Biblical Roles: Elders (Part 2)

Shepherd

“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:15)

Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, God prophesied of a time when he would give his people shepherds who would shepherd them after God’s own heart. They would shepherd God’s people just as God would shepherd them and they would feed then and tend them just as Christ would. There are three primary aspects to being a shepherd.

First, a shepherd is called to feed the flock. “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.” (John 21:15 NKJV) Paul said that an elder should be “apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2 KJV). An elder is to feed the people of God with the Word of God. They are to teach not only the milk of the word, but also the solid food found in His scriptures. Yet an elder is not to simply “spoon feed” the sheep, but a good shepherd leads his sheep to where the best food is to be found. An elder not only teaches the word of God but He points God’s people to the one who is the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. An elder’s teaching does not only educate, but leads the people into a more vibrant relationship with the one whom the scriptures speak about, they lead them to Jesus.

Secondly, a shepherd watches over the flock. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17) Remember when the angels came to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, they found them “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). An elder is to watch over the people of God. He is to be on the guard against attacks from without and attacks from within. He is to watch for and defend the flock from the lion and the bear and also from the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Much of this watching is done through prayer. An elder should be watchful in prayer and sound the alarm to the flock when danger is near.

Thirdly, a shepherd is an example to the flock. “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2-3) Someone once said that values are more caught than taught. It matters little what an elder teaches if their lifestyle does not line up with their teaching. Elders are to be an example to the flock. An elder should always be aware that people are watching; watching to see if the word of God is really true and can really be lived out in our lives. If we cannot live out the word of God, what hope do the people of God have? We need to live the truth we teach, we need to be examples of what is possible when the God of the universe, and His word, lives inside of us.

More to come… David Robison