Washing his hands at the kitchen sink, one of my nephews looked out the window and was startled to see a doe leap up and over his fence into the neighboring woods. When Frank looked back at the yard he was even more startled to see twin new-born fawns lying in the grass. He was sure that the mother would return, but equally sure that the fawns would not be able to follow her over the fence for many weeks. Frank was dressed for work in a suit and tie; he grabbed a rain coat and gloves and went outside to lift each fawn over the fence so the mother could nurture them in the woods. He said that the fawns didn’t weigh much, and were too frightened to struggle, so it went well. In the end, Frank wasn’t even late for work. That day must have been significantly altered, regardless of his being on time and able to do his work. It was a morning that Frank would never forget.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures .

He leads me beside the still waters,

He refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3)

In both the Old and New Testaments the image of the caring shepherd, who seeks and oversees and rescues his charges, recurs as God’s own strongest image of His attachment

to His people. The man after God’s own heart, David, was a shepherd, and so were the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It’s a strong, vivid picture for the Hebrew people, as well as for the rest of the world, of a caring God whose whole interest is in His flock, and whose care is sacrificial: All we, like sheep, have gone astray, each to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost sheep; and when he finds it, doesn’t he joyfully put it on his shoulders and go home? (Luke 15:4-5)

The doe didn’t sin by delivering her twins in a fenced-in yard, but her limitations prevented her from finding a better place. In all the Bible references, the sheep represent helpless human beings, not unlike the fawns. The shepherd cares and brings remedy to the helpless ones, in spite of their natural inclinations, that include wandering away from Him. Such tender and engaged caring is fairly rare among humans, but the Bible shows us that it is at the very heart of God’s relationship with us. Hearing Franks’s story reminded me again.

Love in Him,

Prue