part 37: The shepherd of Israel
Puzzled About Revelation, august 25 2022
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
main text: Revelation 7:9-10,13-17
Intro
One of the most frequent and enduring images in Scripture is that of a shepherd leading and tending his sheep. It is significant that all the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 12 tribes) were shepherds, and Israel’s most famous king, David, was also a shepherd. Jacob/Israel first called YHWH “my shepherd” and the “Shepherd of Israel” (Gen. 48:15; 49:24). God promised to watch over Jacob all the days of his life and bring him back to the land promised to the seed of Abraham (Gen. 28:15). That promise and prophecy finds its fulfilment here in Revelation 7.
Psalm 23 (ESV): “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
It is no accident that Jesus refers to Himself as the “gate” for the sheep (John 10:7) and the Good Shepherd:
John 10:14-16 (ESV): “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
(Vs. 16:) Jesus said this in fulfillment of Ezekiel 37, where the Lord told Ezekiel to join two sticks together, the house of Judah and the house of Joseph, representing Jew and Gentile, and to make them one, with one flock and one shepherd over them.
This concept carries forward into the NT where the Apostles instructed elders to shepherd the flock of God entrusted to their care as under shepherds of the Chief Shepherd (See Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). This is no coincidence, for the God of Jacob and Son of David—Messiah Yeshua—is, at heart, a Shepherd-King and we, His people, are the sheep of His pasture (See Ps. 100:3).
Revelation 7:9-10, 13-17
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
A. THE SHEEPFOLD OF ISRAEL:
1) The QUANTITY of the flock: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. (v.9)
• John 10:14-16: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
2) The QUALITY of the flock: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (v.14)
Rev. 12:11: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Romans 8:35-37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:17: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
1 Peter 2:21: “To this you were called: Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”
3) The POSITION of the flock: “they are before the throne of God…” (v.15a)
The sheep that were SCATTERED have now been GATHERED and are before the throne of God and in the presence of their Shepherd forevermore!
Ezek. 34:11-16: “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
Ezek. 22-24: “ I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.”
Ezek. 37:24-28: “‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”
4) The POSTURE of the flock: “…and serve him day and night in his temple.” (v.15b)
B. THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL:
Rev. 7:15b: “and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.” Note that most people read this passage and assume that this event is taking place in heaven. However, Revelation 7 connects with Revelation 21 & 23, as we will see. Rev. 22:3: “…The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city [the New Jerusalem], and his servants will serve him.”
Tent of Meeting (See Exodus 40) (feast of tabernacles)
David’s fallen tent
Acts 15:16-17: “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’” (cf. Amos 9:11-12)
The “tent” of our bodies (See 2 Cor. 5:1-5)
The Hebrew marriage “tent” (chupah)
Isa. 4:5-6: Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Rev. 7:16: “‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.”
Isaiah 49:8-13: “This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. 10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. 11 I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. 12 See, they will come from afar—some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Sinim.” 13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”
John 6:35: “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 7:37-39: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast [of Tabernacles] (7:2), Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”
Rev. 7:17: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
This promise is for those who have renounced all worldly pursuits and pleasures in pursuit of the surpassing worth and glory of the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world! They did not love their lives in this world so as to shrink from death, but laid them down for the One who gave His life for the sheep. Therefore, the Shepherd-King is on the throne of their hearts by faith, through the Holy Spirit, and He shall lead them and dwell among them forevermore.
Jer. 31:10-14: 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ 11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. 12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. 13 Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. 14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.”
Rev. 21:3-4: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Isaiah 25:6-8: “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 35:3-10: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Isaiah 65:17-19ff: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”
Conclusion:
The MESSAGE of Revelation 7 is that we have a SHEPHERD-KING who laid down His life for the sheep as the Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world. He has called us by name, marked us as His own, and sealed us with His Holy Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
He goes before us and has promised to be with us through all of life’s trials and tribulations (including the “Great Tribulation”), even leading us through the valley of death itself, for He has already gone that way and overcome the grave!
And He has promised to bring us safely home into His eternal Kingdom, where He will make us lie down in green pastures and lead us beside still waters, restoring our souls and wiping away our tears after life’s long journey in this world. And we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Amen and Maranatha