Compelling Love

The God of Israel is our Creator, Redeemer, Shepherd and King. He redeems and shepherds those He has created and called to be His own, and He is the Lover of our souls. Individually and corporately, He is the King over Israel and over all the earth, as will one day be revealed.

Psalm 47 declares that God is the King over all the earth.

 Psalm 47 (NKJV)
¹ Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
² For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.

In Isaiah 43, God declares that He has created and redeemed His people for His glory.

Isaiah 43
¹ But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.

⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

¹⁰ “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.

²⁵ “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.

Individually and corporately, God is the Shepherd of His people. In Psalm 23,
David rejoices in the Lord, who is the Shepherd and Lover of His soul.

Psalm 23
¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
⁴ Yea, 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 runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

In Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 31, God describes His shepherding of the nation of Israel.

Ezekiel 34
²³ I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Jeremiah 31
¹⁰ “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare it in the isles afar off, and say,
‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
¹¹ For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he.

In Micah 5:2, God declares that the Messiah will be a Ruler, born in Bethlehem, who will shepherd His people Israel. This prophecy was used by the chief priests and scribes to direct the wise men from the East to the place of Jesus’ birth.

Matthew 2
⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’

In John 10, Jesus describes his role as the true shepherd of God’s people.

John 10
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” …
^27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is both the good Shepherd and the Lover of our souls. In John 17, he prays that believers will be joined together in the eternal love relationship he shares with the Father, and that His glory will shine through us.

John 17
²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, https://compellinglove.net/