The poor of the flock

Zechariah 11:7

And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

The Lord seems to have a divine propensity to care for the poor of the flock. The rich of the flock are often His enemies and care not for the sheep. But He cares for the downtrodden, those that are torn of beasts, the sick, the maimed, the halt, the blind. Was not Jesus the good Shepherd and the chief Shepherd? And did He not Himself say, “The poor have the gospel preached to them”? Yes, He was the Shepherd of the poor. And He cared for those of unfortunate state and lesser lot. God loves them, and so should we! How many times does the Lord tell us that he that pitieth the poor and that heareth their cry shall be blessed? And he that stoppeth his ears shall cry himself and not be heard? The Lord cares for the poor of the flock.

How does God care for the poor? He does what a good shepherd does—He feeds the flock. This is what every good pastor must do without exception. He must feed the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof. And it must not be for self-interest, and not by constraint. He must have a willing heart and a loving heart. Otherwise, he is no shepherd, but is an idol shepherd—an imitation shepherd—and not a true one. This world needs true shepherds who will feed them according to God’s heart with knowledge and understanding. God, give us more of these shepherds! And for every Christian reading this today, care for the poor of the flock! Ye older and wiser and mature sheep, care for the young ones, for the ill, the hurting, and the poor. Do not elevate yourself, for that is unseemly. You were once poor, downtrodden, in need of the help of others. Care for some poor soul today!

“Father, thank you that you, in your great and magnificent and lofty highness choose to condescend to men of low estate. You love us, though poor and low. Help us, Lord, to have this same attitude and spirit towards others who are poor and needy. Use us this day to help a poor man or woman, a sheep in need of loving care. And we ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.”