm.