Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

When reading through the Bible, as you come to Psalm 22, 23 and 24, you see three aspects of a "shepherd", the "good shepherd", the "great shepherd" and the "chief shepherd". In Psalm 22, the Psalmist reveals the "Good Shepherd" as the "shepherd" who gives his life for his sheep, John 10:11.

The Psalmist gives us a graphic picture of death by crucifixion. This Psalm is a prophecy of the Messiah who would give His life for the salvation of all who would come to Him for eternal life.

Psalm 23 depicts the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the One the Psalmist is writing about, as the "Great Shepherd". The writer shows the "Great Shepherd", "brought again from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant", Hebrews 13:20, is the One that tenderly cares for the sheep.

In our devotional reading for today, we focus on the "Chief Shepherd", I Peter 5:4, who appears as the "King of Glory", the One who comes to reward the sheep. Four times in Psalm 24 the Messiah is referred to as the "King of Glory", verses 7-10.

As we begin to read through this 24th Psalm we see that the Chief Shepherd was also the "Creator", verses 1 and 2. The truth is, that the only way He could be the "Chief Shepherd" and the "King of Glory" is that He was the "Creator" of all things and that all of Creation belongs to Him.

The Psalmist then tells us that the only way we can "ascend to the hill of the Lord" is if we have "clean hands and a pure heart", verse 4. By the way, the next verse in our reading reveals to us that our salvation, the way to clean hands and a pure heart, comes from Him, verse 5.

Verses 7-10 speak of the coming Messiah, referred to here as the "King of Glory". I have heard a song that uses these four verses as the words to its melody. It is a beautiful song, which, of course, is what the Psalms are, "songs to sing".

Let me go back to the reference in I Peter 5:4 that speaks of the "Chief Shepherd", the "King of Glory". Notice the Chief Shepherd brings with Him when He comes a "crown of glory" for all of us, as Christians, that have "fed the flock", I Peter 5:2. That means we have helped other Christians to grow in the Lord as we have been "examples to the flock," I Peter 5:3.

I look forward to receiving from the "Chief Shepherd" a "crown of glory" when the "King of Glory" comes. I want to give back to our Lord this crown, Revelation 4:10, in thanksgiving for what the "Chief Shepherd", the "King of Glory" has done for me.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, Lord, to be at the task of "feeding the flock" by being the example you want me to be so I will receive the "crown of glory" from the "Chief Shepherd" when You come.